gavin6942 When Earth is attacked by a hostile alien force, a small town firefighter and a rogue SETI scientist team up to activate the only technology capable of defeating the invaders.By now, you should have it figured out how SyFy works when it comes to movies. You have an end-of-the-world scenario, throw in some scientific jargon that may or may not be entirely accurate... then, somehow, amateurs get involved with a brilliant scientific idea...Does anyone else find it ironic that the film was made in Canada but is about the American independence day? With so many films being made in Canada it might not be strange, but struck me as odd. And why are they making a riff on "Independence Day" about twenty years too late? Very timely, folks.

wes-connors 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

Michael_Elliott Independence Day-saster (2013)** (out of 4) It's the Fourth of July and President Garcette (Tom Everett Scott) is heading back to his hometown to visit his brother and son but before he can land on the ground the Earth is attacked by aliens. Now this small town and their hero must join forces to try and destroy the aliens before they wipe out the population. If you're wanting high art or class then INDEPENDENCE DAY-SASTER isn't going to be for you but those seeking pure "C" level entertainment should find a few quality moments here. Again, one really shouldn't be expecting any sort of masterpiece, classic or even a good film but I like the fact that director W.D. Hogan didn't try to make the picture something it's not and instead of trying to turn this into an "A" picture he instead delivered the goods on a cheap level. That's certainly a good thing because there's nothing more annoying than a low-budget film trying to do something it can't. This film doesn't shy away from the fact that they didn't have much money and instead they use it to their advantage by making the film fun. The fun factor at least makes the picture worth sitting through because you really do feel as if you're watching one of those sci-fi films from the 1950s that you'd see at the drive-in. The special effects are never believable but they're at least mildly charming in their own cheap way. The performances aren't anything spectacular but they're at least fun as well. This includes Scott who we haven't seen too much of lately. INDEPENDENCE DAY-SASTER isn't going to win any major awards but considering this played on the SyFy channel you should know that there's much worse out there.

Lamar Kukuk While the average viewer should never get anywhere near them, I have a soft spot for low-budget genre flicks of the kind they produce for the SyFy Channel, and within those confines, this one's a real gem. Rather than take The Asylum's cynical but amusing formula of knocking off the title but little else of a current blockbuster, Daysaster goes the opposite route and has the chutzpah to rip off a beloved hit that's almost 20 years old in a fair amount of detail. Roland Emmerich's Independence Day is one of my favorite movies, and if you take the brazen plot point and dialog nods to it in W.D. Hogan's pic as loving homage rather than shameless theft, you'll probably have a blast. I know I did.The level of acting is pretty good for one of these flicks, where you're shooting for an underdog quality that will make you root for the low budget trappings rather than sneer at them. Tom Everett Scott is the star name here, and he makes an effective President, particularly when mixed with the goofy computer hackers (Emily Holmes and Iain Belcher are delightfully awkward interacting with the Leader of the Free World) he finds himself with for most of the movie. Meanwhile, Garwin Sanford is fun as his weasel of a VP and Ryan Merriman is a solid hero as the President's firefighter brother.While many of the plot points are lifts from the Emmerich flick (it's fun to watch the movie shouting out the ID4 lines it references as it references them... or maybe that was just me) and its big-budget knockoff Battle Los Angeles, there are a few clever new ideas in the way the nature of the alien threat provides openings for a small, plucky group of random citizens to fight back. The special effects aren't so bad that it's a distraction, and you can't argue that the design of the alien vehicles doesn't stand out.If you could imagine yourself watching a movie called Independence Daysaster for anything but derisive laughs, give it a try. This is one of the good ones.