Independence Day: Resurgence seemed like it was going to be such an obvious hit. But the sequel to the 1996 mega-blockbuster, released this past week, simply wasn’t very good. Even so, I really, really hope we get a third ID4 instalment, because the next movie, as we see teased in Resurgence, looks like it would be amazing.
So, at the beginning of Resurgence, a mysterious orb arrives on the Moon. The humans attack it, and later realise that was a mistake. This orb is the last consciousness of a long extinct people who have been battling the same alien race that has invaded Earth for generations. The orb tells everyone that it has a planet where it gives other races technology and the means to try to defeat the evil aliens, a sort of huge, peaceful training ground out in the cosmos. Then, at the end of the film when the humans win, the orb decides that the humans are the perfect race to lead the invasion of the alien planet itself.
That means Independence Day 3 could be the greatest sci-fi action movie of all time. If it got made, it would be about Earthlings travelling deep into space, meeting other alien races, getting insanely advanced technology then attacking the evil aliens in a war on their own planet.
That sounds amazing.
It also sounds like the kind of sequel that the second one should have been — something that takes the ideas from the original movie and spins them on their head. Instead, Resurgence is very much a poor copy of the first movie.
I’m sure they are out there (and you’ll tell us in the comments) but I can’t think of another movie with this plot. We’ve seen elements, but for humans to team up with other alien races to invade an alien planet is one of those ideas that’s so big, Hollywood probably never even considered it in the past. Most of the movie would take place on a totally alien planet. It’s a greenscreen, logistical nightmare filled with 20 per cent humans and 80 per cent aliens. But wow, if it worked? What an idea.
Not to mention that the moral questions it raises are fascinating. Are we any better than these “evil” aliens? Does invading their planet make us just as bad as they are? What does it accomplish? There’s some rich thematic territory to be mined, not to mention some massive action.
So even though Independence Day: Resurgence kind of sucks, Independence Day 3 could be something exciting. Something different. Something awesome. Hopefully audiences will turn up somewhere and turn the tide for the film, because we need part three. It’s just a shame Roland Emmerich didn’t skip Resurgence to make it instead.