I have never seen "Independence Day," I heard about it a lot throughout the years, but disaster movies aren't my bread and butter. I hate when people say it's just a 'turn your brain off' movie because I feel like you shouldn't have to do that to enjoy a movie. My favorite movies are ones that you have to think about, that you have to see multiple times to understand what's going on. So, since most disaster movies are linked with this stupid aura, I tend to stay away from them. That being said I am a sucker for screenings of older films. The last week I drove about an hour to see "Raiders of The Lost Ark" in a theater, so when I saw that there was going to be an "Independence Day" Double Feature, the temptation to see a screening of a film that I probably was never going to get a chance to see in the theaters was too much. I packed my bags and found out how 'sick' "Independence Day" and "Independence Day: Resurgence" starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldbulm, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, and Brent Spiner for "Independence Day" and starring Liam Hemsworth, Jessie T. Usher, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, William Finchtner, as well as Jeff, Bill, Brent, and Judd again for "Independence Day: Resurgence!" Both directed by Roland Emmerich.
Independence Day
The question: "are we are alone in the universe" is answered when giant spacecrafts start positioning themselves around the world. The world is rattled with what to do. Do this visitors come in peace? Many people think so, but others have information that this might be the extinction of mankind.
Like I said, I have never seen the original "Independence Day", but I was excited to see an older film in the theater. So lets get down to the dirt, I loved this movie, for what it is. This movie is pretty cheesy; some of the one-liners are pretty stupid and the technology for this movie was WAY more advanced then what was possible in the 90s, but I had a lot of fun in this film anyway. What this film had was charisma; it was charming, and definitely what I call a popcorn flick! I'd put this movie in the same vain with "The Fast and The Furious" franchise. They don't have some huge message, and they aren't to heavy with drama or anything. They're just films you can watch with some friends and everyone will have a great time, and it's not 'turn your brain off' because the performances and jokes are good so you won't be groaning at the stupidity.
Jeff Goldbulm and Will Smith, to me, are the stars of the show. There is this one shot where I couldn't help but cheer! Also, I love seeing Will Smith be the funny one-liner guy again. I love him now, too, with movies like "Concussion," but nothing can replace the Will Smith of the 90s in my heart. Jeff Goldbulm, and Judd Hirsch playing as his dad were some of my favorite parts of the movie as well. Judd Hirsch's character was great because whatever came to his mind, he said. He didn't have a filter and some of the best jokes came out of him.
I can't forget the speech! Bill Pullman plays the president in this movie, and when he took up the megaphone and starting saying his speech, I couldn't help but get pumped up. If I'm going to watch a disaster movie, there'd better be a motivational speech somewhere, and this movie had a great one! All in all, I had a great time with this movie! Sure, it isn't a masterwork of cinema or anything, but I had loads of fun watching and would love to see it with a group of friends at a party.
If you're new to my rating methods, I will now break down how "sick" this movie is.
"Healthy As A Horse" Never see this movie, even if your life depends on it!
"Common Cold" This movie is fun or entertaining, but not necessarily a "good movie".
"Stomach Bug" Good, but not worth spending money at the theater.
"Called Out of Work" Really good movie and worth seeing in theaters, if you get the chance!
"Projectile Vomiting" Watch this movie as soon as possible, get in line at the theater, or immediately buy it on Blu-ray or DVD. You have to see this movie!
So how 'sick' is "Independence Day?"
Take a couple of tums and tough it out, because "Independence Day" has a...
"Stomach Bug"
I won't be adding this to my list of classics anytime soon, but this movie is a darn good time! Grab some popcorn and pop in the Blu-Ray one lazy Sunday afternoon. It will sure be a fun flick...unlike it's sequel, unfortunately.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Over the last twenty years, humans have been in peace. The first attack in 1996 brought humanity together and all the nations work together now to further our technology by fusing it with the alien technology to make sure earth is safe from another attack. Likewise the aliens have been preparing as well.
So when the first "Independence Day" was over, I was pretty pumped up for the second one, I got a refill on my popcorn and soda and awaited more fun. Disappointedly, this movie didn't deliver the same amount of enjoyment as the first one. This movie has sequel disease where it's basically a copy of the first one. Despite having a slightly different cast and cooler effects, the movie moves through the same beats, and that bugged me. Some people have waited about twenty years for a sequel and instead of having a cool new story to tell. They get the diet version of the first movie.
What this movie was lacking was what the first had bundles of: charisma. The newbies in this movie were really dull. Jessie T. Usher played Will Smith's character's son and, while he had some cool stuff to say, he didn't have any gusto in it. Many of the lines fell flat and lifeless. His character was written fine but he didn't bring anything into it. The same goes for Liam Hemsworth. Now while Liam is never terrible in any movie he's in, he hasn't really been great in any role either. In every movie he's in, I get the same feeling. He's good, he gets the job done, he's likeable, but he's just there. Liam Hemsworth may get the chance to shine one day, but he definitely doesn't shine in this film.
This movie is bloated, the cast is really big and, instead of focusing on just the new characters or just the old characters, it decides to try to focus on all the characters - which doesn't work out half the time. Halfway through when this movie is already hug, it decides to add even more characters! Adding to the messiness of the film.
By far my favorite part was Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman. I love Bill Pullman all bearded up and old, giving the new president advice on how to handle this situation, and basically being a fearless old man. And Jeff Goldblum going through the scenes with his unique speech patterns and screen presence, I loved every moment he was on screen.
This movie is far from the worst I've seen. There were some awesome parts of fun and action, but it ultimately fell flat. This movie was a huge disappointment, especially compared to the original.
So let's flash the rating system one more time!
"Healthy As A Horse" Never see this movie, even if your life depends on it!
"Common Cold" This movie is fun or entertaining, but not necessarily a "good movie".
"Stomach Bug" Good, but not worth spending money at the theater.
"Called Out of Work" Really good movie and worth seeing in theaters, if you get the chance!
"Projectile Vomiting" Watch this movie as soon as possible, get in line at the theater, or immediately buy it on Blu-ray or DVD. You have to see this movie!
How 'sick' is "Independence Day: Resurgence?"
Well "Independence Day: Resurgence" has nothing to worry about because it's just the...
"Common Cold"
There are plenty of good movies to see now, so if you're going to spend ten dollars or more on a ticket, I recommend you don't use it on "Independence Day: Resurgence". If you really want to see this, just wait for the rental or better yet just see the original! The original flick is far better, and if you haven't seen it, gather up some of your good friends, and check it out! It's loads of fun! Also "Resurgence" has the most 'on the nose' set up for a sequel. Tt's ridiculous. All the characters might as well just looked at the camera and said, "Look out for Independence Day Submergence in theaters 2018." It was bad!
