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MOVIE REVIEW

Independence Day: Resurgence

also known as “Independence Day 2,” “Independence Day: Résurgence,” “Día de la Independencia: Contraataque,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for sequences of sci-fi action and destruction, and for some language.

Reviewed by: Bob Subjenski
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults Teens
Genre: Sci-Fi War Action Adventure Sequel 3D IMAX
Length: 2 hr. 3 min.
Year of Release: 2016
USA Release: June 24, 2016 (wide—3,900+ theaters)
DVD: October 18, 2016
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Relevant Issues

FEAR, Anxiety and Worry—What does the Bible say? Answer

courage / bravery / self-sacrifice to save others

dealing with death

Aliens (extraterrestrials)

What does the Bible say about intelligent life on other planets? Answer

Are we alone in the universe? Answer

Does Scripture refer to life in space? Answer

questions and answers about the origin of life

Featuring Liam HemsworthJake Morrison, a U.S. pilot serving in ESD
Maika MonroePatricia Whitmore, the former First Daughter and Jake’s girlfriend
Joey King … Sam
Jeff GoldblumDavid Levinson
Charlotte Gainsbourg … Dr. Catherine Marceaux, a scientist at ESD and David’s associate
Judd Hirsch … Julius Levinson, David’s father
William Fichtner … Joshua Adams, a U.S. General serving in ESD
Bill PullmanThomas J. Whitmore, the 42nd President
Sela WardPresident Elizabeth Lanford, the 45th President of the U.S.
Brent Spiner … Dr. Brakish Okun
Angelababy (a Chinese superstar) … Rain Lao, a Chinese pilot and lieutenant in ESD
Jessie T. Usher (Jessie Usher) … Dylan Dubrow-Hiller, the stepson of the now-deceased war hero Steven Hiller, and a pilot and captain in ESD
Vivica A. Fox … Jasmine Dubrow-Hiller, the widow of the late war hero Steven Hiller, and a former exotic dancer
Ryan Cartwright … Officer Ryan Collins
Mckenna Grace … Daisy
See all »
Director Roland Emmerich — “Independence Day” (1996), “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004), “Godzilla” (1998)
Producer Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Dean Devlin
Roland Emmerich
Ute Emmerich
See all »
Distributor Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Trademark logo.20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company

“We had twenty years to prepare. So did they.”

Prequel: “Independence Day” (1996)

“Independence Day: Resurgence,” the long awaited sequel to the popular fan favorite original film from 1996 has just about everything one could hope for. Exciting CGI effects, thrills, spills and enough non-stop action to keep most movie viewers totally entertained. About the only thing missing from the film is, unfortunately, Will Smith.

The movie quickly updates us on what has happened since the end of the first film and the twenty years that have followed. Utilizing technology obtained from the alien ships left behind after the first failed invasion, the world has developed what it feels will be an adequate planet wide defense system against any future invasion. We are also introduced to several new characters who will play an important role in the movie, such as Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth), Along with adult versions of Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher) and Patricia Whitmore (Maika Monroe). A very nice surprise is the number of returning characters from the first film, such as David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), President Whitmore (Bill Pullman), Julius Levinson (Judd Hirsch), Jasmine Hiller (Vivica A. Fox) and Dr. Brakish Okun (Brent Spiner).

After a distress call sent by the original invasion force from the first film right, before its defeat, is finally answered by the alien home planet, and the Earth’s defense system proves to be no match against the invaders advanced weaponry, the world once again finds itself under the threat of total annihilation, unless another miracle occurs, like in the first film. There is also the mystery surrounding an orb-like object of unknown origins, which may or may not hold the key to Earth’s survival.

Content of concern

There is a brief scene depicting alcohol use, but it’s fortunately not glamorized or drawn out. There are quite a lot of scenes of destruction and mayhem, chaos and terror, as expected in a movie of this nature. There are a minimal number of curse words, mainly in the second half of the movie, but I’m happy to report there are no f-words in the entire film which is commendable. I counted 4 s**t, d**m (4), a*s (4), h*ll (12), bi*ch (1), and S.O.B. (2). There is one brief scene of vulgar acts done by one of the characters with his hand and a bodily function.

There is no mention of God in the entire movie, except for a couple of instances where the Lord’s name is used either as a curse word or as an exclamation of frustration—“Oh my g*d” (3), “Jesus” (1), “Jesus Christ” (2), “Christ Almighty” (1), “Holy Christ” (1).

There is zero nudity in the movie, only a couple of extremely mild sexual innuendoes and virtually no characters shown with bloody wounds.

Positive Lessons

Several characters make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save others. This is a great opportunity to explain John 15:13.

“There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”!

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement.” (Romans 3:25)

It’s established early in the film that the world united after the first invasion, eliminating all wars. This can be used to explore the truth of Psalm 133:1.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

After the first invasion, the world attempts to defend itself against a second one by being better prepared. This can open a discussion of 1 Peter 5:8 — “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour!”

While I found it regrettable that the filmmakers removed God from this movie, other than as a curse word or exclamation of frustration, He can still be found in the sacrificial actions of others. I found this movie highly entertaining, however, due to the many scenes of destruction and violent actions, I would think twice before letting anyone under 13 see it.

Violence: Heavy to Extreme / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—This is a fun movie! It is exactly what I expected. The U.S. versus a bunch of aliens, and I’m sure you can guess who is victorious. There is a little language, but compared to most movies, this was minimal. At the end of the movie, the theater clapped. It will make you feel good to see us win one for the world.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
C. Nelson, age 56 (USA)
Positive—The star of this flick is the Special Effects. I suppose if you don’t like Sci-fi, you will not enjoy this movie. However, I do like Sci-fi, so I had a blast at the theater. No nudity, no sex, no drunkenness, no drugs, no F-bombs, no suggestive sensuous dialog.

But there are some unfortunate incidences of cursing, using our Lord’s Name. I saw an underlying theme of “let’s all unify as one world to defeat our foe,” and that just makes me think “One World Government” and that got on my nerves. However, setting that aside, I enjoyed just about every minute of this film. Got my money’s worth for sure. If you liked the first “Independence Day,” you will LOVE this one !
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Maggie Hays, age 69 (USA)
Positive—It doesn’t totally remove God from the movie… There is one instance where they ask everyone to pray for help.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Tim, age 42 (USA)
Positive—I’m really surprised Independence Day: Resurgence isn’t cleaning up at the box office. It seems to have all the necessary elements for success. It’s action packed with great special effects and a believable, talented cast, except for the actor playing Will Smith’s son who appears stiff and uncomfortable. It isn’t boring and moves along quickly. The script could’ve been better, but the dialogue is decent, and the profanities are kept to a minimum. There was an emphasis on friendship, loyalty, and self sacrifice.

It was a pleasant way to spend a couple hours especially since we don’t go to the movies often. That being said, be prepared for a propaganda piece. The president is female. There’s a gay couple. Jeff Goldblum arrives on the scene in a U.N. Vehicle at a time when many people have reported seeing large numbers of that same vehicle on American soil. There’s the obligatory speech about people from everywhere pulling together to solve the world’s problems, and the president’s daughter is a fighter pilot. It was unfortunate, but none of this surprised us. That’s Hollywood.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Kathy Cicotte, age 61 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—Ever since My dad and I saw “Independence Day” ID4 in the Summer of 1996, I couldn’t wait for a sequel, 20 years later in the summer of 2016, my Father and I watched “Resurgence,” and we both agree, that while Resurgence was OK, it was nothing compared to the original. The original had Will Smith, and the cool character of Major Mitchell, and a larger role for General William Grey, Resurgence simply doesn’t have the suspense, drama and perfect timing of events in the film that the original had. The plot is confusing at times. While the visual special effects are good, any Hollywood Movie needs a good well written story, special effects don’t make the film, good writing does. All in all, I like the Christian themes of teamwork, cooperation and heroism in this film, nothing too morally offensive; this film is decent yet disappointing. I welcome a 3rd installment for this series, if done correctly.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Jeff Andrew Winters, age 38 (USA)
Negative
Negative—So, like many, I loved ID4 (the first one). Been waiting for this forever. When I saw the trailer. I thought it looked great. Well, after the movie’s release I seen its rating from a 9 out of 10 down to a 5.1 out of 10. Which in movie terms is essentially a flop. Especially for a movie of this caliber. I’ll tell you why in a minute. First, let’s get the obvious out of the way. Christianity-wise the movie is neither bad or good. Not for little kids really. Just because of some stuff later in it which I can’t reveal (spoilers will be at the very bottom of this review). There’s some language issues and violence, but its barely there. I think it would be safe for a teen to go see. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 2
Matt S, age 34 (USA)
Negative— This movie has some of today’s PC themes subtly, almost subliminally infused. To begin with, the president/former president of the U. S. Asks people of all religions/faiths to pray. Such a prayer is Unitarian—all religions are equal. As such it encourages impressionable young minds not to see Christianity as qualitatively different from other religions. The call for generic prayer is religious but not Christian. But how can we expect a Christian prayer from a secular film-maker?

Secondly, an earlier commenter rightly noted the barely discernible implied gay relationship between the mad scientist and his close associate. The implication of a relationship that is closer than “just friends” is there, but the film’s writers could deny that an intimate relationship is explicit. Somehow, I don’t think they would deny it—rather they would wonder why anyone would have a problem with a same-sex intimate relationship if it was made explicit.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Marty, age 50-ish (USA)
Negative—This sequel to the original movie is an attempt to create an epilogue. It reminds me of the writing of “Flash Gordon.” Concerned, but corny. To explain my feelings about the writing of this film can be done by renaming the movie: Independence Day Resurgence 2016 Sharknado! Great FX and bad writing.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
T.F. Hirsch, age 64 (USA)
Movie Critics
…Utterly ridiculous but also rollicking good fun… The main thing filmgoers will be looking for from Resurgence is bang-for-buck entertainment, and that it delivers reasonably successfully. …
Leslie Felperin, Variety
…This scattershot but frequently spectacular sequel sees Roland Emmerich reclaiming his title as the DeMille of global destruction. …delivers swiftly and generously when it comes to the goods most viewers will have come for—the time-honored joys of blowing stuff up, in set pieces that escalate dizzyingly in size and context. …
Guy Lodge, Variety
…Resurgence doesn’t disappoint and delivers on disaster porn… t’s hardly a disaster, except in all the ways it wants to be. There are massive battles, moon bases, a few good quips… [2½/4]
Chris Knight, National Post
…Best approached with a sense of humour… Cheese aside, it’s ultimately hard to resist a film which is so confidently self-knowing…
Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
…director Roland Emmerich has pulled a seriously lousy sequel, dripping with alien goo and incoherence. …The tonal switchbacks from camp to action to wisecracks to exposition to action again could give you whiplash, and so little of it clicks…
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
…a joyless snoozefest… There isn’t a singular memorable scene… a patchwork of plot elements that don’t fit together, and the film is so badly edited that it somehow feels twice as long as the original… [1/4]
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
…isn’t just lazy, it’s borderline nonsensical… shows no signs of intelligent life… truly wretched expository dialogue… [2/4]
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.