New in Home Entertainment
October 18, 2016
Independence Day: Resurgence
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and destruction, and for some language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 31%
When Independence Day hit theaters 20 years ago, it was a fun, brainless exercise in entertainment that was more guilty pleasure than fine movie-making. With jaw-dropping special effects (for their time) and a fun cast of big movie stars like Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Harry Connick Jr., the movie was released at the perfect time, making it a big hit. But this newest attempt at franchise building seems dull in comparison. 20 years later, humans have stolen the technology of the aliens, but now the aliens are coming back with a vengeance. The story isn’t all that bad, but the execution is lousy. They brought back most of the old characters (Smith was wise enough to turn them down) without even thinking through if we even needed them, and we didn’t. The special effects are as good as you’d expect for a film such as this, but they don’t do anything to help make the film special. And the lousy box office results are another example of how audiences sent Hollywood a big message this last summer that spending all that money on familiar tentpole projects isn’t exactly the best investment. C-
Ice Age: Collision Course
Rated PG for mild rude humor and some action/peril
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 13%
In this fifth installment of the franchise that keeps on going whether or not we like it, Scrat the squirrel’s acorn quest sets off a chain of events that sends the regular crew on a new adventure into new lands. In a year where animated films will be vying for the top spots on many a top 10 list, this film solidly holds up the rear. It’s lack of humor or any semblance of good writing gives the audience more to cringe over rather than cheer for. Even my six-year-old, who loves anything animated, left the theater saying “it was okay.” It was not okay. The only saving grace are the Scrat interludes, which while not as original as their Oscar-nominated predecessors, still charm while they make you chuckle. D+