Back in 1996, a blockbuster film explored what might happen if a hostile alien race dared to invade Earth, and a brave coalition of the willing – led by a cocky fighter pilot (Will Smith), a neurotic tech expert (Jeff Goldblum), and the President of the United States (Bill Pullman) – were humanity’s last line of defense. That film was of course called Independence Day, and served to rocket Smith to A-list superstardom while setting new standards for destruction in sci-fi disaster flicks. Now, almost exactly 20 years later, 20th Century Fox is preparing to unleash a sequel on the world, entitled Independence Day: Resurgence.
Featuring the return of most of Independence Day’s cast – Smith notably declined to return, though his character’s absence will be explained in the sequel – ID: Resurgence is once again directed by Roland Emmerich, and sports a simple plot comparable to the story of the original film: Earth’s countries have banded together to create a worldwide defense program, only to see their baby put to the test by a massive alien invasion the likes of which the planet has never before seen. Some new names in the mix include The Hunger Games’ Liam Hemsworth, It Follows’ Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward as the current POTUS.
Now, Variety is reporting Fox has announced double feature screenings of both ID4 and Resurgence that will take place on the sequel’s opening night, June 23rd. The first film will screen at 5pm, with Resurgence playing at 8pm. Fans can purchase a single ticket for both movies, which are available at leading ticket websites Fandango and Movie Tickets.com.
Despite Independence Day being such a huge hit at the time, chances are good that quite a few moviegoers interested in seeing Resurgence were either not yet alive or too young to have bore witness to ID4’s breathtaking annihilation of various American landmarks on the big-screen. Thankfully, those who have yet to take in Independence Day as it was meant to be seen – or who just wish to re-live the excitement one more time – are in luck
While some Independence Day fans would still argue that such a belated sequel is unnecessary, such opinions are beside the point at this juncture. For better or worse, ID: Resurgence is almost here, and Smith is no longer around to welcome aliens to Earth with his fists. Here’s hoping Emmerich can effectively capture the same lightning in a bottle that he did in 1996, and deliver a sequel worthy of another rousing speech from (now former) President Thomas J. Whitmore.
Independence Day: Resurgence opens in U.S. theaters on June 24th, 2016.
