Top 4 Reasons Why 'Independence Day: Resurgence' Fails to Recapture Magic of the Original 'Independence Day' Film

Critics Have Not Been Kind to the 'Independence Day' Sequel

By Allen Marcon, CP Contributor Friday, June 24, 2016

"Independence Day: Resurgence" has been billed as a sequel 20 years in the making. However early critics reviews have not been kind to the long awaited sequel to the 1996 film.

But why has the sequel failed where the original "Independence Day" succeeded? It has all the makings of a great sci-fi film, yet it seems to have fallen into the same traps other sequels have found themselves in this year.

Usher and Liam Hemsworth Do Not Equal Will Smith

It can be said that the original "Independence Day" is what opened up the door for Will Smith in his acting career. In fact, Smith's line "Welcome to Earth" envelops the entire nature of the film.

However, Smith's character, Captain Steven Hiller, has been written out of the film completely. In his place are Hiller's son Dylan Hiller (Usher) and Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth). While the pair bring star power to the table, their interactions with each other fail to compare the raw charisma Smith brought to "Independence Day."

Jeff Goldblum is Relegated to Side Stories

Besides Hiller, one of the most prominent characters from the first film is David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum). Levinson even helped Hiller invade the alien mothership, allowing the humans a way to victory.

Fortunately for "Independence Day: Resurgence," Goldblum has returned to play the ordinary cable guy turned world savior. However, Goldblum's return to the franchise is basically squandered as his character is mostly relegated to minor plot points throughout the film.

Buried in Special Effects

While special effects and CGi are expected when doing a film of this magnitude, there are times where too much is not a good thing. Unfortunately for "Independence Day: Resurgence," the special effects really take away the audience from the story.

In the original fil, the alien's intent was made clear when they blew up the White House. In the sequel, entire cities are uprooted. While it makes the war being bigger, the scenes themselves seem way too over the top. (Fun fact: the White House survives in this movie for a change.)

Heroes Win Too Easily

We all know that the heroes are bound to win in the end, but audiences want to see conflict and despair in their journey. This was seen in the original move in several scenes such as the iconic speech by Bill Pullman the night before the big battle and Randy Quiad's self sacrifice to destroy the mother ship.

However, the heroes in "Independence Day: Resurgence" seem to get out of any trouble way to easily and the time they have to find a way to defeat the alien queen's plan is way too long.

"Independence Day: Resurgence" currently in theaters and is being distributed by 20th Century Fox.