MOVIE REVIEW: "Independence Day' sequel a 20-year letdown

By Adam Pilskog

Twenty years ago on the Fourth of July, Earth had to fight for its independence against an alien invasion. I was a high-schooler, and remember the awe of the special effects mixed in with some pretty cool one-liners; Will Smith in his early glory, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman showing that you don't necessarily need an A-list actor to carry a blockbuster, and the ushering in of a new genre of film that has left a massive impression on the film industry.

I consider director Roland Emmerich the godfather of next-generation disaster films. Since "Independence Day,GÇ¥ he has treated us to a variety of earth-shattering experiences, but none were quite as epic and ambitious as the alien invasion that started it all (besides "Twister,GÇ¥ which opened about two months earlier; that really started it all).

Well, 20 years later, the next generation, armed with space alien technology, has arrived to once again protect the masses from the calamity of an even bigger, badder invasion. One can only imagine what "Independence Day 3GÇ¥ has in store for us. Humans have come together in a global effort to fight back, planning for the inevitable return ever since Randy Quaid rammed his jet up the mothership's tailpipe. Technology is humming, thanks to the incident; we have a moon base, a global satellite defense system, enhanced transportation and a stronger military. Alien technology seems to make progress move faster.

Will Smith is noticeably absent this time around, but nearly every other survivor from the first film is back, including Vivica A. Fox. Adding youth to the cast are Liam Hemsworth (it's hard to take him seriously, knowing he's going to marry Miley Cyrus), Maika Monroe ("It FollowsGÇ¥) as the former First Daughter and Jesse T. Usher as Captain Hillard (Will Smith's progeny). Sela Ward ruins a ripe role as the current president, with wooden and emotionless dialogue, and William Fichtner tries his hardest to keep the audience engaged and caring as General Adams, but his efforts are fruitless.

Jeff Goldblum and Judd Hirsch continue their father/son routine, but it is much less playful and more obligatory. The survival and peril seems to take on an almost comedic vibe that ruins any sort of tension that may have existed in the first place.

What I did enjoy about the film is the duplication of the tone and mood of the first film. The dialogue is light and the action is virtually nonstop, with absolutely no pretense of any sort of seriousness. Come for the popcorn and action, leave feeling a little bit patriotic; I suppose that's the goal.

What makes it more difficult to digest as an adult, however, is that the characters aren't developed even a smidge. For some reason, everyone is an excellent pilot, but beyond that, they are terribly, shallowly written. Each scene is rushed just a tad too much, so there is no time to savor the visual effects that are feeding a constant stream of ocular sugar into your eyes.

The alien ships are fantastic, and the battles must have cost a fortune at the digital effects lab. There's even a pretty cool destruction scene that, although would have killed tens of millions of people, looks pretty cool on the screen. I know you're not supposed to think about the collateral damage, but I can't help it.

Writers Nicolas Wright and James Woods, who will be collaborating again with Emmerich on the upcoming "StargateGÇ¥ reboot (don't even get me started), seem to have wanted this to be bigger than it really needed to be, and bigger than it had the capacity for. It is overflowing with stand-alone scenes that set up incredible trailers and feed a fantastical imagination, but I found myself unable to immerse myself in the story because of the lack of focus.

You can bet it's a mish mash of recycled attempts at emotional pull, and to be honest, the 11-15-year-old crowd will go crazy for it. It's great to see some of the old faces back in harm's way 20 years later, but in the end it just wasn't very satisfying for me. Go see it if you liked the first and are in need of a blockbuster fix, but don't expect an improvement on the original.