Advertisement
Powered By
IMDB

Review

A star rating of 2 out of 5.

Twenty years after Independence Day established Roland Emmerich's disaster-movie credentials and launched Will Smith into the superstar stratosphere, the director produces a belated sequel in the hope it will emulate its predecessor as one of the biggest hits of the 1990s. Given Hollywood's mania for ancient blockbuster revivalism, it was inevitable that our interstellar invaders would finally pay a return visit. But for every franchise-reviving hit (Jurassic World), there's a massive flop (Terminator: Genisys), and sadly despite some thrilling visuals, Resurgence turns out to be a strangely underpowered damp squib. Set two decades after Earth's triumph over the aliens, it sees David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum), scientist hero of the original, now promoted to head of Earth Space Defence, though he's nervously scanning the skies for what he believes is an inevitable return visit. Action heroics are provided by Liam Hemsworth, the latest in Australia's apparently inexhaustible supply of toothy Hemsworths, and newcomer Jessie Usher (as the grown-up son of Smith's flyboy hero), who play fighter-pilot jocks with a thinly sketched grudge against each other. In the opening, spectacularly destructive invasion sequences, Emmerich reliably delivers. Giant skyscrapers are upended and dropped like matchsticks on an unfortunate London while a 3,000-mile wide mothership attaches itself to Earth, glomming onto the planet like some ghastly space wart. But, after the initial excitement, the story rapidly runs out of steam, leaving the final moments of this curiously unmemorable film sounding more like a plaintive request than a promise (despite hints of a second sequel set in space).

How to watch

Loading

Streaming

Credits

Cast

rolename
Jake MorrisonLiam Hemsworth
David LevinsonJeff Goldblum
Thomas J WhitmoreBill Pullman
Patricia WhitmoreMaika Monroe
CharlieTravis Tope
General AdamsWilliam Fichtner
Dr Catherine MarceauxCharlotte Gainsbourg
Julius LevinsonJudd Hirsch
Dylan HillerJessie Usher
Dr Brakish OkunBrent Spiner
JasmineVivica A Fox
SamJoey King
President LanfordSela Ward
RainAngelababy

Crew

rolename
DirectorRoland Emmerich

Details

Theatrical distributor
20th Century Fox
Released on
2016-06-23
Languages
English | Russian
Guidance
Edited for violence and swearing.
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
Advertisement
Advertisement

RadioTimes.com is getting better.

Fresh new look, redesigned programme hub, richer content…

FIND OUT MORE
Advertisement