20 years have passed since the aliens attacked Earth and tried to kill everyone. In the meantime, America is stronger, thanks to the alien technology they left behind, allowing the now united nations of the world to create new weapons to protect their planet. As President Elizabeth Lanford prepares to celebrate the anniversary of Independence Day 1996, a new ship appears above the installed base on the moon that monitors space. It is much larger than the previous ones, and this time the aliens are determined see through to its end their mission to destroy Earth…

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In 1996, Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day was a strong and explosive blockbuster. 20 years later, Will Smith is decidedly missing, although there are still some familiar faces (Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman), but the movie seems much less in tune with the times. This is both its strength and weakness, as it offers two great hours full of the best (a mystery in the first part, the spectacular arrival of the ship on Earth) and the worst (the new characters are very stereotypical, the dialogue is generally bad). The upside: stunning special effects, overall exciting artistic direction, and a good sense of humor. The result is entertaining and satisfying for its genre.