INDEPENDECE DAY RESURGENCE REVIEW: 20 years on.....A Sequel!

Last week we got a sequel to Finding Nemo after more than 12 years; that was a long wait. This week, we get a sequel after 20 years; that must officially be the longest gap between two sequels ever. The long standing appeal of Independence Day can be gauged from the kind of expectations this sequel generated. For a generation of audiences, Independence Day was one of the first movies that showed possible global destruction on the big screen, along with Armageddon. So, expectedly, it is the kind of sequel that would make a 90s kid all excited.

Independence Day Resurgence springs no surprises because we all know what it is going to be. The

promos made it all too clear saying that ‘we had 20 years to prepare, so did they’, which gives it away that the same eerily shaped bad guys are returning, much stronger, perhaps much wiser, than they were before. It is a question of how and when they arrive and how earth, which means USA, takes them on and finishes them. But, rather unexpectedly, the movie begins on the moon, where we are shown that an elaborate station with pilots and all has been set up; in fact, flying to the moon is easier than you can imagine. So, why did Rolan Emmerich decide to go to the moon to start off this movie? It is not his style. He usually takes very little time starting off the mass destruction process, like we have seen in 2012 or Day After Tomorrow. But, with Resurgence, he has decided to make things more slow and deliberate, an attempt at character development maybe, but that really isn’t his strength, unlike perhaps a Nolan, who can have elaborate set ups to the actual plot and still keep us interested. Emmerich is not able to make us buy into any of the leading characters’ mental baggage, especially the friction between Liam Hemsworth and Jesse Usher which he wants us to think is going to have some bearing on the movie, but which we really never care about. The set up towards the main event doesn’t quite work, maybe because it is way too obvious for all those who are familiar with Independence Day. The original movie hinged very heavily on the slow build up of tension as sightings of giant spaceships were reported all over the world,; the same kind of tension is absent here mostly because Emmerich decides to spend so much time on the moon and shows very little of what’s happening over earth. He eventually decides to wrap up the moon part, which could quite easily have been staged anywhere on earth.

It’s almost an hour when we finally get down to the business end of the movie. The connect the characters from the original Independence Day movie have with the audience is evident form the cheers they get. Jeff Goldblum is clearly a favorite, so is his dad and so is the crazy scientist who was almost killed by the alien. They are all there, of course except Will Smith. Once the invasion begins in earnest, it is the comfort zone of Emmerich and his colors begin to show. The aerial attacks, the bombing squad that goes into the spaceship, just like in the original, have all been made well, which is cakewalk for the director’s experience, he knows how to handle such stuff. But, the scenes where he tries to show cities being gobbled up by spaceship’s gravity look a bit dated. It might have looked great in 1996, but 2016 is a time when apocalypse movies release every fortnight and the VFX should be much better and imaginative to have any kind of effect on the audiences.

The original Independence Day was very interesting not just because of the big scale action we saw. It was also interesting because ultimately it was one smart move that hoodwinked the aliens who had far superior technology. So, we expect the same here. Admittedly, some of the stuff that happens is quite analogous to the original, but the final move is something new and will interest you.

It is the veteran performers who impress and make us care about Independece Day Resurgence. Jeff ^th speech. The makers have quite interestingly cast a lady as the current president of America (maybe for the first time ), which makes their political leanings quite clear. But, Emmerich can’t go all the way and show a lady president leading the resistance and giving inspiring war speeches, and so takes the easy way out and hands the baton over to the former president from 1996.

Goldblum is as good as the geeky guy as he was in 1996, while Bill Pullman returns as the ageing ex-president, but he still gets to make his July 4

Independence Day Resurgence has its moments. Emmerich does well with the stuff that he has always been comfortable with. But he uncharacteristically spends way too much time setting up things, which makes the audience a bit restless and it is only fair to say that the Hemsworth and Usher pairing does not have nearly as much screen presence as the Will Smith-Goldblum team, which makes things feel a bit damp. But, you might still enjoy it for the pretty graphic depiction of the aliens, the pretty good final move and the familiar feel good factor of reliving one of your childhood favorites. And, one wonders, why do the women pilots suddenly remove their shirts in the final scene?

Not Resurgent enough, but still watchable!

2.5/5

Focus Movie Review

The first thing a movie needs is a clear intent of what it wants to be. The Focus on a story, a premise or a character. When Focus is strewn all over the place you get a movie that is a bit of everything, but not fulfilling any single promise. That is the fundamental flaw with Focus. Then it is left to the cast, the writers who can come up with interesting scenes and the director to make things as interesting as possible.

A con man who believes in volume more than the big time ropes in an intern and teaches her the tricks of the trade over a week long harvest. Then they part ways and their paths cross years later when he is on another job. Is she on the other side now? Can she be dangerous because she knows all his tricks?

Focus could have been that! An exciting con flick where everyone is out double crossing

everyone. But it takes the easier route. The movie is not so much about the heist as it is about the hot and cold relationship between the con man and his protege. What can we say
about a con movie where the major heist is told at the fag end through a voice over and we didn't even know that was the plan. It doesn't help matters that the protagonist (Will Smith) is shown to be the only smart man around. He doesn't have an adversary or a cop who can foil his plans. He just walks through them as if it was his destiny. Really
low on excitement!

That is not to say that Focus is not interesting. There are some parts that will make you sit up. The gambling scene at the stadium is easily the best and really sets you thinking about the possible ways in which the story would go. But the script springs it's biggest surprise right there! Sadly, we are just about halfway into the movie at this stage and we are left looking for similar moments right through the rest of the film which don't arrive. The revelations right at the end are interesting but we have had too much plain sailing by then.

Focus rides on Will Smith's screen presence. Honestly, this is not the kind of role that he excels in. Underplay is not one of his strengths. But he makes a fair fist of it, even though we can think of quite a few others who could carried off this mastermind con man thing with
much more ease. But, this one does need a shade of vulnerability that Will brings. There is no trademark loud mouthed dry humor that he does so well, though there are moments of fun. Margot Robbie matches up quite well and manages to keep us guessing about the motives of her character.

One just can't help think that if the writers had let go of the wish to delve into the romance o

f Will and Margot, this would have been a good heist/con flick. Instead we get one that is somewhere between a heist and a romance. And by the way, the romance doesn't seem too deep either. Focus has its moments, but they don't build up into anything substantial. Will Smith carries Focus through, but for once we have to say that the sum is lesser than the parts. It’s not exciting, it’s not  a whole lot of fun, but it’s amusing and will keep you in good spirits. At any rate, it is much better than After Earth! 

Verdict: Amusing, easy-going con

2/5