Independence Day: Resurgence

We Always Knew They'd Come Back

In the land of Hollywood, sequels are the hot item right now. Independence Day: Resurgence is, of course, one such sequel.

ID:R picks up 20 years after the original 1996 film. Earth has stayed unified after the War of 96, and have used technology scavenged from the alien ships to augment their military, enhance lives and even expand across the solar system. Then one day, a familiar signal is heard.

The aliens are returning.

Earth must once again fight for their lives.

Fairly basic story, don't you think? That's what I thought too initially. However, there is a twist that makes it not quite so simple. For spoilers sake, I won't tell you what exactly that twist is, but it's a good one.

Returning to ID:R are several characters from the first film, chief among them Jeff Goldblum's David Levinson. Also returning (albeit as an older person, of course) is not Will Smith's character, but his step-son, Dylan. Remember that cute little kid in the first movie? Yep, he's back and following in his step-father's footsteps.

Of course, there are additions to the cast as well, led by none other than Liam Hemsworth. I feel like the characters were well cast, but not necessarily all that well fleshed out. It goes without saying that some will be more rounded than others, but I feel like they could have done a little better with it.

ID:R gets 6/10 stars

As a sequel, I feel like the movie did fairly well at staying true to its roots and giving a decent story. However, as a stand-alone film, it's just too basic for me. There's not a whole lot of rewatch value either, so I'd recommend waiting until this one is out on DVD/Blu-Ray to see.

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