Review #1,141: 'Independence Day: Resurgence' (2016)

By the time the 300-mile wide alien spacecraft appears in the skies and touches down on our world, it had become quite clear that Independence Day: Resurgence, the belated sequel to the beloved 1996 disaster movie, was here simply for our money. For anyone expecting anything else but lifeless CGI akin to a video-game cut-scene and actors with less charisma than the beers I felt myself needing to consume throughout this complete waste of time and money will be sorely disappointed, but hardly surprised. The original Independence Day was just as daft and just as stupid, yet it had a charming innocence about it, which possibly stemmed from the sight of famous landmarks being obliterated before 9/11 made it slightly uncomfortable to watch some mindless carnage. It also had Will Smith, who probably read the script for Resurgence and decided that it was so bad that he opted to do Suicide Squad instead.

Just like in real life, 20 years have past since those gigantic spaceships destroyed a host of major cities before being taken down by the combined efforts of... well, America. Just like in Alan Moore's Watchmen, the devastation caused by the alien race has brought humanity together, putting their differences aside to fight a common enemy. There's also been some amazing leaps in technology thanks to the debris left by the alien crafts, and a space station on the moon acts as humanity's first line of defence against another invasion. David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) is now one of the top figures in alien research, and when he meets up with African war-lord Umbutu (Deobia Oparei) in 'Central Africa', discovers that the defeated aliens sent a telepathic distress signal to their home planet 20 years ago. Umbutu receives some of these messages due to his close encounters with the creatures, as does former President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman) and Dr. Brakish Okun (Brent Spiner).

Of the new arrivals, there's the cocky and hunky hot-shot pilot Jake Morrison who, when we first meet him, is using his cockiness and hunkyness to save the space station from catastrophe. He is played by Liam Hemsworth, an actor I find utterly boring even in his better roles, who is clearly here for an easy payday since the script requires him to do little more than shout a defiant "aaaaaaaagh!" every time he faces danger in the cockpit. Jake is caught in some kind of squabble with Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher), the son of Will Smith's character in the first film. Independence Day turned the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air into one the most bankable A-listers in the business, but Resurgence certainly won't be doing the same for Usher. He is one of many forgettable new faces in a packed ensemble which also includes President Whitmore's daughter (Maika Monroe), the current lady President (Sela Ward), the competent General Adams (William Fichtner), and Levinson's former flame Dr. Catherine Marceaux (Charlotte Gainsbourg in one of the greatest ever "what the hell am I doing here?" performances).

While I recognise that development only occurred sporadically throughout the last 20 years, the best that the 5 (yes, 5) screenwriters behind Independence Day: Resurgence could come up with is to simply remake virtually everything that came before. There are shots of people gazing into the sky, landmarks turning into balls of flame, a dog-fight during which the enemies' weakness is exposed, a rousing Presidential speech which Pullman half-arses here, and Jeff Goldblum doing his Jeff Goldblum thang. The Force Awakens (2015) was criticised for doing the same, but at least it introduced a whole new bunch of likeable characters and exciting set-pieces to distract us from this obvious flaw. Here, we get wise-cracks by Jake as millions of people die around him, and a climax that feels like the boss level from a computer game. And all without Will Smith. Simply put, Roland Emmerich's sequel is a boring, soulless ejaculation of digital nonsense that cares about nothing but filling its pockets with the cash of the unsuspecting.


Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Jessie T. Usher, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Judd Hirsch, William Fichtner, Brent Spiner, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Country: USA

Rating: *

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,138: 'Independence Day' (1996)

What I remember about Roland Emmerich's Independence Day as I child is the cheesy one-liners, that Presidential speech that has everymen and war heroes alike puffing out their chest with patriotism, and a portrayal of a world where America acts as the sole voice of reason to a bunch of lesser powers who fully embrace their own stereotype. I always hated it, and could not fathom why the movie had gathered such a loyal army of fans throughout the years, even amongst critics. The film was, and still is, very much a modern-day blockbuster, but watching it again 15 or so years later, it now seems wonderfully old-fashioned.

Dismissing the more studious, and admittedly more intelligent, first contact movies of the 1970s as liberal wishful thinking, Independence Day harks back to the alien invasion pictures of the 50s, where a more us-against-them approach catered to the Cold War-influenced paranoia of the time, and squared-jawed heroes, loony scientists and military personnel alike put their heads together to defeat a force from outer space. Here, we get Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller, a hotshot pilot who manages to capture one of the tentacled martians after a disastrous dogfight; Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson, a genius satellite technician who uncovers the aliens' plans; and Bill Pullman as President Thomas Whitmore, a young ex-pilot going through an image crisis.

The posters and trailers focused on the image of the giant alien ship looming over major American cities, and indeed the moments of catastrophic destruction (usually of famous landmarks) and giant energy beams still manage to amaze, with the special effects still holding up 20 years later. Yet the movie spends most of its time at ground level, and crams it with enough characters and side-stories to fill another 3 films. The three central, intertwining stories aside, we also have a sub-plots involving Hiller's wife Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) encountering the wounded First Lady (Mary McDonnell), and a boozed-up crop duster played by Randy Quaid, whose claims of alien abduction have made him a laughing stock. Throw in Robert Loggia, Judd Hirsch, Harvey Fierstein and Brent Spiner, and there's enough going on to make your head spin.

Yet Independence Day manages to burst through the convolution by sheer force, delivering a story that is simplistic, ham-fisted and very stupid, but never unspectacular. The three leads help make their characters memorable and incredibly likeable with charisma alone, as the script never allows them to be anything more than an archetype. It's the very definition of big, dumb and fun, and was a bit of a game-changer in its day. Disaster movie audiences were no longer satisfied unless they witnessed carnage on a global level, and blockbusters today are still trying to replicate the success of 'ID4', including the director himself, who tried and failed on an astronomic level with the utterly atrocious 2012 (2009). I didn't see it coming, but my opinion of Independence Day has completely changed. Perhaps the movie's age gives it a nostalgic charm it never had before, so I'm hardly anticipating the sequel.


Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Robert Loggia, Randy Quaid, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #652: 'The Killer Inside Me' (2010)

The Killer Inside Me, a brutally violent neo-noir from British director Michael Winterbottom, raised hell at Sundance, sending audiences into frenzies of disbelief and light-headedness. Of course, as usual with premature festival outrage, the film is really not as appalling as the uproar would have led you to believe. There is one truly sickening scene - as gut-wrenching as any burst of violence I've seen on screen - but, the real tragedy is that this insistence on portraying it so graphically actually takes the focus away from what is a very stylish, if tonally uneven, pulp thriller. Although Winterbottom has juggled genres and styles with relative ease in his previous work, mainly to positive results, perhaps his inexperience with tackling a project so deeply rooted in Americana leads to the film's downfall.

Small-town deputy sheriff Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) is sent to warn off prostitute Joyce (Jessica Alba), who is having a dangerous affair with the son of construction tycoon Chester Conway (Ned Beatty). After realising they have the same violent sexual tastes, they begin a love affair and devise a plan to extort $10,000 from Conway, as Lou believes Conway to be responsible for the death of his brother. Unbeknownst to Joyce, Lou, despite his pleasant demeanour, is a violent sociopath, and after Lou beats Joyce to death with his bare hands and runs with the money, county attorney Howard Hendricks (Simon Baker) is called in to investigate. So Lou is forced to cover his tracks while he dotes on his fiancee Amy (Kate Hudson).

Pulp writer Jim Thompson was possibly the grimmest writer of his ilk, and The Killer Inside Me is widely thought of as his best work. I have not read the novel, so I am unaware as to how Lou Ford is written, but here he is a blank but undeniably fascinating character. He is a character that always seems in control, even when he seems surprised at just what he is capable of. Yet for someone seemingly so clinical at killing, he's not very good at it. His extortion plan is full of holes that could lead back to him, and it doesn't take long for Hendricks to figure him out. Often a glance or a word will make you wonder if he even understands himself or anything he is doing. Casey Affleck is a fine actor, and his Lou Ford is intimidating. Even though he's slightly built and his voice is a high-pitched drawl, he is a scary character to spend 90 minutes with, and he even surpasses his performance in The Assassination of Jessie James By the Coward Robert Ford (2007), of which I felt he was robbed of an Oscar.

Winterbottom wisely steers away from any psychological analysing of Ford, only hinting at childhood abuse (but not the way you would think), and glimpses of his intellect. Instead it makes you ponder this hideous character, and stay with him (but not necessarily root for) throughout the duration of the film. But it's Winterbottom's approach that is the problem here, blending a mixture of styles that causes the film to seem contrasting and haphazard. There are moments of pure noir - headlights approaching in the dust, characters sat in empty diners, cynical narration - and these scenes are at ease with the sleaze of the film's focus, but often it will kick in with some banjos at inappropriate moments that caused me to wonder whether I should be taking the film seriously. When it does take itself seriously, it's often inspired, but the final scene is so badly handled that I did wonder if a different director with more experience in the field would have made a much better film.


Directed by: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Ned Beatty, Elias Koteas, Tom Bower, Simon Baker, Bill Pullman
Country: USA/Sweden/UK/Canada

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #37: 'Wyatt Earp' (1994)

Being one of the most popular figures of the mystical Old West, Wyatt Earp has been dramatised a countless number of times on the big screen and on television. His notoriety as a no-nonsense lawman, his friendship with the drunken and dying Doc Holliday, and his participation in the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corrall, has made him the stuff of legend. Of all the portraits, this 1994 epic, directed by Lawrence Kasdan is possibly the most accurate and detailed, following Earp's childhood amongst his many siblings, through to his old age heading to strike lucky during the Gold Rush. It's just a pity that for all it's trying and accuracy, the film isn't at all very good.

The film begins on the Earp farm where the young Wyatt is taught the words of wisdom by his father Nicholas (Gene Hackman) - 'blood is thicker than water' - which stays with Wyatt throughout his life. It's clear that his family are important, and he and his brothers are soon grown up and are making a living out on their own. Wyatt is refereeing bare-knuckle boxing matches and is soon making enemies. He romances an old flame who dies tragically, causing the recently-married Wyatt to lose his ways and becomes a drunkard, stealing from good Samaritans who offer him food and shelter. After a visit from his father in prison, he changes his ways and finds himself appointed Deputy Marshal in Wichita, after bravely shooting down a violent drunk when the cowardly sheriff watches. As his reputation as a good lawman grows, he is offered a job in Dodge City along with his brothers Virgil (Michael Madsen) and Morgan (Linden Ashby), where his reputation starts to take a turn for the worse.

After the huge success of Dances With Wolves (1990), this film seems to take a similar approach - epic, sweeping storytelling as opposed to the more action-packed angle usually taken when filming an Earp biography. Yet the majority of the film is handled with such a ham-fisted and amateurish approach by Kasdan that the film is nowhere as good as it should be. Kasdan, whose films have mainly consisted of Kevin Kline vehicles, had directed a very young Costner before in a western in the very enjoyable Silverado (1985). It's a strange performance by Costner, who in the first half seems to be sleepwalking his way through his role, delivering his lines like a nervous primary school kid finding himself cast in the lead role. The second half, when he becomes the more Republican, violent Earp, is very good. He can do brooding very well, and even though Wyatt Earp is portrayed as a complete bastard, with Costner playing him he remains an engaging character.

Even with all the star actors on show - Madsen, Hackman, Bill Pullman, Tom Sizemore, Jim Caviezel, Jeff Fahey, Isabella Rossellini, Catherine O'Hara, and the excellent Dennis Quaid as Doc Holliday, the film does begin to drag. I almost feel bad saying that, as I have a lot of respect for a director when he takes his time to develop a good story and fully-realised characters, and clocking up a long-running time. But around the 2 hour 30 mark, I found myself wanting the film to end. After the infamous O.K. Corral gunfight (which is refreshingly low-key), the film carries on for another 40 minutes as Earp begins his vendetta against the 'cowboy' gang. In a better directors hands, the last segment could have been a way to portray Earp's fall from grace and his descent into blind blood-lust. But instead it just becomes a long, drawn-out manhunt.

Perhaps I'm being harsh, but I feel this was a missed opportunity. Personally, the definitive Wyatt Earp film is John Ford's magnificent My Darling Clementine (1946), and although it may not have the historical accuracy of this, it is a typically mystical, moving, and surprisingly dark masterpiece, featuring a great Henry Fonda performance.


Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Linden Ashby, Michael Madsen, Bill Pullman, Jeff Fahey, Catherine O'Hara, Isabella Rossellini
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie