Against all odds, the 1996 mega-blockbuster Independence Day never spawned a spin-off animated series. One imagines that such a series might be a massive rip-off of Robotech, in which the leftover alien technology would be adapted by the human race to build really cool anti-alien weaponry, so that a few leftover characters from the original could help a team of hip new youngsters fight off the second wave of extraterrestrial attackers. There would be also cheesy love stories, dopey comic relief, big new monsters and every location would look like the blueprint of a very cool but expensive play set.
The long-awaited sequel Independence Day: Resurgence comes across less like a sequel to the original, kinda dopey alien invasion flick and more like an adaptation of that non-existent, very dopey Saturday morning series. It is an absurdly conceived but somewhat entertaining experience, in which all the human drama is breezed over as quickly as possible and all the awesome imagery is allowed to linger on screen as long as possible. (On second thought, maybe Independence Day: Resurgence is less like a Saturday morning cartoon show and a little more like porn.)
The story begins 20 years after the events of the original film, where – again – the leftover alien technology has been repurposed, giving mankind the ability to create awesome spaceships and moon bases. But then the alien threat finally returns, destroys half the planet with a new gravity weapon, and it’s up to old cast members (Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner), their kids (Jessie T. Usher, Maika Monroe), a handful of new, young pretty people (Liam Hemsworth, Travis Tope, Angelababy) and an African warlord (Deobia Oparei) to save the Earth.
20th Century Fox
What follows is one spectacular action sequence after the next. Some of them are reminiscent of the original Independence Day, and some of them are a whole new breed of stupid. But how much you care will depend mostly on how willing you are to accept that this series no longer has any connection to reality (unlike the original, which at least took place in something like reality before the aliens came). The plot and dialogue is laughable, but there’s no indication that the movie is trying to be deadly serious.
You are meant to sit down, criss-cross-applesauce, and eat your Fruit Loops. Independence Day: Resurgence is on, Silverhawks is probably next or something, and your Saturday morning is off to an awesome start. Roland Emmerich’s latest film may be the most absurd movie of the summer (and that’s saying something), but it’s also a lot of fun.
Top Photo: 20th Century Fox
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and Canceled Too Soon, and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved, Rapid Reviews and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
