Mockbusters aren’t exactly known for their quality but Independence Daysaster marked an all-time low for the genre. For the uninitiated, mockbusters are a special species of movies that attempt to piggyback off the success and hype for more high-profile films. Typified by tiny budgets, very quick turnarounds, and suspiciously similar titles, the mockbuster genre has produced such films as Snakes On A Train, Paranormal Entity and AVH: Alien Vs Hunter – which, funnily enough, were all made by mainstay purveyor of mockbuster movies The Asylum.
Some mockbusters fall into the “so bad they’re good” territory. Abraham Lincoln Vs Zombies, for example, was a pretty hilarious rip-off of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter that benefited from not taking itself too seriously and a brilliant performance from Bill Oberst Jr. of Take This Lollipop fame as the titular former president. South Korean mockbuster Ape - a rip-off of Dino De Laurentiis’ 1976 King Kong remake - is worth seeing just to witness a 36-foot-tall gorilla giving a bunch of military guys the finger.
Independence Daysaster, on the other hand, doesn’t do the mockbuster genre any favors. Just in case the title wasn’t a big enough clue, this is a mockbuster of Roland Emmerich’s 1996 blockbuster Independence Day. Although Independence Daysaster came out in 2013 – almost two decades after its namesake – many suspect the movie was likely rushed into production after Emmerich’s long-awaited sequel Independence Day: Resurgence was finally coming into fruition around the same time.
From its patriotic holiday setting and evil aliens with dishonorable intentions to the motley crew of people forced to save the day when the government turns out to be ineffectual, Independence Daysaster is a straight-up rip-off of Independence Day. But while Independence Day had the budget to make an alien invasion plot work, Independence Daysaster clearly does not. Although viewers are assured capital cities like Washington D.C., London and Beijing are all wiped out by aliens, much of the action takes place in the small town of Moose Ridge where President Sam Garsette (Tom Everett Scott, 13 Reasons Why) just happens to be visiting his heroic firefighter brother Pete (Ryan Merriman, Pretty Little Liars).
While a low budget and lack of originality are to be expected with a mockbuster, Independence Daysaster suffers from more than just that. The CGI is beyond bad from its dodgy alien spacecrafts to its military helicopters which somehow can’t even muster a semblance of realism. And not only does Independence Daysaster take itself much more seriously than a mockbuster should, the alien race that’s hellbent on destroying all earthlings aren’t even shown – although considering the FX, perhaps that’s a good thing. Stick to Independence Day.
Next: Why Independence Day 3 Hasn’t Happened
