As tepid and forgettable as it is, its great to seeRoland Emmerichback in the realm of science fiction action withIndependence Day: Resurgence. It’s the sole genre where the director shows some modicum of unique talent as a creator of operatic destruction, though he’s never quite as brash, stylish, and weird asMichael Bay’s similarly explosive projects. And where Bay revealed a rowdy artist living beneath the formulaic, story-heavy nonsense when he released the excellentPain & Gain, Emmerich’s attempt to reach beyond spectacle - such as withAnonymousandStonewall- have proven to be unintentionally hilarious at best, and excruciating more times than not.
When he gets the right play-set to wreck, however, he at least shows a clear sense of awe at the visual wonderment of grand CGI creations and fiery chaos. That’s why it’s good news to hear today that,according to EW, Emmerich will next be pairing with Universal for the science fiction projectMoonfall, which sounds a little too much like another James Bond film set in space. The story is said to center on a group of misfits who are called in to save the world when the moon falls out of orbit and is set on a collision course with Earth. So, wait, is this Roland Emmerich’s version ofMelancholia? If so, I’m definitely in, just to see what such an odd concept would look like when all is said and done.
The script was co-written by Emmerich, alongsideHarold KloserandSpencer Cohen; Kloser, who often scores Emmerich’s films, also co-scriptedWhite House Downfor the writer-director-producer. The film is being described as a mix between2012(oh no!) andClose Encounters of the Third Kind(yes!), but seeing as this is Emmerich, I would be looking towards2012more for a sense of how this will all look when production has wrapped. For now, we’ll just have to wait on word about casting, as well as just exactly how wellIndependence Day: Resurgenceis going to do over the next few weeks.
