Release Date: June 24, 2016 There is something awkwardly desperate about the idea of Independence Day: Resurgence. Like Hollywood, completely out of ideas, digs up the original and tries to convince you that a sequel is a legitimate step. "Remember Independence Day, guys? You liked that one, didn't you? Will Smith and the cigar and punching the alien? Guys?" Okay, Hollywood. Anyway, Smith isn't a part of this thing, but Jeff Goldblum is, which is probably more exciting, all things considered. Roland Emmerich is also back on directorial duties, though he's generally rather hit and miss as far as these disaster pictures go, so it's anybody's guess as to how this sequel turns out. The trailer looks very serious - less light-hearted than the original blockbuster (which was good fun, but not really a great film). So the aliens are back, of course, and Jeff Goldblum is tasked with sorting it out. The plot looks to reprise the first film, really, albeit with everything bigger and more explosion-y. Hollywood can't convince you that Independence Day: Resurgence is a necessary film; you know that it isn't. You know that it's an attempt to make money off the back of your '90s nostalgia for the original, and maybe you'll go see it on that basis. Good for you.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.