10 Reboots/Sequels That Didn't Know Why The Originals Were Popular

In modern cinema, it almost feels like movies are afraid to be looked at as 'silly'. No one can make an action movie where a character says or does something cool without being made fun of because that's too sincere, and if they don't mock their own efforts, someone else will. This is a problem in a film because people actually enjoy movies taking themselves seriously, instead of cutting moments of tension. Look no further than the first Independence Day, and its sequel, Resurgence.

Campiness is generally looked down upon, but it's something Independence Day grabbed hold of and brandished proudly, to great effect. It could be silly, it could be serious, and those two didn't cancel each other out. Will Smith could say "welcome to Earth" and everyone would eat it up.

Resurgence did not take note of the charming tone that made the original such a success. It opted for a generic plot and hollow CGI action that just felt fake. The practical effects that made the action of the original so real were ignored, despite the White House exploding or New York being consumed in fire being embedded into popular culture.

Resurgence had no substance, the audience wasn't invested in these characters, and they just weren't willing to put themselves out there. They had two decades to devise a speech comparable to "We will not go quietly into the night" and they couldn't. Either that proves money cannot buy quality, or the English language peaked with Bill Pullman in 1996.