Independence Day 2: Wiederkehr

Macht das heute, in der Zeit von Interstellars, Gravities und Marsianer, noch jemandem Spaß? Im Vergleich zu dem zwanzig Jahre alten (!) Original kam es zu keinem Trend-Fortschritt, alles wurde nur vervielfacht – die Anzahl der Figuren und der Jagdflugzeuge, die Größe der Raumschiffe, die Anzahl der Präsidenten und ihrer Reden, welche von patriotischer Musik begleitet werden. Die laute Action, bei der man sich mit den Tricks Mühe gegeben hat, kommt zwar schnell, dauert 100 Minuten und ist dichter als im ersten Film, aber ALLES wurde bei anderen Werken abgeschaut und im ganzen Film befindet sich KEIN EINZIGES innovatives Element. Ich persönlich habe am meisten bei den Figuren, den Dialogen und bei der offenen Stupidität gelitten, die in den 90er Jahren vielleicht witzig und cool war, aber heute?! Der beste Augenblick im Film war für mich die Verdunkelung vor dem Nachspann und Arnolds bekanntes Musikmotiv. (27.06.2016)

“They like to get the landmarks.” Though it would have been good for it, Emmerich’s new movie doesn’t contain many more similarly prescient lines, and it does show any awareness of its own bullshit. The gravity with which the subject matter, reminiscent of a 1950s sci-fi B-movie, is handled gives one an idea of what Starship Troopers would have looked like if Verhoeven had taken it seriously. With a guilelessness that’s as endearing as it is disturbing, the new Independence Day turns the message of the Cold War-era The Day the Earth Stood Still on its head. A more advanced civilisation is not here to warn humanity of the risk of self-destruction, but to help it destroy the enemy. The purpose of war is not for people to learn from it, but to better prepare themselves for the next war, because without warfare the military-industrial complex would logically collapse. Solutions other than military force are not even considered and the effectiveness of using hard power (even against an ally) is not in any way questioned by the film’s message. It doesn’t explain why society was divided, but mainly shows that society was united by waging war. Military conflicts thus essentially have a positive effect, even if they usually result in a few major cities getting wiped off the face of the earth. Even though I am disgusted by the ideology that the film expresses (not to mention the character of the exceedingly incompetent president), and though its sentimentality and patriotism sometimes exceed the tolerable limit, I enjoyed the second Independence Day as much as I did the first one. In terms of composition, it is a perfect summer blockbuster in which every motif and every character has its own justification (and the extended exposition thus bears fruit later in the film). The multitude of characters allows Emmerich to change the point of view as needed and thus share with us information that is necessary to keep us in the picture while wanting to know more (by the time we get to the climax, we sense that there will be a snag, as all of the plot lines have not been resolved yet). The film is brilliantly paced throughout, including at the level of individual action scenes. The deadline that we are continually warned about comes ever closer, the aliens get bigger and stronger, the number of important characters in peril increases. The $200 million budget is evident and the battles are massive, but neither would matter if the action wasn’t a solid part of the narrative, helping to move the story along by eliminating certain obstacles and creating others. If you are going to make a big, dumb and not very original sci-fi flick, then do it with the storytelling skill found in Resurgence. 80% (21.06.2016)

Emmerich remakes his own work while managing to rip off about ten other films, sprinkles in cheesy lines, pathetic speeches, and huge monumental action that casually outdoes every orgy of destruction from any action film of the last three years (which is a major asset!). It’s really just 1990s stuff. But! Christ, did the first half-hour of introducing new characters really have to be that long? And the callous treatment of protagonists from the past? At a time when the studios allow 140 minutes for whatever, Emmerich's two hours are too tight, and his weakness is shown to be the lack of finesse in his shortcuts. But the monumental epic wins in the finale. Although it’s tight and quite ineffective, I've forgiven Emmerich for worse things. PS: When I want to think back to it two days later, all I can pull from my memory are high-five planets and new interplanetary ships. (23.06.2016)

I am not entirely sure what the viewers in the USA expected. The sequel to Independence Day went to the absolute human extremes that we, as the viewers would never have imagined. This means that Roland Emmerich outdid himself once again and he painted a future involving aliens and all that comes with it. The most striking thing of it all is American patriotism that is literally gushing from every single scene. If he were to add that the film is being broadcast on TV America to a hundred and fifty countries of the world, where they interrupted all programming only to show this, nobody would have been surprised. On the other hand, I am a bit disappointed that Roland isn’t able to poke some fun at himself and that he didn’t turn this film into a sequel to Starship Troopers. As far as the screenplay is concerned, there was certainly hope for that. But he did manage to prepare a perfect digital visual that saves him wherever possible and that managed to save the rest of the film as well. That is actually the only thing that ensures the quality of this movie and that elevates it to the level of at least your standard Emmerich movie. So what was it that we actually wanted? (10.05.2017)

The whole Independence Day: Resurgence felt a little lame. The first hour is downright boring and extremely rushed, a lot of things happen and a bunch of new characters are introduced, but those things aren't very important or spectacularly executed and you care less about the characters than you do about the Namibian regional elections. It's nice to see Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum in action after all these years, but it's impossible to say that their presence makes the second Independence Day a better film. If they thought we'd applaud the excitement of seeing a heroic president and a likeable nerd save the world years later, they miscalculated. Independence Day really isn't about the characters, so there's not much point in revolving around them for an hour. It's boring. The action does kick in in the second half, but honestly Roland Emmerich has made more interesting stuff, and pulling a Chinese big city and then dropping it on London no longer impresses in the blockbuster universe. This and the aerial battles and the finale on the ground are fine, but none of it is interesting enough to help the film get out of the "pretty OK summer sci-fi washout" box. Unlike the first film, there's a woeful lack of wit, workable pathos, and most of all, those one-dimensional but still likeable heroes you'd root for. Here, you have either anonymous characters bullshitting or quite effectively but not extravagant action. It doesn't hurt in the cinema, but I'm looking in vain for a reason to see it a second time. (15.05.2017)

Was sollen wir da hinzufügen? Ein alter Liberaler, zu dem bereits alle sprichwörtlichen Schiffe abgefahren sind, doch er knetet auch weiterhin wie durch ein Wunder seine überteuerten anachronistischen Visionen zusammen, Verknüpfungen von Liebe und Toleranz. Das ganze ist zur Hälfte skandalös und zur Hälfte unheimlich ansteckend. Zum Beispiel als sich auf der Leinwand zwei alte Homosexuelle verabschieden, oder Bill Pullman mit einer weiteren Funktionärsrede wie direkt nach einem Gehirnzusammenbruch daherkommt, so erinnert gerade das mich daran, warum ich Roland so sehr liebe. Das Übertreibungsprinzip ist weit über die Spitze hinausgegangen. Er versteht das Business keineswegs so gut wie Michael Bay, daher wirkt auch die Begegnung einer chinesischen sexy Diva, eines amerikanischen Yuppie, eines australischen Surfers, eines jüdischen Meckerbolzens sowie die intergalaktischen Kugeln auf dem Siziertisch wie ein zauberhafter Fehler, wobei hier der Zuschauer unbekannt bleibt. Diesen Film kennzeichnen zwei Szenen: Der alte Levinson verkauft mit Ermäßigung ein Buch mit dem Titel, Wie habe Welt den komatösen Rentnern gerettet, und Dr. Ocun, der unmittelbar nach dem Aufwachen aus einem 7.300 Tage dauernden damit beginnt, Tritte in den allerwertesten auszuteilen. Genau das ist Independence Day 2: Wiederkehr. (Ich müsste unbedingt der Dreier sehen) (29.06.2016)

African dictator, our hero! I saw the dubbed version (almost everybody from part 1 was in it again!) to enhance nostalgia and it worked. The president is a crazy master chef, like in part 1, even though this time his speech is less impressive. On the other hand, it’s the typical sequel horse-shit where the catchphrases from part 1 are repeated and the main tough guys’ kids continue in their footsteps. Remember the president’s little girl? Of course she’s a gofer in the White House and in the end gets into the fighter cockpit and kicks ET ass. Emmerlich makes the aliens return in a bigger ship than they had last time, with stylish destruction that he didn’t take so much care over than he used to. Bored of destroying historical monuments? Is he? Wil the planet get destroyed next time? In acting terms, it’s Pullman who makes the movie work and Jeff Goldblum is good, but his Levinson is already a hero and no longer a cable guy, so it doesn’t come across so funny. Great visuals, beautiful battles, but could have been less confused. The white ball is super. Funniest moments: homosexual death + William Fincher promotes + financial auditor with a gun. The finale in the desert is a feast for the eyes. I enjoyed it. (25.06.2016)

Total creative misery and a massive drop in quality. Emmerich seems to have completely forgotten what trademarks and directorial techniques made him rise to the top of the imaginary blockbuster ladder in 1996. His ID4 was funny, dynamic, emotional and at times very chilling. Above all, though, it was hugely entertaining, with interesting characters you rooted for even though (or perhaps because) they were so different. 20 years later, we have a new attack, which is only watchable thanks to the evolution of the digital effects. Because the script is out of the question, the new main characters are uninteresting and boring, and the old ones get little time or are treated reprehensibly badly. You could say that, with the exception of Goldblum, the director hasn't let them age with the grace and refinement they would need, while still being great draws for the young hungry crowd, who, by the way, average about 15 years old and pilot fighter jets, fly to the moon, and sacrifice themselves for humanity without blinking an eye. Overkill is fine, but here it’s often meant too seriously. The mix was simply wrong from the start. The blatant copying of Aliens and Sphere cannot be forgiven either. Truly a giant disappointment of intergalactic proportions, and I think back with nostalgia to the perfectly polished and charismatic first film. (25.06.2016)

Es tun mir nur folgende drei Dinge leid: dass sich die Drehbuchautoren um die neuen Figuren nicht so wie ihre Kollegen von Star Wars: Episode VII - Das Erwachen der Macht gekümmert haben, dass der Film nicht länger ist (was eine Lösung für das erste Problem sein konnte) und dass Will Smith keine Lust hatte, obwohl er ohne weiteres das spielen konnte, was William Fichtner gespielt hat. Schade. Sonst sieht aber Independence Day 2: Wiederkehr genau so aus, wie ich es mir erhofft habe. Monströs, unterhaltsam, überraschend sowie bewusst einfach. Und er verspricht einen dritten, noch monströseren Teil. Ich werde Roland Emmerich nicht vorwerfen, dass er keine Miniaturen genutzt hat und dass alles digital ist. Wenn es nämlich schon vor zwanzig Jahren möglich gewesen wäre, alles digital zu gestalten, hätte er sich sicherlich nicht die Mühe gemacht, das Weiße Haus aus Gips zu basteln. Die Zeit ist fortgeschritten und er hat vor allem bei 2012 ausprobiert, dass er der Mutter Erde alles antun kann, was er sich in den Kopf setzt. Und das macht er auch. Keiner von den erneut besetzten Schauspieler*innen hat mich enttäuscht. Ich habe mich insbesondere über Brent Spiner gefreut, der viel mehr Raum bekommen hat, als ich gehofft habe. Jeff Goldblum gehört natürlich zu den Klassikern und seine Szenen mit Judd Hirsch haben genau dasselbe perfekte komödiale Timing wie vor vielen Jahren.___PS: Der Film ist genauso wie sein Soundtrack, der durch eine völlig neue, aber gleichzeitig ein wenig vertraut klingende Musik von Kloser und Wanker gestaltet wird, in welcher man im Laufe der Zeit hier und da Andeutungen von Arnolds Motiv hört. Das kommt aber erst ungefähr im letzten Viertel des Albums in voller Stärke zurück. Und dann ist es schon ein echter Independence Day mit allem Drum und Dran. (24.06.2016)

Fans of the first and opponents of the second may be annoyed, but I have to say that I enjoyed Independence Day 2 as much as the first. Admittedly, in this case it's like a magnifying glass, so there's more of everything, everything is bigger and more apocalyptic and so on. But I had fun, just as I did with the first one. Roland Emmerich works the same way, so you could count on bombastic effects, a few WTF scenes and the blatant heroism of the main characters, and I didn't expect anything more than that. I went to the cinema mainly expecting to watch an audiovisual orgy of monstrous proportions, where I would have the power to switch off and not have to think too much, and that's exactly what I got. In short, a popcorn flick with all the trimmings that can evoke both a sense of nostalgia and a sense of outrage, and in my case it was a nicely made (if slightly silly at times) respite. (16.07.2016)

I already disliked the original Independence Day as it was the quintessence of everything I hate about American cinema. This time I took a beating worse than the aliens. The main problem with this film is that it doesn't come up with anything new. Roland Emmerich pretty much ripped off himself. The second problem is the characters: a kind African dictator, three American presidents (past, present, and future), an elderly scientist, who after years in a coma starts happily running around, three Top Gun graduates, and so on. The plot is beyond illogical. What I did like was when at the end the two female pilots rolled the top of their overalls down to their waist so that you could tell that the other two were men. Especially Liam Hemsworth should be grateful for this gesture. Of course, there is no shortage of emotional and patriotic speechifying by heroic Americans who don't hesitate to put their lives on the line not only for their country but also for every single citizen of the Earth. I gave this film one star for the special effects and because I had quite a few laughs. (02.10.2016)