INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (2016)

Twenty years after the original alien invasion, humanity has recovered and even made magnificent advancements based on the technology found among the wreckage of the downed alien ships.  Things take a turn for the worse when a wormhole opens up near the Moon and an alien spaceship pops out.  It doesn't look like the spaceships from the original invasion, but the humans don't care.  They shoot that sucker down (using a giant laser they've built on the Moon) almost instantly.  That wasn't a smart move because the spaceship belonged to some other aliens who hate the shit out of the original Earth invaders.  D'oh!

So now the original aliens show back up (in a spaceship that looks to be like 15% the size of Earth) and start bringing a new and improved ruckus.  The new and improved ruckus includes a huge "hive queen" alien that actually climbs out of a spaceship after it was shot down and starts running around all over the place.  That was kinda cool.  Unfortunately, the cool parts like that (and the gigantic new mothership landing) are outweighed by uncool shit like the "meh" cast of newcomers and the script that goes off the rail in the final act.

I didn't dislike INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE, in fact, it was entertaining from beginning to end, but I was just hoping for so much more.  Something original.  This story has the potential to be awesome, but instead the filmmakers take the safe PG-13 route with the extremely predictable story that relies too heavily on the pretty special effects and nostalgic feelings from the first film and not at all on creating believable characters that the audience would actually care about.  These people were all so boring and/or unlikable that I was almost rooting for the aliens.

Nice special effects, average pace, goofy ending, cringy dialogue, lots of missed potential, moon milk, a fast as fuck school bus, some guy saying "No one else dies today." then like a million people die immediately afterwards.  As far as guilty please movies goes, INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE is worth checking out.

If you need me, I'll be in my room reading Robert McCammon's awesome dual alien invasion novel, "The Border".

Part 1 - Independence Day (1996)

INDEPENDENCE DAY (1996)

"I really don't think they flew 90 billion light years to come down here and start a fight and get all rowdy."

On July 2nd 1996, a gigantic mothership parks itself above the Earth and then releases a bunch of "smaller" ships (that are still big as fuck).  These smaller ships station themselves all over the Earth, hovering above major cities.  As history teaches us, it's never a good thing when massive spaceships start ominously hovering above major cities, but some people were still optimistic.  Hell, the President of the United States (Bill Pullman) didn't even leave the White House.  It's not until satellite technician Jeff Goldblum (who's so quirky he rides a bicycle inside a building!  What a madman!!!) figures out that the mysterious tone being broadcast by the aliens is actually a countdown to a coordinated attack, that people start getting worried.  It's a good thing that his ex-wife (whom he's still in love with, naturally) just happens to be the President's Director of Communications.  Small world.  So anyway, the countdown ends and the aliens bring the motherfuckin' ruckus, but it's not a big enough motherfuckin' ruckus, cause the puny Earthlings still have the ability to fight back!  U.S.A.!  U.S.A.!

For a big budget 90's disaster flick, INDEPENDENCE DAY is pretty fun.  I mean, it ain't no ARMAGEDDON, but it's still a fun time-waster with a ridiculous story, cheesy dialogue and nice looking special effects.  Plus, I'm always a sucker for alien invasion movies.

Satisfactory (over)acting by a big name cast, quick pace that makes the 154-minute runtime fly by, dated special effects that still look good, Will Smith making a chicken noise, lots of eye-rolling patriotic moments, questionable computer abilities, famous landmarks getting blown the fuck up, President Bill Pullman's rousing pre-battle speech that will make you stand up and salute your television, Jeff Goldblum recycling a line from JURASSIC PARK, a very young Mae Whitman as the President's daughter, Harry Connick Jr. admiring Will Smith's butthole.  Fun film that is easily rewatchable.

Part 2 - Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)