Initial release date: June 24, 2016
Studios: 20th Century Fox/TSG Entertainment/Centropolis Entertainment
Tagline: We had twenty years to prepare. So did they.
Plot: As the 4th of July nears, satellite engineer David Levinson investigates a 3000 mile wide mother ship that's approaching Earth. Fortunately, 20 years earlier, nations across the world started to use recovered extraterrestrial technology to develop an immense defense program. When the alien invaders attack with unprecedented force, the US president, team of scientists and brave fighter pilots spring into action to save the planet from a seemingly invincible enemy.
Cast
Liam Hemsworth - Jake Morrison
Jeff Goldblum - David Levinson
Jessie T. Usher - Dylan Hiller
Bill Pullman - President Whitmore
Maika Monroe - Patricia Whitmore
Sela Ward - President Lanford
William Fichtner - General Adams
Judd Hirsch - Julius Levinson
Brent Spiner - Dr. Brakish Okun
Patrick St. Esprit - Secretary of Defense Tanner
Vivica A. Fox - Jasmine Hiller
Angelababy - Rain Leo
Charlotte Gainsbourg - Catherine Marceaux
Deobia Oparei - Dikembe Umbutu
Writer(s): Gabriel Sherman/James A. Woods/Dean Devlin (Geostorm)/Roland Emmerich (Moonfall)/James Vanderbilt (Netflix's Murder Mystery 2; Scream VI)
Director: Roland Emmerich
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and destruction, and for some language (2 hours)
Every year around the 4th of July, I always watch the 1996 action flick Independence Day. This is one of those movies that is always entertaining and some of the banter between Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum will always be one of the funniest bits of the 1996 movie.
A few days ago, I finally remembered that a sequel came out in 2016 and I actually reviewed it for the paper during its initial release. It's one of those movies that I completely forgot about not long after initially reviewing it. I honestly think this sequel will always be a forgotten sequel, yet could be a cult classic years down the road. So, since I haven't seen Independence Day: Resurgence since it was released, I decided to give this another chance.
First off, I honestly didn't think that Independence Day really needed a sequel. And Resurgence is one of those sequels that should've stayed in the "shouldn't been made" pile. It does have a few entertaining moments, like when the buildings begin to be lifted off the ground due to the mother ship's gravity and we also get a good peak of inside the alien ship. It's also really cool to see that all of the nations used some of the alien tech to improve numerous things throughout the world.
But, Resurgence really seemed rushed. The first movie was roughly 2 1/2 hours and the sequel just made the 2 hour mark. The final battle between the main characters and the aliens really wasn't as climactic as the first movie and even the ending seemed rushed.
Independence Day: Resurgence can be cheesy fun and a guilty pleasure if you just need something to watch. But, the 1996 movie is way better and despite this movie's opening of a potential sequel, I doubt we'll get an Independence Day 3 any time soon!
Here are some fun tidbits for Independence Day: Resurgence!
The movie is dedicated to actor Robert Loggia, who appears in both the 1996 movie and a brief role in this sequel, and passed away in 2015.
Will Smith was supposed to reprise the role of Capt. Steven Hiller, but Fox refused to meet his request for a $50 million salary for this sequel and a potential third movie.
The character of Dr. Okun, portrayed by Brent Spiner, is based on Jeffrey A. Olun, digital effects supervisor on Roland Emmerich's and Dean Devlin's earlier sci-fi hit, Stargate. It's an almost perfect presentation of Okun, right down to the hair and mannerisms.
The length of the massive decimeter of the alien craft spaceship is about the same as Jupiter's moon Europa and spans approx.3,000 miles (4,930 kilometers) in width.
The project was officially green-lit by 20th Century Fox on November 27, 2014.
The third sci-fi blockbuster directed by Roland Emmerich for Fox. The first was Independence Day and the second was The Day After Tomorrow.
The full title, Independence Day: Resurgence, was revealed on June 22, 2015. Returns, Retaliation, Rises and Requiem were all considered for the title before setting with Resurgence.
ID4: Resurgence premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in LA on June 20, 2016. The movie was originally going to be released on July 3, 2015 before being delayed a couple times to June 24, 2016.
Resurgence was unable to replicate the success of the first movie, which grossed $817.4 million worldwide in 1996. It wasn't one of the top grossing films of 2016 nor even its month of release.
The sequel had grossed $103.1 million domestic and $286.5 million other countries, for a worldwide total of $289.7 million (53% less than the first film).