texafana wrote: I want to see some actual desctruction like Independence Day did.

lol...
The original movie was a complete departure from the "Alien Invader movies" that were common in the fifties. This one was simple: An alien ("Klaatu") comes down from space (with a giant robot) to try and convince the world to abandon their war-like ways because ... with space travel and nuclear weapons now on the scene ... earth poses a threat to the rest of the planets in the universe.
Unfortunately, humans aren't receptive. They shoot Klaatu as he walks off the ship. They refuse to listen to his diplomatic requests. They try to hunt him down when he goes into hiding. So, as a demonstration of his power to get them to listen, he shuts off almost all machines for on earth for an hour. The idea is to show the power of the other planets and serve as a warning of what could happen if earth brings warring ways to the other planets.
If this movie follows the original, you wouldn't see death and destruction because Klaatu's mission is one of peace and the people of earth are the aggressors.
Based upon what I've seen (little on plot), not sure if this movie has much in common with the original.