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[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Independence Day will always be my #1, go-to blockbuster movie with the masterful pacing of its three acts, large cast of characters that are just as memorable as the action on-screen, and the way Will Smith politely welcomes the alien to Earth. In fact, it's always been my favorite movie of all time and I prefer the look of the Harvesters, or locusts as the President called them, to alien designs in other movies. The original movie from 1996 just hits all the right notes. I mean, you can't tell me your eyes didn't get moist when Bill Pullman gave his epic speech in front of the pilots. Independence Day is just a really good movie and I would argue it should be up there with The Godfather and Seven Samurai.

When I watched Independence Day: Resurgence, although I liked it at first because it was a sequel to my favorite movie, over the years I've come to realize it wasn't all that good. Perhaps the biggest flaw is that it suffered from pre-emptive franchising considering it was leading up to another movie and this sequel just didn't really have many likeable characters. It had some cool scenes but thinking back to it now you could definitely argue it was unnecessary, that the original Independence Day is all the Independence Day you really need.

 

[Nymphae]

It really is awesome, I saw it with my Dad in theatres when it came out and it fucking delivered on pretty much every level. It's kind of funny that it took so long for them to do a sequel, today, something that lands that well is immediately turned into a franchise.

 

[Captain Zyrain]

I don't know if ID4 is the GOAT, it's really fun though. It holds up pretty well, all things considered (I don't consider the Mac virus because I refuse to).

Resurgence was trash the whole time. They just pooped on the original. There was an idea for a good movie there, but they didn't make that movie. Not sure if Will Smith being in it would have fixed the movie, but it would have made it somewhat better for sure.

 

[Loke]

Loved it as a kid.

Still pretty amazing how well the alien attack scene still holds up.

 

[SirKicksalot]

Resurgence has three main issues:
- the young guys are poorly developed, especially Will Smith's kid who feels like half his scenes were removed and we're just left with a hardass persona. The other guy is alright I guess.
- the small ball is so fucking weird and different from the Harvesters it takes you out of the movie as soon as it talks. I think it's a great idea and I'm sort of impressed such an anime-tier plot device was introduced... but in the end it doesn't really work
- Bill Pullman's speech

Then there are minor issues like the weird lighting (probably overcompensating for 3D) and not delivering a cool air battle. It appears some of it was tweaked in post and maybe reshoots (Vivica A. Fox was meant to be at Area 51 for example)

What it does 100% right:
- everything about the moon (holy shit that wormhole was intense)
- everything about the backstory, Africa, the aliens and intergalactic war
- infiltrating the alien ship
- the total fucking destruction as the ship landed
- Data
- and especially the final battle. Man that was fucking awesome. I find movies rarely have a good 3rd act battle, but this one nailed it. Literally nobody expected a kaiju battle in the sequel to ID4! I even forgive them for killing Pullman because the twist that the monster was just pissed off was great. Plus the whole diet Starship Troopers thing back at the base was entertaining.

I like the movie a lot but I'm disappointed it killed the franchise. One of these days I'll finish reading the tie-in books and comics
I suppose there is a chance Disney might do something with it in the future, there's a lot of potential there even if it means a TV show or animated series lol

 

[Nymphae]

Could have spoilered that death bit SirKicksalot , thanks

 

[watatatow]

I don't remember much about the second movie other than the stupid China pandering, which felt extremely out of place for what was supposed to be the sequel to one of the most shamelessly jingoistic Hollywood blockbusters of the 90s (I say this as a Canadian, btw).

The Hillary Clinton clone as president was also hilarious (oops!).

 

[#Phonepunk#]

the first one was really great. i might even call it a classic. this was the same year Mars Attacks came out. a banner year for pulp sci fi.

i saw the second one on Redbox a few years ago. it was pretty average. the school bus scene was probably the best. i thought it was hilarious how they just replayed his inspiration speech from the first one.

 

[lock2k]

It holds a special place to me because it was the first movie I saw entirely in English without subtitles. A friend brought the VHS tape from the states.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Those are movies to see.

 

[funkygunther]

In retrospect? It was a disappointing sequel the day its name was announced.

 

[LaughingStock]

Resurgence has a good premise but characters are boring and the chinese pandering is terrible.
What happened after the first movie, the war against the aliens that remained would be a cool movie.

 

[sol_bad]

They are both "just ok" movies.
The original film was impressive at release but it's visual effects have not aged well at all and it dampens the whole experience as a whole unfortunately.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I love ID4.

The second film was awful. It was even boring. It seems like they were setting it up for further sequels too. Oof.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

I did like the scene from Resurgence when they were inside the mothership as it reminded me of a similar scene in the original but with a better sense of scale, seeing them walk in an alien environment with the large flora in the water and towering columns.

We could have seen more of this in Independence Day 3 but by then I wouldn't recognize it as Independence Day anymore. I guess the idea was that there would be a Mass Effect 3-style final confrontation on the Harvester homeworld which would redefine the meaning of Independence Day.

 

[Old Retro]

Never forget!!!

One of the best movies in the best decade of humanity!

 

[Rentahamster]

I got bored of Resurgance about 30 minutes in and didn't bother watching the rest.

ID4 is a classic though.

 

[Kenpachii]

first movie was great, it was scary, the alien and animations where well made. the actors where great. Script was great.

Second movie didn't even had will smith in it as far as i can remember.And had some stock alien shit in there. It was terrible.

 

[Chairman Tickles]

ID4 got gud when they hacked an alien spaceship with an Apple Macintosh. I suddenly realized I was watching a comedy and all was fresh again.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

first movie was great, it was scary, the alien and animations where well made. the actors where great. Script was great.

Second movie didn't even had will smith in it as far as i can remember.And had some stock alien shit in there. It was terrible.

It not only did not have Will Smith, but they said his character died and iirc in an airplane accident. Lame.

 

[TheStruggler]

They should left the franchise alone and never have made a sequel

 

[Neolombax]

I still watch the first Independence Day every year, at least once. Its a really entertaining movie. The sequel however was really boring, and I only remember that big alien fight at the end. Didnt like the cast for the sequel as well.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

It not only did not have Will Smith, but they said his character died and iirc in an airplane accident. Lame.

I think it was a test flight for their new aircraft, but yeah, it was dumb.

 

[Urprobablyright]

Well i disagree with all of your premises so that's that I'd say.

Granted, it was an awesome movie.

 

[TheSadRanger]

It was really fucking weird how all the actors from the first film looked older in Resurgence but Judd Hirsch looked exactly the same when he played Jeff Goldblums old dad in the first one.

 

[WhiskeyDiver]

If Resurgence were not the sequel to a great sci fi click, Independence Day, then it would be a pretty ok Sci Fi alien invaders flick. But it is, so it kinda shits on it's predecessor's name. I had no problems watching it, a good portion of it was great fun, and that last battle was a fuckin badass way to end the flick.

 

[Constant Flux]

I watched ID4 probably more than any other movie in my life. The only one that comes close is the original The Fast and the Furious. The sequel was cool and all, but they fucked it up. They NEEDED Will Smith to come back. It just lost its charm without him.

 

[cai24]

Saw ID4 at it's premiere on cinema and nearly walked out of disgust after halfway, never saw it ever since and never will. One of the worst movies I have ever seen.
Like all Emmerich movies, it was an offensively moronic movie for an adult, but for a kid I can believe that it is great. Anyone who actually likes must have been a child when they first saw it, and can enjoy it from there on becasue of nostalgia - otherwise they must have some issues with their mental development. IMHO.

 

[Fbh]

I thought Resurgence was ok.
Not as good as the first one but it was a fun dumb alien invasion movie with nice visual. It was fine to kickback with a beer on a lazy Sunday and be entertained for a couple of hours.

Not as good as the GOAT though Battleship

You see some people talking about it as if it was supposed to be the sequel to 2001 or something

 

[Tesseract]

randy quaid's character is one of the greatest heroes of all time

i'll fight anyone who disagrees, fight to the death

'tell my children, i love them very much'

OHO LOOK OUT, COMING THROUGH

I GOT TONE

EAGLE 20

FOX 2

it's jammed ...

 

[#Phonepunk#]

first movie had all the great destruction porn. watching the white house blow up was half the fun. second movie doesn't really even attempt that.

IMO the real sequel was 2012. just an insane thrill ride of constant destruction.

 

[Greedings]

I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say Independence Day is a good movie. It’s an awful movie!

 

[Smaller than Atom]

Americans save the world!

Sorry.... "American President" saves the world.

 

[Insane Metal]

Resurgence was a piece of shit sequel.

 

[ChrisDude]

Its always funny to me when people say that movie 2 was so dumb, yet praise the first one who had a virus from earth hacked into a alien space ship and the president fly as a pilot into battle.

 

[EightBit Man]

I liked it back in the day, but I don't know if I would still be enjoying it the way I did back then. While there was drama and tension in the film, it may have been overshadowed by all the spectacle.

Other 1996 action films like Mission: Impossible, The Rock, and Broken Arrow might have aged better.

It had funny moments of Will Smith and fine-looking Vivica A. Fox though.

 

[slugbahr]

Saw ID4 at it's premiere on cinema and nearly walked out of disgust after halfway, never saw it ever since and never will. One of the worst movies I have ever seen.
Like all Emmerich movies, it was an offensively moronic movie for an adult, but for a kid I can believe that it is great. Anyone who actually likes must have been a child when they first saw it, and can enjoy it from there on becasue of nostalgia - otherwise they must have some issues with their mental development. IMHO.

Spoiler: 🤔

I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say Independence Day is a good movie. It’s an awful movie!

Spoiler: 🤔 ... 🤔🤔

 

[Gargus]

Independence day was popular for 2 reasons. It was at the height of will Smith obsession, and it was still in the time period where big special effects in summer blockbusters meant a good movie. That was when cgi stuff was still fledgling and people were wowed by special effects, now with cgi effects what they are no one is impressed by effects anymore because they are desensitized to them because they are no longer special.

If Independence Day was made today exactly as it was then no one would really care.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Its always funny to me when people say that movie 2 was so dumb, yet praise the first one who had a virus from earth hacked into a alien space ship and the president fly as a pilot into battle.

they are both dumb. the first movie is just far more fun.

Independence day was popular for 2 reasons

it was popular for many, many reasons. killer cast being just one of them.

i think Gen X nostalgia for 60s space movies played a big role. the dish shaped spaceships were a big deal, and a strong aesthetic choice. keep in mind this is the same year Mars Attacks came out. Star Wars special editions were still a year out, the prequels 3 years away, we were in this 90s rut of ugly sci fi. ID4 was more like a throwback to the '60s than anything. i think this was a huge part of the appeal.

 

[SirKicksalot]

ID4 came after Emmerich was established as a guaranteed fun director by Universal Soldier and Stargate. It had a killer cast, the most impressive spaceships and dogfights since Star Wars and it blew up the White House. It channelled vintage UFO and Roswell nostalgia. The X-Files was responsible for a huge wave of UFO hype and nostalgia in the '90s.
It was the perfect movie at the perfect time.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Stargate another 90s sci fi movie i love with all my heart. i was obsessed with that one for years. made DOOM wads based on it and everything.

 

[cai24]

I must have missed my enema or something because I never thought anyone would see ID4 as fun camp movie or fun stupid B-movie. It was too well made at the time and I can only remember those morons from the premiere who took it seriously. But I can believe that it now has a cult B-movie status and it is probably well deserved, though that is not going to make me watch it again. Universal Soldier, on the other hand, is a perfect B-movie and only enjoyable thing Emmerich ever did. If only for the meat grinding scene.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

I never thought anyone would see ID4 as fun camp movie or fun stupid B-movie

Will Smith punches the alien in the face and says "Welcome to Earth".

it is totally a silly b-movie. just with a massive production budget.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Independence day was popular for 2 reasons. It was at the height of will Smith obsession, and it was still in the time period where big special effects in summer blockbusters meant a good movie. That was when cgi stuff was still fledgling and people were wowed by special effects, now with cgi effects what they are no one is impressed by effects anymore because they are desensitized to them because they are no longer special.

If Independence Day was made today exactly as it was then no one would really care.

No, the height was Men in Black which came out a year later along with the hit single single of the same name in Big Willie Style.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

they are both dumb. the first movie is just far more fun.

it was popular for many, many reasons. killer cast being just one of them.

i think Gen X nostalgia for 60s space movies played a big role. the dish shaped spaceships were a big deal, and a strong aesthetic choice. keep in mind this is the same year Mars Attacks came out. Star Wars special editions were still a year out, the prequels 3 years away, we were in this 90s rut of ugly sci fi. ID4 was more like a throwback to the '60s than anything. i think this was a huge part of the appeal.

ID4 was basically a War of the Worlds for the modern time. Except instead of a literal virus killing aliens at the end, it was a computer one.

 

[cai24]

Will Smith punches the alien in the face and says "Welcome to Earth".

it is totally a silly b-movie. just with a massive production budget.

Certainly. But back in 1996 B-movies were things like "Plan 9 from outer space", they didn't have budgets. Bad movies with big budgets were just--bad. Time changes many things. I remember walking after the premiere, asking my co-worker (it was a company showing in the game company I worked for back then) did she notice how stupid the plot was? "No, I was too scared to notice." Well then

As I said, I haven't watched the film since the premiere, that makes it 24 years ago. If I did now, there is a possibility I could now have a good laugh about scenes I used to hate (that fucking dog especially has been burned in my memory. Let's wipe out half the population but the DOG is saved. Hurrah!)

 

[TheSadRanger]

Independence day was popular for 2 reasons. It was at the height of will Smith obsession, and it was still in the time period where big special effects in summer blockbusters meant a good movie. That was when cgi stuff was still fledgling and people were wowed by special effects, now with cgi effects what they are no one is impressed by effects anymore because they are desensitized to them because they are no longer special.

If Independence Day was made today exactly as it was then no one would really care.

There's a misconception that ID4 was mainly CG when in actuality ID4 used tons of practical effects with miniatures.



Miniatures, intricate costumes with animatronics for the aliens. The conception that ID4 was merely early CG is just not true. What made ID4 such a visual spectacle was it's effective blending of miniatures with minimal early CG to enhance the scene.

I would argue their are parts of the 1996 film that hold up way better visually because it's usage of practical effects over Resurgence which is just a CG fest.