Outside of the powerhouse that is Captain America: Civil War, this summer has not yet enjoyed a critical and financial success. The likes of X-Men: Apocalypse, Warcraft and Batman v Superman have all delivered lukewarm results on both sides and it’s no revelation to say Independence Day: Resurgence will join this long list.

With a clear mind and heart, the film is absurd. Clinging to the coattails of the 1996 original so tightly, it fails to show any signs of innovation, and fails to carve out its own identity. Worse still, the endless explosions and the deaths of thousands of faceless humans are magnified tenfold, leaving an almost bitter taste over the complete disregard for normality. While the first film had a charming tongue-in-cheek swagger to its nonsense, the sequel is devoid of such treats. Outside of Emmerich’s weakened direction, there’s a big Will Smith-shaped hole in proceedings. Throughout the two-hour runtime, one hopes he could turn up to save the day and the film.

Yet despite this, there’s an inconceivable ‘something’ this film pertains. Emmerich’s strength is in his showmanship, and aided by the support of Hemsworth and Goldblum, the film does entertain on a primal level. It may feel a bit dirty, but unplugging one’s brain it’s possible to find some joy in Independence Day: Resurgence. That being said, you have to unplug it entirely.

Like a blockbuster machine, Emmerich spits out explosions and poor dialogue at his most absurd rate yet. While the majority of this film can be left by the side of the road, Goldblum and Hemsworth steer the ridiculous into the realms of (some) big, dumb entertainment.

RATING: 2/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Jessie T. Usher, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe

DIRECTOR: Roland Emmerich

WRITERS: Nicolas Wright & James A. Woods, Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich and James Vanderbilt

SYNOPSIS: We always knew they were coming back. But nothing could have prepared us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force.