There are no spoilers in this review.
We always knew they were coming back and in Independence Day Resurgence they are back — bigger & scarier than before, and ready to exterminate all of mankind.
It was a delight to see some of the original cast. Jeff Goldblum is back as David Levinson. Bill Pull Pullman as President Whitmore. Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson. A fan-favorite Brett Spiner returned as the little neurotic, little crazy Dr. Brakish Okun. Vivica A. Fox also returned for a small role as Jasmine.
The only major role missing was Will Smith as Captain Steven Holler. Smith, explained in an interview on BBC Radio 1Xtra that it really all came down to scheduling conflicts. “It was one of those things — I had a couple of films lined up, I had Concussion and Suicide Squad, and so it was a decision, timing-wise, between Independence Day and Suicide Squad,” Smith said. “They were sending pictures from the set, and I was like, uhh…”
The only odd thing was all the Chinese influences throughout the movie. The Chinese Movie market is expanding and it would seem that studio wanted to tap into that market. While the nostalgic references to the original Independence Day 1 from 1996 will be missed by the Chinese Audience, the use of popular Chinese actors/actresses are becoming more and more common. In a great article by International Business Times, they go into more detail about the thought process behind adding the Chinese connections in an American movie defending the world from alien annihilation.
Independence Day Resurgence is available in both Real D 3D and IMAX 3D. It has all of the action-packed explosions and Sci-Fi battle scenes you would expect. The big thing to note about this movie is that it most likely will not win any major awards, so if you are expecting well-thought-out dialog, this is not the movie for you. The plot-line is engaging and will keep the viewer interested. There are some genuinely funny moments but most of the comedic moments come off a little on the cheesy side. The only real disappointment in the movie was the predictability of how they are going to try to defeat their alien foes. In spite of that, it was still entertaining watching them attempt to save the world.
It is worth the trip to the theater but maybe not the IMAX version. To see if they succeed or fail in saving the world, grab your friends & family and enjoy. We saw the IMAX 3D version and gave Independence Day 2 Resurgence 3 Stars.