There's a huge problem with the Independence Day sequel.

Just over 20 years ago, Independence Day burst onto our screens and we cheered happily as a cocky Will Smith blew those pesky little aliens to smithereens.

And ever since then, we’ve all been begging for a sequel.

Well, not really, but it’s here nonetheless.

Let’s look at Independence Day Resurgence like a poorly buttered dish of mashed potato that somehow ends up at your table. You didn’t order it, but it’s there so you just end up eating it anyway.

That was the feeling I had when I walked into the Independence Day Resurgence premiere this week.

Right out of the gate, there was a sense of disappointment in the air because we all knew we were settling in to watch a tale of human dominance over aliens that was sadly missing the charismatic presence of Will Smith.

Smith’s pay demands were so high that he was not contracted to do the film, and his character’s absence is quickly brushed under the rug with a throw-away explanation detailing his slightly anti-climactic death. Ouch.

Still, the movie had the potential to stir up feelings of excitement and nostalgia. Jeff Goldblum is back in action. Bill Pullman RSVP’d for the party. Even without the presence of Smith, this rollicking alien adventure had the potential to find its feet.

What the sequel did have on it’s side, was knowledge and time.

Movie making has come a long way in 20 years. Our blockbusters now have the power to be nuanced and layered, filled with as much character development as explosions and body parts scattered about like discarded Tic-Tacs. It's all about the light and shade.

Independence Day Resurgence chose not to go down this route. It's a paint-by-numbers blockbuster, with a little extra Goldblum thrown in for good measure. There's really nothing there that's going to set the cinematic world on fire, it's just a bit of mindless fun.

It wasn't until after I left the cinema that I realised the fatal flaw in the movie's universe.

Independence Day Resurgence premiere and bubbles. I always prefer to end the day with aliens #IDR

A photo posted by Laura Brodnik (@laura_brodnik) on Jun 21, 2016 at 1:28am PDT

The movie is completely devoid of any strong, cleverly written, useful female characters.

Now, before you start slamming your fingers against the keyboard in hatred and ranting about how feminists have to ruin every movie they touch, hear me out.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal if the movie makers themselves hadn't gone out of their way to make it a big deal.

We have a female president, played by the usually fantastic Sela Ward, who has little to do during her screen time other to look around helplessly for guidance when the Big Bad Aliens attack. Her appointment to President of the United States says more about the poor state of future politics then Donald Trump's run ever did.

We have one female fighter pilot who is given less than five words of dialogue throughout the movie and ends up as a prize to be won by a male fighter pilot who she easily out-flies and outwits during the movie. But hey, at least she looks good and has a boyfriend at the end.

However, the biggest problem lies with the character of Patricia Whitmore, the president's daughter from the first Independence Day film who's back for the sequel as a lieutenant turned Oval Office staffer who is engaged to the movie's leading man, Liam Hemsworth's sexy Jake.

It's clear the movie set up Patricia Whitmore to be a strong female character, but apart from one slightly kick-ass scene in the movie's final, she spends most of her time stomping around government facilities and defiantly wiping away crocodile tears.

This terrible character misfire is made even worse by the fact that Patricia is played by Maika Monroe, who showed off her fabulous acting chops in the amazingly spine-tingling horror flick, It Follows. 

It's clear the writers intended this character to be so much more than the paper-thin doll we're treated to on screen, but their vision was never realised.

The team behind Independence Day Resurgence had 20 years to get this right, and they still couldn't get it across the line. Instead of going forward, they've probably set female characters back a good decade or so.

I don't know about the rest of the audience, but by the end of the film I was rooting for the alien queen to be triumphant. I was definitely on that chick's side.

Independence Day Resurgence is kind of like a popped balloon. It makes a loud bang, but there’s really nothing inside.

Independence Day Resurgence is in cinemas now.