As a sequel this movie did a lot of things it was supposed to do... it retained the spirit and emotional resonance of the first, it included as many of the previous actors as was feasible, and did call-backs to memorable moments. They even included another scene with a dog in peril.
The problem with this is that the original was also glossy and skimmed the surface. With so many characters and sequences of events, there is no depth. The script does a fantastic job with imparting a lot of details about these people and their lives, but I challenge you to care about just one of them in anything more than just a superficial way. The guy gets a date with the Chinese pilot. The bureaucrat learns to fight. The two pilots reunite at the end, and Levinson's dad gets to kvetch. Do we care? Meh.
If you enjoyed the first movie, you will enjoy the second movie... there is no question. However if you're looking for a movie that makes you think, or might change or inspire the world, this isn't it... and sometimes that's okay.
Ten laugh out loud moments mostly from snappy comebacks, one holy crap moment, and a ground-breaking combination eyeroll and lol moment when Jake takes a piss on the aliens' deck. As a diversion, I guess it worked.
It has stunning visuals reminiscent of the first film, and even after twenty years the aliens are as creepy as ever. I just wish I cared about the people that populate the film just a tad more. Four stars, eh... three and a half.
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