For a lot of people, the fact that Will Smith didn’t make a comeback as Captain Steven Hiller in Independence Day: Resurgence was enough to put them off seeing the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 alien attack classic, but if we’re being honest it doesn’t really lose anything in the balance. With a lot of the rest of the original cast back in alien fighting action, it feels like a good continuation of the story to with a taught delivery of fast-paced action.
It picks up with David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) and former President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman) twenty years after the initial invasion, which builds a lot of credibility as it gives a decent amount of time for the aliens to advance enough for a second wave attack. It also means that their ships are even bigger and more intimidating than before, which looks very cool, as well as giving the earth time to have developed its own advanced technology thanks to what was left behind the last time around, so you end up with a futuristic sci-for flick set within our own timeline.
Both Jeff Goldblum (Thor: Ragnarok) and Bill Pullman (American Ultra) are on good form in their roles, picking up seamlessly where they left off with their characters back in the 1990s. Judd Hirsch is pretty witty as David’s dad Julius, Brent Spiner is as mad scientist as they come and the new additions of Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games: Mockinjay – Part 2) as US pilot Jake Morrison, Maika Monroe (The Fifth Wave) as Patricia Whitmore and Jessie Usher as Dylan Dubrow-Hiller works out well enough.
The action is thick and fast, building a lot of the entertainment value for the film as Earth attempts to defend itself once again from an even more sophisticated attack, spearheaded by a queen that controls the hive mentality of the aliens. This builds to an epic battle in the deserts of Nevada as the queen attempts to finish off the people of the Earth herself, delivering monster movie genius with the last ditch salvation sequences.
There are some really mixes touches throughout the film, whether it’s Julius surfing a 90-ft wave in his little boat in Florida or the Star Wars-inspired dog fight sequences. There’s yet another rallying speech from the former Pres to look forward to and just enough silly comic relief to give the movie a few flecks of heavy dumb fun, just in case you were planning on taking it all too seriously.
Sadly, our more favourable review of Independence Day: Resurgence hasn’t really got all that much support from review aggregators, but we’re sticking to it. It’s not a deep thinker, there’s isn’t much in the way of emotion and there’s not particularly ground breaking, but it is a blast with great special effects, a welcome return for the characters of the past and more than enough to keep the average film fan happy.
Sometimes it’s not about the critic’s critique. Sometimes it’s more about whether or not a film has the potential to entertain and that’s definitely the case here. It’s also the kind of movie that you’d be happy to see more than once, so it’s got decent re-watch potential, making it a possibility for the DVD shelf.
Independence Day: Resurgence DVD review: 3.5/5
