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Review / ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ (M) Half a star

independence-day-resurgence movieTWENTIETH Century Fox has big bucks (reportedly $US165 million) riding in this one, so it’s scarcely surprising that they’re promoting it as the best thing since sliced bread.

I watched its first Canberra screening in a cinema where the only other patron walked out after about 45 minutes. I salute you, sir, for your perceptiveness.

Its thesis is that, unbeknown to those earthlings whose business it is to watch out for approaching danger – asteroids and such – suddenly a giant spacecraft is venting malevolence on us earthlings smugly confident that we occupy the best planet in the universe – well, don’t we, at least until we screw it up beyond repair?

Science and military minds co-operate in dealing with it until a matter of seconds before it achieves its objective – to drill into Earth’s core and extract the heat energy stored there. For close to two hours, the screen is filled with CG images of things that cannot exist in nature and things that mankind has yet to build. Destruction is rife.

There is an audience out there that will flock to see this kind of baloney, malarkey, brou-ha-ha, spectacle gone insane, imagination running riot and argue vociferously that it’s great cinema. Enjoy, people.

“Independence Day: Resurgence”, director Roland Emmerich’s sequel to what, for 20 years, I’ve been proud to call the worst movie I’ve ever seen, is exploitative trash. I cannot in conscience commend it to people who like to think about their movies even while enjoying their escapist values. To my mind, the South African “District Nine” (2009), with a budget less than 20 per cent of its cost, sets the quality benchmark for films about invaders from outer space.

At all cinemas

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Dougal Macdonald

Dougal Macdonald

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One Response to Review / ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ (M) Half a star

something witty but whimsical says: 13 July 2016 at 8:19 pm

Thanks Dougal. Took your advice and borrowed “District 9” on dvd. A wonderful choice. Have no desire whatsoever to go see “Independence Day Resurgence”.

Much appreciated your advice.

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