INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (Rated PG-13)

Pretentious film snobs, namely those who would probably prefer action films to have been crafted with the erudite dialogue of a “Masterpiece Theatre” production, are not the intended audience for “Independence Day: Resurgence” and probably should stay home to watch PBS.

But no, many of them will actually venture forth to the multiplex if only so that they may vent their frustrations with director Roland Emmerich’s passion for global destruction, and then write a column disparaging the public appetite for this type of summer blockbuster.

As the sequel to “Independence Day” 20 years later, this new adventure may not add much to the pantheon of cinematic annihilation of the Earth.

Only recently the capital of Great Britain was leveled in “London Has Fallen” and every so often a “Godzilla” film destroys Tokyo.

Not surprisingly, a disaster film that builds upon the premise that the next alien invasion will be bigger and badder must actually deliver the goods.

For starters, several key nations have banded together to colonize the moon with a military base to fight aliens.

One of the heroes of the 1996 battle with the aliens was President Whitmore (Bill Pullman). Now out of office, the former commander-in-chief is seen as a little worse for the wear physically. On top of that, he’s haunted by chilling nightmares of a pending alien invasion.

The former president is not alone in having terrible dreams of impending doom. Just now coming out of two decades in a coma is alien expert Dr. Brakish Okun (Brent Spiner), and he’s also haunted by similar dreams.

On the lunar military outpost, training exercises are always underway as we get introduced to the modern generation of cocky flyboys. You know right away that they’ll play a pivotal role in a climactic battle.

One of them is the son of Will Smith’s character, the brash, hot-tempered Dylan Hiller (Jessie T. Usher), who happens to have a major beef with hotshot fellow pilot and former best friend Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth).

Meanwhile, Jake’s girlfriend is none other than the feisty, pretty daughter (Maika Monroe) of former President Whitmore, and because she’s also a trained fighter pilot her role is more than just window-dressing.

Jake’s co-pilot Charlie (Travis Tope) is smitten with Chinese pilot Rain Lao (Angelababy), the daughter of the stern high-ranking military officer Commander Jiang (Chin Han).

Combat missions may provide Charlie the chance to swoon over the attractive fellow soldier, but his primary role seems to be exchanging wisecracks with Jake so that much needed comic relief is introduced during the midst of tense action scenes.

While the young may be the bright future of intergalactic warfare, the aging veterans of the first alien war still have major roles. Jeff Goldblum returns as scientist David Levinson, and his meddling father (Judd Hirsch) saves a busload of kids.

As another alien attack is imminent, the only saving grace is that the military leaders have adapted alien technology into their weapons systems. But then, the aliens, under the command of a Queen living in a fortified hive, are even more sophisticated in warfare.

Devastation to Earth is inevitable given that the alien warship now looming in the skies is 3,000 miles wide, a virtual floating continent capable of wiping out entire cities with an ease that even Godzilla would envy.

When not lifting cities into the air only to drop them back down elsewhere, the massive alien spaceship busies itself with drilling to the Earth’s center in order to tap into the vital power source of the molten core.

The interesting thing about the aliens is that they are hideous-looking creatures, even more horrific than what might have emanated from the fevered mind of surrealist artist H.R. Giger had he been inclined to expand on the work he did for the “Alien” franchise.

Moviegoers aren’t coming to “Independence Day: Resurgence” to admire the set design or the artistic creation of the alien creatures. Action is what is needed, and that’s what director Roland Emmerich is committed to delivering.

There’s nothing particularly bright or intellectually stimulating about this sequel, but then, who really cares?  It’s all about the thrills of global destruction, and boy, there is plenty of that with entire cities destroyed in the full glory of spectacular visual effects.

“Independence Day: Resurgence” is a rousing salute to fighting back to repel the alien invaders. This is action-fueled summer blockbuster entertainment as it is meant to be: simple fun with lots of thrills, explosions and excitement.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.