The CGI-animations have more soul than the actors – and the animations aren't very good.

Rating: 3/10 (26 January 2013)

Let's not waste too many words on the hackneyed script, the plot-holes, inconsistencies or cheap CGI-effects that make this film near unpalatable; too many ranting reviews have gone down that path already. Rather, let's talk about the psychology of director Roland Emmerich: The more Emmerich products one watches, the more one gets the impression that Emmerich is somewhat of a misanthrope. How else could we explain that the director casting actors that are complete cardboard cut-outs of "real" people? Cusack, Peet, pretty much the entire crew with the exception of Danny Glover (who seems unable to play characters that are not amiable or sympathetic) seem like robots that mimic human behaviour. Or perhaps it's true that Californians are so shallow, that they have difficulties interacting like the rest of humanity, merely going through the motions.
Each and every character is a crudely drawn stereotype, be it the ever-humble Indian scientist, the Dalai Lama-like Buddhist monk, the African-American president brimming with benevolence (and again, Glover plays the part way more convincing than the president who plays the part currently), the boxer-cum-super-billionaire Russian and his spoiled brood, the crazed, borderline psychotic blogger (then-again, Woody Harrelson has been reduced to that role for a long time), etc, etc, etc. Even Cusacks "kids" don't seem like real children but rather child-actors who've been bred for the sole purpose of following the directors instructions: "Right, now open the eyes wide and gaze at the camera in shock. Wider! Act more like an adult; and then, play a little girl!" The rest of the story consists 99 percent of Cusack escaping the end of the world (in other words: the grumbling floor) via cars, planes and, in the end, arcs. All this isn't even very exciting because we already know that this is a cut-out summer blockbuster where the hero and his family will escape, no matter what odds, save the day and, as certain as tomorrows sunrise, that there'll be a cheesy happy-end.
The glee with which Emmerich "destroys" various US landmarks (and specifically California) leaves only one conclusion: the director would much rather be home in his scenic, idyllic Stuttgart (which is a city in Germany, in case you're reading this in the US). But, hell, money is money and money doesn't stink; and which other Film-Industry apart from the soulless Hollywood factory would give a director like Emmerich a budget to produce his template flicks? Is there a plan for "Independence Day 2" or "2013" already? Because if there isn't, have no doubts: there will be eventually.
3/10 points.