I saw this film last night in a double bill with the original film. My initial impression (bearing in mind it was past midnight when the second film started and my bed was crying out to me) is that the new film won't be the classic the original was. That could be because I have seen the first film several times and contains numerous scenes etched in the memory.
Nothing seems particularly memorable in the sequel. The younger cast aren't given the time to develop as fully fledged characters. The film rushes into the alien invasion and nobody seems surprised that the aliens are back. The older cast from the original film are fun to see - Pullman, Hirsch and the wonderful Jeff Goldblum. Brent Spiner's irritating scientist also returns, which for me was a downer as I never liked him in the first film. New character Floyd is unlikeable. A new alien race is discovered in a twist that seems silly (although I appreciate we aren't meant to take these films seriously).
The CGI is good but it comes at the expense of character and story. The end leaves the way open for a sequel which may or may not be a good thing.
So it comes down to giving the film a rating which is quite difficult. I need to see the film again when my body and mind are not fighting to shut down for the night. I may have quite a different review. For now I am giving the film a 7. I want to give the film a 6 but I am taking into account my tiredness when watching it. Giving it a 7 is giving it the benefit of doubt that it is a better film than I remember watching. Hey, it may even be worth an 8, and perhaps after countless viewings the film will improve, as did the original.
Review by Lee Brown Barrow Movie BuffVIP 3BlockedParentSpoilers2016-06-23T09:23:49Z— updated 2016-07-11T14:19:18Z
I saw this film last night in a double bill with the original film. My initial impression (bearing in mind it was past midnight when the second film started and my bed was crying out to me) is that the new film won't be the classic the original was. That could be because I have seen the first film several times and contains numerous scenes etched in the memory.
Nothing seems particularly memorable in the sequel. The younger cast aren't given the time to develop as fully fledged characters. The film rushes into the alien invasion and nobody seems surprised that the aliens are back. The older cast from the original film are fun to see - Pullman, Hirsch and the wonderful Jeff Goldblum. Brent Spiner's irritating scientist also returns, which for me was a downer as I never liked him in the first film. New character Floyd is unlikeable. A new alien race is discovered in a twist that seems silly (although I appreciate we aren't meant to take these films seriously).
The CGI is good but it comes at the expense of character and story. The end leaves the way open for a sequel which may or may not be a good thing.
So it comes down to giving the film a rating which is quite difficult. I need to see the film again when my body and mind are not fighting to shut down for the night. I may have quite a different review. For now I am giving the film a 7. I want to give the film a 6 but I am taking into account my tiredness when watching it. Giving it a 7 is giving it the benefit of doubt that it is a better film than I remember watching. Hey, it may even be worth an 8, and perhaps after countless viewings the film will improve, as did the original.