Independence Day: Resurgence - Snapshot

The return of the Independence Day franchise to the big screen, made for easily my most anticipated movie of the year. After all, the original Independence Day from 1996, was one of my all-time best sci-fi action blockbusters.  I'd watched all the trailers as they became available, and also the customary preparatory re-watch of the original, a day before my weekend at the theatre. My expectations were high, but I was fairly certain I'd enjoy it. It's been 20 years, both for me and in terms of the plot, and the ruthless aliens were back to exact vengeance on the human race…. 

As the movie got underway, what stood out most was the very different pace. Things were a lot more relaxed and audiences were eased into past familiarities. Almost everyone from the original cast were back, to drive the narrative; albeit in older or grown-up avatars. The only exception being the Jake Morrison character played by Liam Hemsworth, who was a new addition. While he did an okay job, for me it was Jeff Goldblum in his David Levinson role that remained to be the most interesting; closely followed by Bill Pullman as President Whitmore. The plot expanded on the original, adding all the usual elements of sequels; be it bigger alien space ships, more advanced tech, larger scale chaos, and such. The movie retains the same brand of humor woven into the narrative, being very much in line with the original. The level of detail into the aliens is increased, making for better understanding, while also satisfying the sci-fi aficionados. It also helped develop the scope for an ongoing franchise versus a single standalone movie; heck, who wouldn’t wanna see more ID4. As expected of Rolland Emmerich, Independence Day: Resurgence is an all-out special effects extravaganza; the effects look superb, and the scale of destructive chaos is truly mammoth. If you're a fan of the original, or love big budget, sci-fi action movies, you can't not enjoy this sequel. While it fails to wow audiences the way the original did 2 decades ago, Its very entertaining, and totally worth its 2 hour runtime.

My Recommendation: Watch It + (A long awaited sequel to the beloved 90's sci-fi blockbuster ID4)

Independence Day - Snapshot

Roland Emmerich's Independence Day is easily one of the most memorable sci-fi alien action blockbusters of all time. I remember seeing it at the time of its release in 1996 in the theatre, with a classmate from high-school.  I recall that both of us where amazed by the movie, and kept talking about it for several days after. With the sequel upon us, it was about time to re-visit the original. Firing it up, I was quickly drawn in, and in familiar territory. The movie's pacing is just brilliant. From the opening sequence, it's incredibly engaging, and literally non-stop. Viewers can expect to be gripped and thrilled, all the way through to the 1 hour 15 minute mark, which is quite a feat. Its only after that, that the plot slows down a little. That said, even post there are a good deal of fast paced action scenes. Easily it's one of the most well planned narratives ever; 2 and half hour of entertainment, visual effects, and fun. From the get go there is some humor in the scenes and dialog, helping keep things light, in the face of looming disaster. The movie has a gripping orchestral soundtrack that reminded me of Spielberg movies such as Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones. Though I'd expect that most people have probably seen the movie, in an effort to avoid spoilers, let's just say that the alien energy weapon and its weakness is very reminiscent of the logic explained for the weapon of mass destruction in the recent Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie.  Effects do look noticeably dated, but that aside, it's still an awesome sci-fi blockbuster. Great performances all round, from Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica Fox, and Margaret Colin. The characters are interesting, and though a tad stereotype, they're likable. Independency Day is undoubtedly one of Roland Emmerich's best movies. There were some obvious goofs, and some poor acting from extras, but outside of that, there's little to complain about. Sound effects are really impressive, even the opening titles have some neat use of 5.1 surround. The content I was sampling was a Dolby Digital AC3 5.1 4 gig Bluray rip. While I usually prefer higher bitrate, it wasn’t bad. Even 2 decades later, Independence Day made for a solid watch. It's Incredibly entertaining, features some really good action, and is set in an intriguing sci-fi premise.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (An all-time great sci-fi action blockbuster)

Earthfall - Snapshot

I came across Earthfall as part of my movie research on IMDB. From the plot it looked like a TV movie, based on elements from disaster movies such as 2012, and Armageddon. Notwithstanding its low rating, I decided to get my hands on it and check out it. As someone who loves sci-fi movies, I was hopeful; budget constraints may hamper a star cast and expensive special effects, but could still yield a refreshing sci-fi flick.

Boy was I let down! Earthfall ended up being a very draggy, low budget TV movie, with poor special effects, and even the scientific rationale provided in dialog, made no sense. The narrative was disconnected, and though under 1 and a half hours long, it felt slow, long, and I found myself nodding off on multiple occasions. In terms of the characterization, there are obvious stereotypes; some immature teenage kids, some bad elements, a funny side kick to the lead, a family with little time for each other, owing to busy demanding work life's. As with bigger disaster movies, there is a government defense initiative, but how the planned solution was to work, was not clear. Overall, Earthfall was very un-engaging. The copy I sampled was a 3 gig HD rip, from a Digital Web source. Video was good, with picture being clear with good definition. The sound-mix was a Dolby Digital AC3 6 channel track, though there was no memorable use of surround or positional sound.

My Recommendation: Skip It (A disastrous, poorly thought through low budget disaster movie)