Vivica A. Fox thinks Independence Day 2 wouldn’t be good without Will Smith

Ahead of Independence Day, Vivica A. Fox reflects on her time starring in the Alien Invasion film series of the same name – both with and without Will Smith.

In a recent interview with the AV clubFox has stated that she is not a fan of Independence Day: Resurgence, which premiered 20 years after the original Independence Day was released in 1996.

Fox reprized her role as Jasmine Hiller in the 2016 sequel, but Smith didn’t return as Captain Steven Hiller for the long-awaited sequel.

“I just didn’t feel like it was good and it lived up to the first one,” Fox told AV Club. “I really feel like we missed something by not bringing Will Smith back.”

Although “most of the original cast” returned for “Independence Day: Resurgence,” Fox added, Smith was “the only true link that was missing” and hamstrung the film’s success.

When it premiered on July 3, 1996, “Independence Day” broke box office records and became an instant hit with audiences and most critics. Two decades later, “Resurgence” was a smash hit at the box office and garnered mostly negative reviews. (The disaster film received a miserable 29% bad rating on review collection site Rotten Tomatoes.)

To put things in perspective, the 1996 original grossed about $10 million more domestically in its opening weekend than the 2016 sequel — and that’s without accounting for inflation.

“I’m going to keep it realistic,” Fox continued.

“I was at the premiere [of ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’], and I was like, ‘Mmm. mmm Let’s see what the fans will think about it.’ And sure enough, they blew me up on Twitter.”

“Independence Day” is available to stream now on Starz, while “Resurgence” is available to rent or purchase through video-on-demand platforms.