Independence Daysaster (2013)

INDEPENDENCE DAYSASTER is another cheapie sci fi movie that comes to us courtesy of the SyFy Channel. It was made in Canada, which comes as no surprise, and rather than being a straight rip-off of INDEPENDENCE DAY (leave that to The Asylum), this is instead a generic alien invasion movie about Earth being invaded by flying ships and weird spinning metal saucers. Oh, and some stuff comes out of the ground too, after lying dormant for many years.It's a fast-paced bit of film-making for sure, but that doesn't make it any good, just perhaps not quite as bad as some I've seen. The cast of uninteresting characters are led by an actor from FINAL DESTINATION 3 and another actor from AN American WEREWOLF IN Paris. Some pedigree. There's a multitude of CGI effects here and they're not as bad as some I've seen, although hardly the stuff of greatness.

As a long time fan of disaster movies, even the not so great ones, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one.I thought it was probably a take-off of Will Smith's famous Independence Day. I just bought this copy today and have already watched it twice. It of course, does not compare to the original nor do I think it is supposed to. I actually kind of like it. The actors do a pretty good job. I was never bored and never thought about turning it off. So, that says a lot to me. If you are entertained, then the movie has served its purpose. I was, so it did. I hope you give it a real chance and appreciate it for what it is meant to be.

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***What happens when you take the movies INDEPENDENCE DAY and WAR OF THE WORLDS, mix in some poor CGI, weak actors and a dozen film school level sci-fi clichés? You get this disaster. This is just another one of the low budget Canadian sci-fi movies that are churned out on a seemingly weekly basis. The movie makers should be sued for ripping off the two aforementioned movies. And ripping them off poorly. I am a firm believer that some movies just don't need to be made and this one is high on that list. It also seems that the same theme is used in all cheap Canadian sci-fi movies. A rugged man and an attractive woman team up to save the world. Enough already. Either come up with some original ideas, or stop wasting the taxpayer grants you get to make these regurgitated movies from the Canadian film industry bargain bin of ideas.

As the USA enjoys another Fourth of July celebration, grumpy aliens stage another "Independence Day" attack. The President of France is dead, but airborne US President Tom Everett Scott (as Sam Garcette) is only shot down. It's an immediate, full-scale invasion and the aliens are "chewing their way out of the ground." This is why their spaceships look screwy. Leading the resistance for Earth is the US President's brother Ryan Merriman (as Pete). He stops his fire truck to pick-up smart blonde Emily Holmes (as Celia Lehman). She works for S.E.T.I. (the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence)...Hanging around to look hot for the viewers are handsome Presidential son Keenan Tracey (as Andrew) and his sexy blonde girlfriend Eliza Andrea Brooks (as Eliza). There doesn't seem to be much of a story here, although Ms. Holmes' character offers a sketchy version of what may be happening. Characterization is mostly given to the three Garcette men. The ending suggests a sequel is possible. Could be we'll learn more about all of this if and when that happens. Mainly, "Independence Day-Saster" looks like good practice for director W.D. Hogan and a grateful cast. It has that "shaky camera" look.**** Independence Day-Saster (6/27/13) W.D. Hogan ~ Ryan Merriman, Tom Everett Scott, Keenan Tracey, Emily Holmes