Independence Day: Resurgence Review

Independence Day: Resurgence

Release Date: 23rd June 2016 - Australia

Production Companies

Centropolis Entertainment

TSG Entertainment

20th Century Fox Film Corporation

Distribution

20th Century Fox Australia

Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 129 minutes

Budget: $165,000,000

Box Office Gross: $389,681,935 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary

Twenty years after the alien invasion of Earth had almost destroyed its beings, the world has used the recovered alien technology to fuse with the technology of humanity. And its nations have collaborated on an immense space defence program to defend the planet from another alien attack. But nothing could prepare

them for the new threat

of extraterrestrial invaders,

as their mothership was

twice the size of the last

one they'd destroyed. This

time, a few brave men and

women must band together

to save the world, but

will they have enough

firepower to take down

the invaders, or will this

battle change, and will

the aliens take over and wipe out humanity before all hope is lost?

Cast

Liam Hemsworth - Jake Morrison

Jeff Goldblum - David Levinson

Jessie T. Usher - Dylan Hiller

Bill Pullman - Thomas J. Whitmore

Maika Monroe - Patricia Whitmore

Sela Ward - President Lamford

William Fichtner - General Adams

Judd Hirsch - Julius Levinson

Patrick St. Esprit - Secretary of Defense Tanner

Brent Spiner - Dr. Brackish Okun

Vivica A. Fox - Jasmine Hiller

Angelababy - Rain Lao

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Catherine Marceaux

Deobia Oparei - Dikembe Umbutu

Nicolas Wright - Floyd Rosenberg

Travis Tope - Charlie Miller

Chin Han - Commander Jiang

Gbenga Akinnagbe - Agent Travis

Robert Loggia - General Grey

John Storey - Dr. Isaacs

Joey King - Sam

Jenna Purdy - Sphere (Voice)

Garrett Wareing - Bobby

Hays Wellford - Felix

Mckenna Grace - Daisy

James A. Woods - Lt. Ritter

Robert Neary - Captain McQuaide

Joshua Mikel - Armand

Joel Virgel - Jaques

Arturo del Puerto - Bordeaux

Travis Hammer - Jeffrey Fineman

Lance Lim - Camper Kevin

Zeb Sanders - Camper Henry

Donovan Tyee Smith - Camper Marcus

Crew

Based on Characters/

Story/Writer/Producer/

Director - Roland Emmerich

Based on Characters/Story/

Writer/Producer - Dean Devlin

Story/Screenplay - Nicolas Wright and James A. Woods

Screenplay - James Vanderbilt and Carter Blanchard (Uncredited)

Executive Producer - Ute Emmerich

Executive Producers/Unit

Production Managers - Larry

J. Franco and Carsten H.W. Lorenz

Producer/Music - Harald Kloser

Co-Producer/Visual Effects

Supervisor - Volker Engel

Co-Producer/First Assistant Director - K.C. Hodenfield

Co-Producer - Marco Shepherd

Casting - John Papsidera

Production Designer - Barry Chusid

Conceptual Artwork/Concept Illustrator -

Johannes Mücke

Concept Illustrators - Daren Dochterman,

Mark Yang, Fausto DeMartini, Steve Burg,

Jim Carson and Christian Scheurer

Concept Illustrator/Visual Effects

Art Director - Michael Maher

Production Illustrator - Sean Hargreaves

Vehicle Art Director - Ron Mendell

Supervising Art Director - Patrick M. Sullivan Jr.

Art Directors - Caty Maxey, Christa Munro,

Eric Sundahl and Clint Wallace

Creature Designer - Patrick Tatopoulos

Set Decorator - Jay Hart

Assistant Set Decorator - Kevin Krupp

Property Master - Brad Einhorn

Costume Designer - Lisy Christl

Director of Photography - Markus Forderer

Additional Photography - Robby Baumgartner

Stunt Coordinator - John Stoneham Jr.

Special Effects Coordinator - David Greene

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital -

Joe Letteri

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite -

Holger Voss

Visual Effects Supervisor: Weta Digital - Matt Aitken

Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Sue Rowe

Visual Effects Supervisors: Scanline VFX -

Bryan Grill and Mohsen Mousavi

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor - Douglas Smith

Additional Visual Effects Supervisors: Cinesite -

Christian Nickel, Eamonn Butler,

Etienne Daigle and Stephanie Paris

Visual Effects Producers - Marc Weigert,

Terry Cloutiax and Katharina Salinger

Visual Effects Producer: Scanline VFX - Robert E. Evans

Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain - Steve Won

Global Head of VFX: MPC - Greg Butler

Digital Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Aymeric Perceval

Animation Supervisor - Conrad Murrey

Animation Supervisor: Weta Digital - David Clayton

Animation Supervisor: MPC - Matt Kowaliszyn

Animation Supervisor: Image Engine -

Jason Snyman

Supervisors: Digital Domain - Dean Broadland,

Jan Philip Cramer, Michael Melchorre

and Hanzhi Tang

Film Editor - Adam Wolfe

Additional Editors - David Brenner,

Joe Hutshing and Mitchell J. Glaser

Re-Recording Mixer/Sound Designer/

Supervising Sound Editor - Paul N.J. Ottosson

Re-Recording Mixer - Michael Minkler

Foley Artists - Gary A. Hecker and

Michael Broomberg

Music - Thomas Wanker

Review

1996, the first Independence Day movie made a massive impact on audiences. It had the money shot of the alien spaceship destroying the landmark of the White House. History is about to repeat itself with the latest sequel produced as a visual extravaganza but is dumber and huger than the original blockbuster. I wasn't sure INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE would succeed without Will Smith returning as one of the main leads from the original. This new movie would have been heavier on nostalgia if Smith had reprised his role, but unfortunately, he was too expensive for the sequel. With the absence of Smith, his character is no longer essential to the storyline in the director's favour. RESURGENCE is still colourful and fully action-driven, but more is needed to compensate for the unwarranted aspects like uninteresting new characters and awkward pacing.

Fans will miss the presence of Will Smith but are thankful for the returns of Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, whose roles stayed the same for twenty years. Even Brent Spiner had a blast returning as the eccentric and mad scientist Dr. Okun and has more screen time than the first. The new actor Liam Hemsworth has tried to be better than Will Smith but is a cliche and carbon copy of that character.

The 90s are still over, but RESURGENCE isn't only trying to relive its past. It is trying to evolve into the modern era, where the technology of VFX has changed a lot. Unfortunately, the film's scriptwriting hasn't improved. That's why I thought RESURGENCE was an average sequel.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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