' ' Cinema Romantico: Breaking Down the ID4: Resurgence Trailer Reaction Shots

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Breaking Down the ID4: Resurgence Trailer Reaction Shots

As Cinema Romantico has previously noted with unbridled joy, "Independence Day", that rollicking barrel of absurd movie monkeys, was all about the reaction shot. Roland Emmerich puts his actors in front of the camera and tells 'em an alien ship or a fireball or a something-or-other is up in the sky and "ACT O.M.G.!" And they did. And they do in the trailer that just dropped for the mildly-awaited "ID4" sequel, "Resurgence", arriving next summer. My hope is that this is but a tiny taste of the all-you-can-eat reaction shot salad bar to come...

Readers's Note: There is no Charlotte Gainsbourg reaction shot in the trailer, only her harmoniously haunting voice to open it, and so we remain staunchly committed to the idea that Ms. Gainsbourg plays the leader of a violent SETI splinter group. *Fingers crossed.*

Breaking Down the ID4: Resurgence Reaction Shots


Goldblum is back, baby, and he brought his "Oh my God" face with him. In truth, he says "Oh my God" paired with a different reaction shot earlier in the trailer, but I like this reaction shot better; this reaction shot doesn't need the "Oh my God."



IMDb tells me that Sela Ward plays the new ID4-universe President and that reaction shot is Presidential.




I've included an original President Whitmore reaction shot to contrast with a new President Whitmore reaction shot not simply to highlight the facial hair variance (did he become a Saddam Hussein-ish dictator post-ID4 invasion because he felt it was the best way to maintain Earth's safety only to be forcibly ejected by a Sela Ward coup d'état and sent into hiding?) but to showcase the difference twenty years makes in Presidential facial expressions. Young Whitmore had never seen anything like this; Old Whitmore thinks, seriously, this bullshit again? 



Whoops! I forgot Mae Whitman didn't get to be in the sequel! She seems apathetic.



Roland Emmerich worked with Joey King on his brilliant action movie bouillabaisse "White House Down" and obviously trusted her reaction shot game enough to re-hire her.



Is it just me, or does Judd Hirsch look like less of a schlemiel than he did in the first one?



I know what you're thinking. You're thinking: "That guy behind William Fichtner is more on point with his reaction than William Fichtner." But the thing is, William Fichtner is William Fichtner. When you've looked into the eyes of Neil McCauley, what, you're gonna get bent outta shape over a few aliens? I imagine in the movie this reaction shot is followed by a Fichtner good-humored sigh combined with a "Well, how do you like that?"

1 comment:

Alex Withrow said...

"William Fichtner is William Fichtner." That's goddamn right. I'd watch a reaction shot of Fichtner watching paint dry. The man is a god.