"Independence Day: Resurgence" Review

"We had twenty years to prepare, and we still weren't ready."

Tagline, or general consensus towards the idea of an Independence Day sequel?

Indeed, it has been precisely twenty years since Independence Day captivated our hearts and minds on its way to becoming one of the definitive summer blockbuster movies of all time. Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith affirmed their superstar status in a film loaded with humor, charisma, and balls-out action.

Of course, the idea of a sequel to such a beloved film (especially one without Smith!) didn't sit well with most people, myself included. Independence Day is one of this reviewer's favorite films, but when I discovered that the first wasn't exactly a critical darling, I became a bit more receptive to this sequel idea.

That made all the difference in the world.

As it turns out, Independence Day: Resurgence is a sequel worthy of franchise canon. Granted it's still grossly inferior, but anyone who enjoyed the original for what it was should find more than enough thrills here.

The second chapter of the Independence Day saga shows us what Earth might look like if we had twenty years to adopt advanced extraterrestrial technology. Washington, D.C. looks like a booming metropolis with sleek skyscrapers now flanking the White House. Capitol Hill looks like it's at the 50-yard-line of a state-of-the-art NFL stadium; plenty of capacity for those rah-rah speeches. David (Goldblum) is now the head of intergalactic defense, or something. Regardless, that's pretty f**king badass. Don't we all wish we had that job?

David heads out to the Sahara desert to investigate an event that coincides with an attack on the moon. A large alien craft makes short work of an international base there, effectively crippling Earth's defenses. The last ones fit to make a stand are Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth), your typical maverick fighter pilot, Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher), son of the deceased Captain Steve Hiller (Smith), Charlie Miller (Travis Tope), Jake's co-pilot and the film's comic relief, and Rain Lao (Angelababy), a beautiful war hero and object of Charlie's affections.

The threat is much bigger this time with the queen of the alien horde returning to mine Earth's core for energy. Instead of several small flying saucers over our major landmarks, the queen brings one massive ship that stretches across half of the entire planet. To stand any chance of survival, the young team of fighter pilots must coordinate with David and the minds at Area 51, including Dr. Oaken (Brent Spiner) and former President Whitmore (Bill Pullman).

There are too many side characters which effectively makes the already risible dialogue even more of a slog. I thought Maika Monroe and Charlotte Gainsbourg were nice additions to the cast; Monroe as Whitmore's daughter Patricia and Gainsbourg as scientist Catherine Marceaux. Gainsbourg's scenes with Goldblum are some of the film's better moments. I just wish she had a bit more to do. She deserved more screen time than, say, Dr. Isaacs (John Story) or Floyd Rosenberg (Nicolas Wright). These guys were given entirely too much to do since they're both superfluous in the grand scheme of things. The script is already inherently silly enough; I don't need a Floyd Rosenberg character trying to wring chuckles out of me.

Other than that, it's still the same mindless Independence Day you remember. Judd Hirsch returns as David's father Jules whose subplot is meant to fill the void left by Randy Quaid. This film doesn't have any moments that are as memorable as "Hello, boys! I'm baaaaaack!" But we do get Data from Star Trek telling us to get ready to "kick some alien ass" in the setup for Independence Day 3. THAT movie promises to be something like "Jeff Goldblum Saves the Universe," which is something we should all be able to get behind.

C+