There's plenty of similarities to be drawn between the first Independence Day and its upcoming sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, from the numerous trailers alone. The latest UK trailer, however, damn near gives away the whole store by running for nearly five minutes, giving a rather detailed sense of how the narrative will unfold. Not only is it now clear that Bill Pullman's character will be used as a puppet for the aliens, much like Brent Spiner's character was used in the last one, but there will also be a big grandiose speech by Pullman's ex-president and, possibly, by Sela Ward's new president.
The one thing that's glaringly clear is that there isn't a proxy here for Randy Quaid's drunken martyr in the first film, and that should give you a sense of what we'll be missing from this film, aside from the use of models and general inventiveness. From the very first sight of the film, there was a feeling that the humor that helped carry the first film will be tremendously diminished, given largely to Jeff Goldblum's character in this round. Most of the other characters seem to be in more self-serious modes, as either action heroes or romantic/familial supporting roles. Indeed, this may be the only time I get to say this: I'm going to miss Randy Quaid.
Here's the extended UK trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence:
Here's the official synopsis from 20th Century Fox:
We always knew they were coming back. After 'Independence Day' redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
