Way back in 1996, Roland Emmirich gave us 'ID4', the mother of all SciFi disaster movies (by the way that distinction is still intact) and twenty years later comes back with the 'Resurgence' that keeps you wide eyed and spellbound as you quickly lose your gravity, along with other important landmarks of our united world,into the magnificent spectacle.
'Independence Day' opened with ordinary folks waking up in the morning and getting along with their chores only to find a giant space ship hovering over the skyscraper and we the viewer were as bamboozled as the characters in the movie. For a long time into the film nothing happened from above, but panic grew to the extreme. Here, the makers assume that all the movie goers today would be familiar with 'ID4' premise (It's been twenty long years) and go about the business of cutting to the invasion signalled on the moon, somewhere in South Africa and Nevada. As the danger comes in the Brobdingnagian form of a ship that is 3000 miles in diameter possessing gravitational force, we get introduced to our only hopes Jake (Liam Hemsworth) his love interest Pat (Maika Monroe), Charlie(Travis Trope), Dylan (Jessie Usher) and Rain(Angelababy) all fighter pilots and then of course the veteran war dogs ex-president Whitmore (Bill Pullman) and scientist Levinson (Jeff Goldblum). From then on it is surface level writing and beyond the skies action as one grand special effects laden visual of destruction follows another culminating in a not so wondrous climax.
You don't miss Will Smith in this sequel and that is chiefly due to the charming presence of Liam Hemsworth ('The Hunger Games' movies) who fits into the proceedings so well that you can expect more of him in the sequels to come. Travis Trope and Jessie Usher are two young faces you grow to like. Maika Monroe has much scope for acting as a loving daughter and the loyal girlfriend which she does with ease. The ever dependable Jeff Goldblum returns as the scientist Levinson is in his elements. The silver bearded Bill Pullman has great screen presence and his pep talk during the pre-climax is as refreshing as his famous one in the original. Hong Kong actress Angelababy, Sela Ward, Vivicia A Fox, Brent Spiner and Robert Loggia are the other notable players among a uniformly good cast.
The cinematography, editing and music go hand in hand in bringing the literally out of the world vision of Roland Emmerich to the screens. But then it is the special effects that will be the talking point and it’s a job well done. The mammoth to the power of X , the space ship is well crafted and the sequences of the destruction of famous places around the globe by gravitational force well executed,never for a second letting you think of them as graphics. Watch out for the scene in which the huge fire emitting ship lands on the entire Atlantic Ocean. Roland Emmerich gives the human touch (In excess in fact) to the proceedings that helps a lot in engaging the audience, which most of the recent Hollywood special effects films fail to do. From an Indian perspective 'The Independence Day – Resurgence' has a number of whistle worthy and clap worthy moments and the loads of clichés that are present are sort of drowned in them or should I say lose their gravity? Kudos to the director.
On the down side, apart from many cliches in the screenplay, the exterior and interior design of the fighter planes and guns used on both the sides are surely too familiar with the large community of video gamers in todays world. Ditto the many shots of the actors riding the planes and shooting at the aliens.
Verdict : Go for it and take your families along to have a good time
