Independence Day: Resurgence
Entry updated 28 September 2026. Tagged: Film.
US film (2016). 20th Century Fox. Directed by Roland Emmerich. Written by Dean Devlin, Emmerich, James A Woods, and Nicolas Wright (story); Devlin, Emmerich, James Vanderbilt, Woods, and Wright (screenplay); based on characters created by Devlin and Emmerich. Cast includes William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Judd Hirsch, Robert Loggia, Maila Monroe, Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner, John Storey, Travis Tope and Jessie T Usher. 120 minutes. Colour.
This sequel to Independence Day (1996) is set twenty years later, when the world has created a global defence force on Earth and other nearby worlds using captured Alien technology to prepare for an anticipated second Invasion. This duly begins in the form of a spherical spacecraft that comes out of a Wormhole before crashing into the Moon, followed by a larger ship that overcomes Earth's defences and enters the Atlantic Ocean; it then begins to bore down to Earth's core in order to devastate the Earth. Along with some new characters, several figures from the first film – including President Whitmore (Pullman), General William Grey ( Loggia), Scientists Brakis Okun (Spiner), Isaacs (Story), and David Levinson (Goldblum), and Levinson's father Julius (Hirsch) – become involved in the new resistance effort. It is learned that several people are mentally connected to the aliens, while an alien held at Area 51 reveals that the invaders, now called the Harvesters, are a Hive Mind, so that killing their queen will deactivate the other aliens. A recovered spherical Robot also tells them of a world where the survivors from planets attacked by the Harvesters are organizing an assault on their home planet. After a failed attack, Earth's defenders manage to kill the queen and end the invasion. The robot finally informs the humans that they are being asked to take charge of the effort to defeat the Harvesters, obviously laying the groundwork for another sequel that was never made.
The reason that this film failed to match the success of the first film was largely attributed to the absence of original star Will Smith, who had other commitments, but he might have had other reasons to steer clear of the project that could also account for its failure. For on one hand, this film is much more science-fictional, with several scenes in outer space and many advanced Weapons on display. On the other hand, much of the film is disappointingly Earthbound, with people interacting with an alien and robot and appearances by President Pullman, the scientists, and Julius. Little attention is given to scientific accuracy – the scenes on the Moon make no effort to show its lesser Gravity – or basic Economics – if the United States today must spend 105 billion dollars on the Artemis program to simply get a handful of astronauts to the Moon, one struggles to see how the world could afford all of the spaceships and other high-tech devices seen in the film. Also, the effort to retain some original stars gave the film a rather aged cast that could not excite younger viewers who had never seen the first film. Another difference in this film – replacing the emphasis on America to make the second resistance more international – might have made it more appealing in other countries, but it also might explain its especially disappointing returns in the United States, since unlike the first film it makes no appeals to American patriotism. And the film reflects Hollywood's growing tendency to have people motivated by family ties and personal friendships instead of larger causes, as in several cases, the characters indicate that they are opposing the aliens primarily in order to rescue or avenge someone they knew, not because the aliens are on the verge of wiping out the entire human race. Still, the film is fast-paced and entertaining, and it might someday find a more appreciative audience. [GW]
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