Roland Emmerich's very belated sequel to his smash hit 1996 event movie Independence Day did not ignite the box office in the same way as the original did and seems unlikely to fulfill its optimistic promise of more sequels and a franchisable future.
Critics and fans of the original alike lambasted the movie as a disappointment, but does that mean it's deserving of an overall bad reputation? Let's look at where the movie succeeds in relation to where it failed the most to see if it is or isn't truly as bad as people say that it is.
Isn’t: Campy Tone
By far Roland Emmerich's most attractive quality as a filmmaker is the distinct tone that he can bring to his movies. Uniquely upbeat, humorously theatrical and all-around over-the-top, Emmerich's style is one of the most easily recognizable, and parodied, of the 1990s.
To see that tone return was certainly a blast from the past for fans of the original but, even for someone who isn't, it remains endearingly campy and fun to watch unfold.
Is: Too Many Main Characters
The absence of original star Will Smith from the movie leaves a colossal void in Independence Day: Resurgence that it clearly struggles to fill.
The addition of not one, not two, not even three, but five top gun fighter pilots to replace just one is already excessive and weighs the movie down, but the fact that it still doesn't seem adequate just makes the entire endeavor seem pointless without Smith.
Isn’t: Effects
The effects were one of the biggest selling points of the original and the franchise's jump into a predominantly computer-animated era from a time when models were still being used more heavily doesn't diminish its impressive level of detail.
This really shines through in the movie's action scenes and rightfully makes them feel like the real centerpiece of the experience.
Is: It’s Way Too Late
There have been great sequels to movies released even longer than 20 years ago but the problem is that these original movies have stood the test of time far better than Independence Day.
People forget that a very large part of what made the first movie a success was its marketing campaign. It was a redefining of the idea of an event movie and two decades is long enough for even the most powerful hype to lose its momentum and a huge part of its charm.
Isn’t: The Pacing
There are many points that you can pick out and criticize in Independence Day: Resurgence but, truthfully, it never presents itself as anything more than just an action movie and it actually delivers on the staples of that genre very well.
The story may not really seem intelligent, but it never really needs to. What it needs to do is keep a sense of forward motion from the beginning right up until the end and the movie accomplishes that even in its slower parts and never allows the story to become bogged down on one of its numerous intersecting plot threads or characters.
Is: Cliches
If you're a stickler for how a story gets to where it's going rather than just whether it reaches its destination then there are many tiresome clichés within Independence Day: Resurgence to trip up your enjoyment.
The movie is never malicious in any way, and clearly makes attempts at having a diverse cast of characters, but its archetypes of heroism and authority are cheesily antiquated to the point of just being annoying.
Isn’t: Tension
Emmerich's mastery of tone isn't always applied to the joyfully upbeat scenes, he can also manufacture unexpected moments of tension and they go a long way in holding the audience's attention.
It's a convention of the modern revamped sequel to take the biggest aspects of the original movie and make them physically even bigger and, considering how gargantuan the sense of scale was in the first movie, it's impressive to see Emmerich find ways to top it.
Is: Wanton Destruction
In the process of always attempting to top the first movie, however, there are things that get lost. The degree of devastation in the original Independence Day left an impact on its audience because it was observed more on a human level.
Resurgence, on the other hand, often doesn't show its destruction from the perspective of a named character that's really suffering through it. People become little more than kindling for the movie's burning desire to blow stuff up.
Isn’t: Wanton Destruction
Another side to Resurgence's wanton destruction is a boost to its comedic factor. The destruction of major cities, much like the movie's battle sequences, becomes the amusingly choreographed dance sequences of Emmerich's sci-fi Broadway revue.
The movie knows what its fans want and it isn't ashamed to give it to them in bucket loads. The obliteration of famous landmarks becomes more a punchline and it's hard not to laugh along.
Isn’t: Dry Sense of Humor
Who needs Will Smith when you've got Judd Hirsch doing deadpan comedy in the middle of the alien invasion apocalypse? Well, it would still be nice to have Will Smith but the returning cast of Independence Day: Resurgence really does a commendable job of making the humor seem more natural than forced.
Even the newer additions to the cast, while not as charismatic on-screen together, allow the movie's jovial tone to shine through.