‘Independence Day’ unworthy of resurgence

Published 10:00 am Saturday, July 2, 2016

“Independence Day: Resurgence” (Science-Fiction/Action: 2 hours)

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Jessie T. Usher, Brent Spiner and Bill Pullman

Director: Roland Emmerich

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, sequences destruction, and strong language)

Movie Review: “Independence Day,” directed by Roland Emmerich, debuted in 1996. It was a movie about an extraterrestrial invasion. Humanity versus an unstoppable space foe. The 1996 prequel was energetic and humorous entertainment.

“Resurgence” tries to surf on that nostalgia, but it is an overly comical piece packed with unpersuasive acting.

A united Earth has had 20 years to prepare for another attack from the alien invaders that nearly destroyed the planet. Now, the same space invaders have returned. Earth residents must ascertain whether new technological systems will be enough to defend the planet.

“Resurgence” has major problems. The science makes no sense. The acting is lackluster because of a shabbily scripted screenplay. And the comedy takes away from the serious moments. Even when two prominent characters perish, little emotive attachment exists because the characters are not actualized by this poor script.

The act of caring for these characters is unnecessary. The script uses them roughly. More effort is given to comical moments and visual effects. Other elements, including character evolutions, are left dangling, attached by thin strings.

The story is formulaic and lacks originality. The use of hive queens in science fiction is becoming an overused theme. It is an easy manner to kill the enemy by assassinating the monarch.

Scientifically, killing an ant bed’s queen does not abruptly destroy that mini-civilization. Surely, aliens would have evolved past the need of an all-powerful queen’s rule. Movie writers should also move past the point of cliché, science-fiction writing. This is especially true of plots where finding the solutions appear too convenient.

Grade: C- (No worthy resurgence)

“Free State of Jones” (Biography/Drama: 2 hours, 19 minutes)

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali and Keri Russell

Director: Gary Ross

Rated: R (Violence, gore and thematic elements, including brutal battle scenes and disturbing imagery)

Movie Review: “Free State of Jones” appears like something that should be on the History channel. It lacks the gravitas of a major film with major talents.

Parts of the story appear missing. The gaps create more questions. Even more, the addition of 1860s-1870s scenes and 1948 scenes are a perplexing mixture. The scenes only show racial sentiments were similar in both periods, which is most noteworthy.

The Civil War divides the nation. As Union and Confederate states battle, poor farmer Newton Knight (McConaughey) of Jones County, Miss., leads a group of rebels against the Confederate army. Knight’s entourage consists of freed slaves, other farmers and military deserters.

These rebels believe they should not be obligated to fight a rich man’s war that will not benefit them. He leads a battle against his Confederate oppressors.

Many movies suffer from emotive detachment. Connections to characters are lacking. Audiences are supposed to care about their cause — albeit noble — before getting to know the person responsible for the cause.

Matthew McConaughey is a solid actor. McConaughey appears to be giving a sermon about when government should exercise power over people. He appears to be a libertarian presidential candidate.

The biggest aspect that hurts this photoplay is the approximately 100-year gap between the two linked stories. The one involving McConaughey’s Knight is about people defending their homes and lands. The second is about a man fighting to marry the woman he loves after he is branded unfit to marry a white female because he has one-eighth African ancestry.

The two are nice concepts regarding U.S. history and race relations, but the two periods compete. They appear like two separate movies with the 1948 court case not getting enough attention.

Director-writer Gary Ross (“The Hunger Games,” 2012; “Pleasantville,” 1998) takes Leonard Hartman’s story and makes it a choppy piece. The message is good, but its execution is not.

Grade: C (State of so-so.)

“The Shallows” (Drama, Thriller: 1 hour, 27 minutes)

Starring: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, and Brett Cullen

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Rated: PG-13 (Gory imagery, intense sequences of peril, and brief strong language)

Movie Review: Intense thrillers are always welcome forms of entertainment. This screenplay is a good one. It primarily features a young medical student and a shark. Each acts on survival instincts.

Nancy (Lively) surfs on a secluded beach. She mistakenly stumbles upon a feeding area of a great white shark. Stranded on a rocky structure, she is just a couple of hundred yards away from the shore. As the water level rises, she must face the large shark in order to survive.

“The Shallows” features an intelligent and inventive young woman in a survival story. She wants to survive and the shark wants to eat. Despite the fact the screenplay makes the shark exceptionally smart, it remains a good thriller like “Jaws” (1975).

Blake Lively plays her character, Nancy, well. Lively is believable as a stranded surfer. She takes you on an adventure through the good and bad.

The cinematography is used to create suspense. Plenty of action that happens is unseen, adding to the movie’s mystique and allowing the imagination to work.

Jaume Collet-Serra (“Run All Night,” 2015) ably directs this screenplay penned by Anthony Jaswinski (“Kristy,” 2014). They create a beautiful adventure that turns into a suspense-filled entertainment. They create a quiet gem during a summer of blockbusters.

Grade: B (Shallow waters provide deep entertainment.)

“The Neon Demon” (Drama/Horror: 1 hour, 58 minutes)

Starring: Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Christina Hendricks, Karl Glusman and Keanu Reeves

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Rated: R (Violent content, gore, graphic nudity, sexuality, and strong language)

Movie Review: The tale is artistic and uniquely shot. Simultaneously, it plays like a mild horror. It is well acted but weird.

Ambitious young model Jesse (Fanning) moves to Los Angeles to become known. She quickly finds people in the industry who desire her youth and beauty. She befriends a number of people, including a romantic interest with photographer Dean (Glusman) and makeup artist Ruby (Malone).

However, a number of Jesse’s connections are obsessed with beauty, and they want what Jesse has with a passion.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive,” 2011) is the writer for the enticing production with two others. However, Refn is responsible for the story. He directs a talented cast, but the story he scripts for them leaves much unknown about his cast. He makes them mysterious to the point their motives lack a sufficient backing.

Some smart moments exist, however. Neat scenes foreshadow future events. Also, Refn and his production also use nifty visuals and music to relay a story. The result is an artistic piece that will puzzle most audiences.

“Neon Demon” is about beauty, fame and youth in the fashion world. It is flashy, noisily loud and eerie. The style is similar to a Stanley Kubrick production but Kubrick would have developed his characters more.

Grade: C+ (Interesting and peculiar)