"Independence Day: Resurgence" Is Bloated, Cheesy Fun; Also this week -"Warcraft"

 
   I remember when I was eleven and my parents took me to see "Independence Day". It was a great day. My love for the cinema was cultivated at an early age and being a child of the 80s/90s, my childhood was chalked full of great films. "Independence Day" is, in every way, the perfect embodiment of 90s cinema. It was an action-packed thrill ride with cheesy dialogue, charismatic lead actors, a cool premise, and was loads of fun to watch. There's a reason why that image of a flying saucer over the White House has become a pinnacle movie pic. It's from a movie that helped shape the films we see today. So, when I heard that they were finally getting around to making a sequel (something that had been floating around the universe for forever), I was cautiously optimistic. It's no secret that my love for movies and cinema falls short of the top seat of things that I love (my wife will forever retain that spot #TokenSappyMoment). I'm all for whatever Hollywood throws at me. That being said, despite my curiosity, I really didn't think "Independence Day" needed a sequel. Well, we have one, regardless of what I think.

   "Independence Day: Resurgence" takes place twenty years after "The Battle of '96", the first Independence Day invasion. Since then the world has set aside their political differences in order to unite in a global stance against further extraterrestrial attacks. They've integrated alien technology with their own in making weapons and defences. One would think that after fending off an alien attack, human kind would just take the win and use their new-found global unity to further the human race, rather than the military, right? No. Karma is a fickle fiend and so if you put that bad juju out there, it's gonna come back. So naturally, this movie showcases the aliens coming back. Earth's a big baddie now in the grand scheme of the universe. But you can't do a sequel unless you do it bigger. Everything about this movie is bigger than the last; the action, the spaceships, even the cast of characters. What's not bigger? Relevancy.

   Don't get me wrong, I had a fun time with this movie, I really did. It's a fun action movie perfect for the summer movie-goer. It's cheesy, thrilling, visually-engaging, but ultimately it's not anything to cry home about. Now, don't take this as me dogging the movie. "ID:R" is pure escapism. It's unnecessary, delicious marshmallow fluff atop the wonderful cup of cocoa that was the first film. In retrospect, this movie has everything the first one had: awesome alien action, cool dog fight sequences, kooky characters spewing out cheese-riddled dialogue...but it still felt like it was missing something. That something, was a strong, charismatic lead. That something, is Will Smith.

   Arguably the best part of this movie is Jeff Goldblum. He reprises his role as David from the first movie and he delivers the goodies every frame he's seen. The added cast was okay; Liam Hemsworth does his best Liam Hemsworth impersonation the entire time, and Jessie T. Usher who plays Dylan, Will Smith's son/step-son from the first film, is...well...he's no Will Smith. This movie really lacks that fun, charismatic charm Smith brought to the first movie, and his absence is noticed. Other than that, I was on board with the rest of the insanity. The story is a bloated version of the first film. There is a story aspect that was really interesting concerning Bill Pullman's President Whitmore, Brent Spiner's crazy Dr. Orkin, and a couple of other characters that really brought some depth and scariness to the aliens, but it was mixed in with the grand spectacle and became forced. I wanted more depth, but oh well.

   All in all, I think people will have fun watching it. If you go in with lowered expectations and try not to take the movie seriously (which was a big selling point for the first movie because it's just as cheesy and big), then I think you'll like it. It hits the nostalgia bone just enough while still being able to deliver a fun time, despite it's corny acting and dialogue. But who goes into these types of movies and expects Oscar worthy content? It's a popcorn flick through and through and I'm sure despite "Finding Dory's" huge success, it'll take the box office this weekend.


FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH...

   "Warcraft" is a movie now. That's the world we live in. I've never played the game, nor do I know a single thing about it. I went into seeing this movie completely unaware of the source material. I went into it with the mindset that I was going to see an epic fantasy film. It was very much that and more, but in the end I felt like I was missing out on something. I don't mean that after watching it I had to go home and immediately start playing the game. I mean as a movie-going experience I felt out of the loop and it hindered my viewing a bit. In a nutshell, the movie is about the realm of Azeroth. It stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home. It's an interesting story, executed somewhat poorly.

   I really enjoyed the orc portion of the story. The CGI was amazing and the acting done with motion-capture was really well done. If the whole movie was just about the orcs and only had orcs, it would have been a cooler movie. The human aspect was really bland and boring to be honest. So many great actors giving wooden performances. I don't think singling certain actors out is really worthwhile when in all honesty I felt they all were bland across the board. The action sequences were REALLY cool, I only wish there were more of them. Fans of the game, I've heard, really enjoyed the movie, and I'm glad they did. Despite what I think, there really hasn't been a great video game film to date, so if "Warcraft" is killing it with the fans, I tip my hat to it. I liked it, but only for the one viewing I had. I doubt I'll ever watch it again, but I'm glad I experienced it.