The new trailer has plenty of CGI to show off but doesn’t neglect the human aspect.
Independence Day: Resurgence is a sequel to the 1996 action science fiction film about an alien invasion. Resurgence has plenty of the old crew on board: Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner reprise their roles from the original film – although Bill Pullman’s daughter, played by Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Mae Whitman, has been recast into relatively unknown Maika Monroe.
Some actors also play children of the original characters: Jessie Usher (TV’s Survivor’s Remorse) plays Will Smith’s son, who along with Liam Hemsworth, takes on a central role in the fight against the aliens.
Independence Day: Resurgence is set in the present day, on the 20th anniversary of the humans defeating the invasion back in 1996. The trailer makes note of the time jump, showing scenes of Earth’s new technology gleaned from the aliens, including an air show on the moon. Resurgence has also had 20 additional years of science fiction to draw on – a scene where they walk into an alien vessel has shades of Prometheus.
But it’s not an Independence Day movie without stuff getting blown up real good, and the destruction, when it comes, is legitimately impressive – and the trailer actually has a decent explanation for why the Petronas Twin Towers appear in London.
There are even callbacks to the original – a scene involving an alien is staged in a nearly identical way, and Bill Pullman’s character delivers a rousing speech about fighting back. Another callback to the original is the high number of cheesy one-liners, mostly delivered by Jeff Goldblum.
Feast your eyes on five minutes of sci-fi hype here:
