Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman

Director: Roland Emmerich

I remember when Independence Day it came out. It was a huge blockbuster, with one liners, an ensemble cast, and that shot of the White House being blown up. At the time, for some reason, than ending didn’t seem improbable, it was just all big fun.

This time around, it’s all spectacle, cheesey one liners (and not the good kind) and no heart.

Set twenty years after the events of the first film, Earth has unified in their defence of the planet, but when the aliens return, the threat is even bigger than anyone could have anticipated…

There are some ok action sequences and huge destruction, which is always fun on the big screen, but critics have been divided by what actually makes this film so dissatisfying. Is it the lack of characterisation, a cast that’s too big, not enough time spent on Earth, so that we can feel the world they’re willing to die to protect? All of these things? Maybe. I think the real question is, should you bother seeing it? Only if you really liked the first one, and you love your sci fi, otherwise, it’s all a rather boring mess.

See It If: you were a big fan of the first film, or if you’re a sci fi spectacle fan, there’s not much in it for anyone else.