One of the last really good Summer popcorn movies

Rating: 7/10 (1 September 2013)

Not sure I'd walk across the street for a free screening of a new Roland Emmerich movie these days, but boy he came out of the gate with some fun—if derivative—popcorn entertainment; 'Universal Soldier', 'Stargate' and 'Independence Day'. I hadn't seen the latter in probably a decade, so when I saw it peeking out of the morass that is the $5 DVD bin at my local Wal-Mart, I bit. Like when I went to my 20 year high school reunion last year, I expected the years to be unkind to the likes of Steven Hiller, David Levinson and President Whitmore, but to my surprise they looked better than ever. Maybe it was nostalgia (aka - Mental Botox), but I enjoyed every minute of this movie. Corny? Oh sure. Holes in its logic? A few (dozen). But it was *fun*. There was no naval gazing, no gray areas, just good old fashioned cheerful heroics. Not sure a sequel could be anything but a huge let down, but I'll be there opening day, popcorn in hand.