1996’s Independence Day set the bar for alien invasion, special effects, and event movies. It showed movie goers things on a scale we hadn’t seen before. The destruction of cities and Will Smith in his first, blockbuster film.
Independence Day: Resurgence takes place 20 years later. Knowing that the invaders might return, humanity has come together and used the alien technology to strengthen Earth’s defenses. We have bases on Saturn and the Moon, laser guns, and fighter jets that can fly into space. We have prisons that hold captured aliens and we learn that there was a ground war after the mother ship was destroyed. When the alien invaders do come back, our technology may be no match for this more powerful weapon.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeC5eyeW8XU
I feel the need to start out with an apology. Last night, I was sitting in a nearly empty movie theater watching Independence Day: Resurgence with my 12-year old son. Every few minutes he would say something or lean over to whisper something in my ear. When he did I would tell him to be quiet and watch the movie.
You see, when I watch a movie, that’s what I focus on. It’s not just because I’m a film critic and I need to pay attention, I paid real money and dedicated two hours of my time (three when you add in the time to get to the theater, get popcorn, etc.) to watch the movie so that’s what I should do and that’s what I was doing.
Halfway through Resurgence, I realized that he was vocalizing what I was thinking. His commentary was simple and consisted of “really”, “oh come on”, and “what” and I started to vocalize it as well. We were in total agreement. After we watch a movie he always asks what I would rank it on a scale of 1-11 (11 being the highest). I said I would give it a “7”. He said he would rank it at an “8”. That’s a big deal because he never ranks anything below a “10”. In fact, he argues with me when I give a film a lower ranking than a “9”.
“A ‘nine’ is good! It’s like an 80%!”
Back to that apology, I apologize to you audience. I apologize for not remembering what these “really”, “oh come on”, and “what” moments were. I guess it reflects back on the movie itself. It’s forgettable. The Independence Day of 1996 gave us a spectacle of destruction we hadn’t seen before. It made Will Smith a star. It was a great science fiction movie. Resurgence is a bit of a mess, trying to be too many things and incorporating too much story about characters we don’t care about anymore. It even sets up for a third movie with hints of an Intergalactic War. There are interesting aspects of Resurgence, the ground war between surviving aliens and humans, the advancement of technology, and the global peace the alien invasion caused.
It’s just that when the aliens show up to destroy the planet again, you can’t help but think “here we go again, again.” Beside, when the 12-yeard old doesn’t buy into an alien invasion movie, you’ve done something wrong.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXwcWY1Zrk0
Matthew McConaughey stars in Free State of Jones an epic action-drama set during the Civil War, and tells the story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy. Banding together with other small farmers and local slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones.
…and also out this week, Blake Lively stars in the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vm6c94Hb_k
On Home Video and Streaming:
Theeb
James White
Ip Man 3
Southbound
Trumbo
Everybody Wants Some!!
Raiders: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
The Wave
Miracles from Heaven
Midnight Special
Embrace of the Serpent
Knight of Cups
The Brothers Grimsby
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Fantastic Planet
Midnight Special is one of my favorite films of 2016…and it’s directed by a local boy. Also, it’s bound to be a very strange film but I will watch anything with Christian Bale. He stars in Knight of Cups.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zuQTmVCEn4
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChblWGjHHDc