The sequel doesn’t exactly have the element of surprise that the 1996 original enjoyed, so Independence Day: Resurgence naturally has to go bigger instead. But then, that’s something of a specialty for director Roland Emmerich, and is on full display for the first trailer.
It has been two decades since the alien invaders tried to lay waste to mankind and steal our planet’s valuable resources. We managed to hold them off that time, but we always knew they’d be back. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force, and only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
Emmerich here blends some old faces (Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner and Judd Hirsch) with new blood (Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Joey King, Sela Ward) for what he’s promising is an epic return engagement. The invaders have much bigger technology and some new tricks up their sleeve, but we have our plucky spirit, Pullman’s former President Whitmore in full speech mode and the big brain of David Levinson (Goldblum). Can we triumph? We’ll have to wait and see when Independence Day: Resurgence arrives dark, noisy and with all the chaos you might expect on June 24.