As showcased in apocalyptic spectacles like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012, Roland Emmerich famously carved out an overblown, senses-assaulting style very much his own. But before making it big in the States, the German filmmaker had ambitions to ape two very different blockbuster auteurs.
Emmerich likely took it as a compliment rather than the insult it was intended as when critics back home responded to his second feature film, Joey, with the term “Spielbergle” (little Spielberg). The director had freely admitted that his goal was to kickstart a new wave of German cinema by replicating the success of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ popcorn fare, saying, “Entertaining the masses is the foundation, and that has been neglected here for a long time.”
