Always been a Tim Burton fan was hooked after his directing of "Batman"(89) and "Batman Returns"(92) and this entry from 1996 "Mars Attack" even though not his greatest is a carefree and fun little watch. As if your a fan of Burton's and like old comics and sci- fi then this wacky homage is enjoyable as from up above all across the galaxy call them aliens, Martians, or little green men these guys have invaded earth from the angry red hot Mars planet! These creatures also are about mean business as they are armed with gun rays that fry any human in their path. The special effects are pretty decent for 1996 and the humor and writing was funny and spot on. The Slim like green brain Martians have even outsmarted the U. S. federal government(2 out of 3 branches of the government are working for us and that ain't bad!). The acting and cast chemistry is top notch with all pros and all stars with Annette Bening, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Martin Short, Tom Jones, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown and an eye candy treat with Sarah Jessica Parker(before her "Sex and the City" days) as a sexy colored bra wearing news reporter and interviewer. And last but not least the great and all time best Jack Nicholson as you guessed it the President of the United States! Overall funny watch and carefree feel good sci-fi comedy that doesn't take things or it's self to serious. Still a view for any Burton fan as the all star cast help make the film a watch too.
Add a Review
-
Leofwine_draca25 August 2016Tim Burton's sci-fi spoof was a massive flop on first release; this was because audiences were expecting a straight science fiction film, when what they got in fact was a comedy. People either love or hate this film, there is no in between, and thankfully I'm in the former camp in this case. As a comedy, Burton's film is wonderful. A star-studded cast of famous faces send themselves up shamelessly, all of those tacky alien invasion pictures of the 1950s are referenced and paid homage too, and on top of all this, we have loads of excellent CGI effects to contend with. The comic book feel of the film comes from the rich, bright colours, everything looks fake and tacky, and it's meant to.
Along the way we get take-offs of WAR OF THE WORLDS, EARTH VERSUS THE FLYING SAUCERS, and INDEPENDENCE DAY. The Martians themselves are a delightfully mischievous little bunch who enjoy mass destruction and sadism. Comedy highlights include a scene where one such Martian runs through the burning streets with a tape playing "Do not run. We are your friends!"! The bulging brain and eyeballs of these creatures make them very distinctive and difficult to forget, and as a bonus they're excellently animated too. The UFOs are also wonderful.
As with any comedy, things are hit and miss, but as a whole this film is a success. It's difficult to believe the ensemble cast assembled here. Jack Nicholson overacts in not one but two roles as the president and an entrepreneur. Glenn Close appears briefly as his wife before being crushed by a falling chandelier. Annette Bening is an annoying New Ager who sadly doesn't get incinerated by the aliens. Pierce Brosnan plays a clichéd British scientist who ends up minus his body in one of the film's many odd and unique moments. Sarah Jessica Parker is the braindead chat show host who gets her head attached to the body of her dog. Danny DeVito is an obsessive gambler who fails to impress an alien enemy and gets fried. Michael J. Fox loses his hand. Martin Short mistakes an alien in disguise for his newest girlfriend and has his finger chewed off for his troubles. Rod Steiger goes way, way over the top as an antagonistic general ("Annihilate! Destroy! Kill! Kill!) and gets shrunken and then stepped upon. Lukas Haas (all grown up from WITNESS) is a dumb teenage hero. Natalie Portman is the president's daughter. Tom Jones cameos as himself. Jim Brown and Pam Grier come back from the '70s. The list goes on.
Everybody sends themselves up and acts appallingly. They seem to be having a really good time and this feeling rubs off. Burton also doesn't skimp on the violence, revelling in burning cattle, destruction (the stone heads on Easter Island turned skittles is a good one), people being ray-gunned and turning into multicoloured skeletons, amputations, and various other gory highlights, all in the spirit of the original sadistic Topps trading cards of the '60s. Ever wished that dog in INDEPENDENCE DAY had bought it? Here's your chance to see a canine fry. As a satire, MARS ATTACKS! has a winning formula and should be seen by any good-natured science fiction addict. -
I first saw this movie when I was sixteen or so, not long after it came out on video. I feel sure the people who rented it only did so because of the "A-list" actors. I don't think they really "got it" and, at the time, I'm not sure I did either.
over the years since then an interesting thing happened: I ended up watching this about four more times, twice when it just happened to be on and twice (the most recent times) through personal choice. It's safe to say that the damn thing just grew on me like insidious Martian mould. In 1996, I was really into science fiction, but more the "literary" stuff than silly old movies. I was a bit pompous about it all, in fact, so while I did kind of get a kick out of the movie the first time, mostly I just thought, "well, that's pretty silly, and surprisingly -- old-school!" and never really gave it much more consideration. With each subsequent viewing though, my immersion in old SF televisual classics and so-called b-movies had grown greater and certain things about this movie started to make a kind of ghastly, irreverent sense. I choose to just forget about the film being based on some old trading card series; I don't know anything about them, and maybe I'm missing out on something, but I think mars Attacks! works very well regardless as a kind of send-up of very serious and grave 50s and 60s low-budget SF "schlockfests".
The funny thing is, I like a lot of those old movies, and I like them unreservedly. I don't find the form to be automatically "cheesy", too talky, too earnest, or anything like that. And I'm not a huge fan of parody for its own sake. usually, in fact, it leaves me cold at best, and a bit angry at worst, as peoples' hard work and dedication is lamppooned for a new generation with little sense of taste or respect. It's easy to be really contemptuous about mars Attacks!, and I think that was part of my initial impulse. I just didn't see the point in putting an "a-list" cast and director to work on what was essentially a copy of a plot from a 1950s B movie. Jack Nicholson's salary from this film alone might have financed two of those pictures!
But then I thought about it a bit more. 1996 was the year Independence Day came out, too, after all. And what was this movie, this ridiculous blockbuster with the at-the-time state-of-the-art special effects and jumped-up movie stars, but a retread of 1956's Earth VS. the Flying Saucers? In fact, what were a lot of these big blockbuster movies but more expensive takes on what guys like Roger Corman, Val Guest and, yes, Ed Wood, had already done? Were they better just because they had a whole lot of money spent on them? NO!
So, mars Attacks! is different because it's bald-faced about it, and that's really the extent of the parody. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The actors here know they're in a silly movie, and they're allowed to have fun. Nobody's expected to pretend this movie is anything other than what it is: a total unrepentent blast from the past.
Sure, the ending is completely retarded. But it's ok as it's totally in keeping with the form! I like the build-up a lot. I enjoy the ridiculous stereotype characters, especially Ron Stiger's screaming red-in-the-face, practically foaming-at-the-mouth warmonger general. Jack nicholson as US President is so grave and sincere, it's hilarious; bang-up job from him, too. And there are so many adorable little cameos, gags and tributes. The music is nothing but loud warbly electronics done on an old synthesiser and it's the kind of thing that's both a terrific call-back to films of yore and something to annoy bothersome houseguests with. Tim Burton and Danny Elfman seem to have this relationship of trust going consistently, and I'm glad they went with this score instead of the normal bombastic stuff from sci-fi blockbusters of the 90s and beyond. About the gags, there are just too many to list, and a lot of them are over so quick you could easily miss them. This makes the movie have a nice re-play value, though, and is probably why I was always tempted to re-watch it even when my initial judgment was "kind of bad!".
I haven't even talked about the aliens. They're ridiculous and awesome. I love their perpetually pissed-off duck-quack talking. They seem to have a sense of humour even though they're hell-bent on killing everyone. And I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the IMDB reviewer who said this, but I just love the notion (which I just came across the other day here after watching again) that the martians set out to destroy everything "uncool" about humanity. I never thought of it like that before, and I think he might be on to something!
I also have to respect that even though Tim Burton got together a whole bunch of top-bill actors, everyone was not only (presumably) on board with the project, but most of them agreed to get killed off in sudden and undignified ways. I don't think anyone's acting chops were exactly stretched making this movie, but I hope everyone had a good time and enjoyed their cameos and generic parts and laughed along when they were dispatched. This is a rare beast for sure: a self-aware and slightly smug 1990s movie that still managed to win me over and put several big grins on my face. Try it! -
bob the moo22 February 2002When Martians make contact with earth opinion is split into two camps between seeking peace or preparing for defence. When the inital meeting is turned into a massacre by a misunderstanding surrounding the dove of peace, the camp seeking war seem to have the stronger case. However the Martian Ambassator apologises and is allowed to meet before the joint houses in the US. However when the Martians use this as an way to wipe out America's leaders in one move. Security is stepped up and the world is put on a war footing, however the martians seem only interesting in destruction and death and deliver both with a wickedly cruel sense of humour.
We all know that Tim Burton and sci-fi blockbuster movies don't always deliver the goods (planet of the apes anyone?). This was released in the same summer as Independence Day and ID came off much, much better. That was mainly because ID gave the people what they wanted - they wanted a little comedy, lots of fancy FX and explosions, nothing different that would cause them to think in any way, and the good guys (the Americans) must win and save the earth! Burton gave them most of that, but it was just too different!
What we have here is a ID style story but it is infused with Burton's manic vision. This takes away from the blockbuster appeal of the average ID, but it makes it a much funnier, wierder experience. Some of it doesn't work, Nicholson's multirole performance is nowhere near the standard of Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove (which he clearly aspires to) and some of the cameos are forced and silly. However all the stuff with the aliens works really well because it is so OTT and it knows it - Burton just lets his vision run wild. In place of ID destruction of the white house, we have the aliens knocking down the Easter Island statues like 10 pin bowling etc. Where ID took itself very seriously, Mars Attacks plays like a spoof of the 1950's sci-fi and comes off much better for it.
As for the ending - of course it's absurd! Yes it's a bit of a leap to imagine that the aliens would be defeated in this way, but it doesn't matter because it's all tongue in cheek. It is no more stupid than ID which sees the aliens destroyed by Goldblum and Smith flying a spaceship (Smith flies it because he's seen one before - the scientists who have been studying it aren't allowed, even though they know how it works), into the core of the mothership, downloading a computer virus from Windows 98 onto the alien system and clearing off! Both endings are dumb, but at least Mars Attacks doesn't try to cover it up.
There are so many actors here that to try and say who does well and who doesn't would take ages. So here we good. Good -Nicholson (as the president), Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, MJ Fox, Steiger, Pam Grier, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown and Lisa Marie. Bad - Glenn Close, De Vito, Short and a pointless "oh look it's...." cameo from Tom Jones. The actors given screen time are good but stars wheeled out for novelty value are a bit wasted generally.
Overall this may not be to everyone's tastes. When it come out everyone seemed to expect another ID style film. However Burton's mad vision and comic touches make this a very enjoyable spoof. -
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews30 January 2010If you have seen a Burton film before, you have an idea of what to expect. On the other hand, if you have not, it is a little difficult to determine if you will enjoy it or not. What I can say is that this is *not* mainstream or Hollywood. If anything, it mocks the traditions of such. This is tasteless, sick, twisted fun, spoofing and satirizing the army, politics, the media, religion, etc. It also contains homages to the campy sci-fi flicks of the 50's, though you really don't need to be particularly familiar with those to get into this(I'm not, and I laugh my head off). This was my second viewing, and the other time was at least half a decade ago, and yet I remembered nearly everything(and the humor still "worked" for me, in spite of me knowing the punchlines). That doesn't happen all that often. The comedy is *hilarious*(with some exceptions that miss the mark), with silly and goofy material, absurdity, brilliantly written dialog and absolutely *no* holding back. This has a magnificent cast(all of them clearly in on it, aware of what the final product would be) and the characters are distinguished and memorable, and all the archetypes are there. The acting is spot-on for nearly every performance; Tom Jones isn't entirely convincing, but it doesn't get to be terribly bothersome. This never stands still, there is a ton of energy in it, and the pacing is fast without being overwhelming. The special effects are good, if you can tell that CGI was relatively new at this point, and the integration between the FX and the live-action elements is reasonable at best. There is plenty of moderately violent and disturbing content, a little mild language and brief(not graphic) sexuality in this. I recommend it to anyone who can imagine that they'd like it. 7/10
-
namashi_110 May 2015Based on the cult trading card series of the same name, 'Mars Attacks!' is Tim Burton's Craziest Hour! The Legendary Filmmaker has churned out some of the most morbid/dark subjects with zeal before, but this comic sci-fi flick, has to be his most absurdest to date.
'Mars Attacks!' Synopsis: Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor.
'Mars Attacks!' is pure insanity. You see martians causing hell on earth, while the human characters are all caricatures. This isn't a film that should be taken seriously, mostly because, it itself knows how over-the-top & gleefully silly it is.
But, thats not a bad thing. 'Mars Attacks!' works tremendously well for the genre it follows. I laughed at places & I was engrossed by its comical characters. Yes, at times, I was like, is this happening for real? But Burton & co., give us some delicious moments to cover its flaws.
Jonathan Gems's Screenplay isn't full-proof, but it works nonetheless. Burton's Direction is over-the-top. Cinematography & Editing are average. Special Effects are ingeniously done. Make-Up is nicely done.
Performance-Wise: Of its ensemble cast, its Jack Nicholson, in dual roles, who takes the lead & is a joy to watch. The legend dons the role of the paranoid president well, but is a hoot as the greedy developer of Las Vegas. Martin Short as the sleazy press secretary, is in terrific form. Annette Bening, as the deranged women, is top-notch. Sarah Jessica Parker as the feisty TV star, is excellent. And Pierce Brosnan as a science expert, is highly effective.
On the whole, 'Mars Attacks!' may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it deserves a watch nonetheless for the versatility of Burton's vision. -
rebeljenn21 January 2006Tim Burton's film, 'Mars Attacks!' combines elements of dark humour with an alien invasion to create a hilarious film. There's no doubt about it that audiences will be torn between those who enjoyed the film (the comedy) and those who hated it. This film is a parody of other Earth-invasion films, such as 'Independence Day' and 'War of the Worlds', which have been a common theme in story-telling for decades and particularly in the 1950s. In this film, the aliens are content on destroying Earth and humiliating the humans for the sake of it. It's not a serious film at all, and you'll either love it or hate it, depending on how warped your sense of humour is. I thought it was fun, even though it is not the best film of all time.
-
Theo Robertson21 July 2002MARS ATTACKS! gets off to a good start with a massive barbecue followed by a really good title sequence that will leave you thinking this is going to be a classic SF comedy but don`t allow yourself to be fooled because after the opening credits we are introduced very clumsily to the characters , a retard president and family , Bimbo newsreader , Vegas wiseguy , burned out boxer ,naive scientist , redneck trailer trash , warmonger etc all of whom are camp stereotypes and most of them are superflous to the very thin plot, there`s just far too many people in this film , and all of them are completely stupid beyond belief
I`m also irritated by the fact MARS ATTACKS claims to be a homage to all those 1950s B movies but has decided to be set in a sort of comic book present day where Leon Spinks , Buster Douglas , Tom Jones and Colin Powell exist . If you`re going to do a homage to 50s films shouldn`t you set it in the 1950s ? Most of the cars and fashions resemble those of that era but other parts are contempary which is silly and unexplained, but silliness dominates this film , people never act as you would expect them to and get ready for the most stupid cop out ending ever seen in a sci fi film
MARS ATTACKS ! does have a couple of good points . As I said the opening credits are good as are the humans getting exterminated SFX though this becomes over used long before the end of the film . The most successful aspect of the film is the Martians themselves who are very very well designed and memorable , but when you stop to consider that the only other memorable thing is the sheer silliness of the film maybe I`m not saying much , and the bad does outweigh the good -
Coventry7 January 2004There's one guarantee in life : When you're reading 5 reviews on Mars Attacks, FOUR of them are negative ones! Why, I ask?? It's really hard for me to believe that all these movie-lovers fail to see the film like Tim Burton intended it. Mars Attacks! is a great film and - above all - a very effective parody. Burton takes the opportunity to spoof and laugh with almost every form of nowadays filth...Politics, religion, the army, television, greed in Las Vegas and God knows what else. Mars Attacks! is the purest form of cinema anarchy I've seen so far, and I really want to encourage you to see it again if you didn't like it the first time. Tim Burton is a genius. Practically all movies he did before ( and after ) Mars Attacks! prove that. Do you really believe that he would deliver a failure? Or do you think the entire brilliant cast would agree to starring in an inferior production?? They all acknowledged the genius of this movie...why can't the audience do the same?
Mars Attacks! is a very remarkable achievement for yet another reason. This very well might be only film that cost a fortune in order to look cheap! Burton probably wasted a huge budget to make the settings and the design look like they did in the typical 50's Science Fiction movies. Burton is a big fan of these movies and he saved neither money or trouble to make his satire look like those films. The direct tribute to Edward Wood in the opening credits is an obvious example of this as well, I think. Perhaps, this would be the only real thing you can accuse Tim Burton of...Mars Attacks! is a very personal project of his. I really doubt he worried much about the question whether Mars Attacks! would become a success or not. He told his tale and he clearly enjoyed doing so...Why wouldn't you enjoy watching it then?
Note: This review is dedicated to Mailen. A great regular user here on this site and I know for a fact that she adores this film as well... -
planktonrules31 January 2008This film is a homage to sci-fi movies of the 1950s and 60s--even down to the design of the aliens who were taken from the obscure "Mars Attacks" kids trading cards from the 60s. At a gentle send up of the genre, you see many of the expected clichés and dialog--there are not major surprises here.
I heard a lot of very negative comments about this film when it came out and perhaps that is why I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't bad at all and nearly earned a 7 from me. Despite negative hype, the film is far from dull and quite fun. Sure, there's not a huge amount of depth to it and it won't change your life--but so what!? Some times it's okay just to watch a silly film like this and enjoy it on a superficial level. The only serious negative about the film is that the plot, in part, was actually stolen from ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES if you can believe it (who in their right mind would want to pilfer plot elements from THAT film?!?). The whole Slim Whitman angle is a knock off of the Donny Desmond ending and I can't believe they just lifted the ending from one film and slapped it on MARS ATTACKS!. That's why I ultimately chose to give the film a 6. -
aramis-112-80488028 January 2023A first rank cast apparently "gets" what goes on in this movie. I don't. Usually when people say "you get it or you don't," I get it. I love comedy that comes in by side doors. I've always seen the wackier side of things.
Perhaps because I was unfamiliar with the "Mars Attacks" trading cards and because I don't give a hang about alien invasion yarns, including by that fascist eugenics-supporter H. G. Wells, I simply don't care for this, either. And that mars (no pun) my appreciation for the humor.
But I refuse to admit any fault in myself in not "getting" this flick. Then again, it was my first brush with Tim Burton since "Pee Wee's Big Adventure," which I enjoyed. Perhaps in the mran time he's been able to indulge himself too much.
Frankly, I found long swathes of this gross.
Still, individual performances tickled my fancy. Michael J Fox was always good before his unfortunate disappearance. Pierce Brosnan fits into his part like a glove. His pipe is the best thing in the movie. But for the most part, however good the cast member, he, she or it doesn't find my funny bone. And I stuck with it to the bitter end.
If you like it, fine. But I'm never judgmental about people who don't "get" freaked-out comedies I love. Don't judge me for not liking this. -
rbsjrx30 January 2005When I first saw this in the theater with my granddaughter, we both found to be pretty lame and disappointing, but not without some wit to it. Since then, it's been on the cable channels multiple times, and I always find myself watching it again. I really hate to admit it, but this thing has really grown on me - so much so that I finally bought the DVD.
When I first saw it, I wouldn't have given it more than a 4 out of 10, but after repeated viewings, I now give it a 9. I can't really say why, and I certainly can't justify it in any rational sense, but it all just works for me. The wry wit, the blatant social and political commentary, I find it all immensely satisfying.
My confession's over, I'll do my penance. But I have to also say that my granddaughter's opinion of it has never wavered. She considers this movie as evidence of my incipient senility... -
mark.waltz14 April 2014O.K., so there's no proper spelling probably for the comical ranting of the Martians here which after hearing makes American First Lady Glenn Close declare, "Well, they are not eating off of the Van Buren China!". An all-star cast of famous actors, from octogenarian Sylvia Sidney down to teenager Natalie Portman, fill out the roles of the humans fighting against the invading aliens, all from the mind of director Tim Burton who brings the classic comic strip to life.
There's no time for boredom in this comical disaster movie spoof, and very little "exposition", one of the biggest complaints on recent films like "2012" where family drama had to take focus until disaster struck. There's no family with estrangements, no couple on the outs, just the fantasy of what might happen if the green aliens we have always wondered about decided to attack Earth and destroy humanity.
Along side Close as the president is Jack Nicholson, trying to remain together, but horrified as the crisis grows. Nicholson also plays the seemingly sleazy Las Vegas hotel owner, with Annette Bening as his alcoholic wife who is thrilled by the potential of the Martian's arrival. The closest you get to family crisis is Washington D.C. bus driver Pam Grier's discovery that her teenaged kids are skipping school to play video games and husband Jim Brown's absence as he works in Las Vegas, as well as the Kansas trailer park family of sweet Lukas Haas who is shocked by the sudden taking of one of their own by the Martians.
"They blew up congress!", grandma Sylvia Sidney laughs, and don't count this old lady out. The star of classic movies like "Dead End" and "Sabotage" in the 1930's was making a name for herself 60 years later by nice roles in this and "Beetlejuice" for director Burton, and here, he gives her a great little part with lots of surprises in it. There's also Sara Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Pierce Brosnan and Michael J. Fox, as well as a cameo by Tom Jones who gets into the plot as himself. Lots of one-great liners, a fun combination of animation with live footage makes this a must, and one you may find yourself attacking again and again. -
slokes9 February 2005It's often said of a film that it's not as good as the book it is based upon. Here's a movie not as good as the bubble-gum cards it was based upon.
Way back in the 1960s when director Tim Burton was a boy, Topps Chewing Gum put out these cards depicting a cartoonish Martian invasion of Earth, based loosely on "War Of The Worlds." Explosions, death, fire, monsters, and a glint of goonish humor, it was all a growing boy could want. Years later, his career as Hollywood's most visionary director underway, Burton decided to make a film celebrating those cards.
"Mars Attacks!" is a hodgepodge of loosely-knit moments with a cast that is way too large to support its slender thread of a story. It's supposed to be thrilling and funny, but it's neither. Instead, you have a succession of blind-alley bits with name actors embarrassing themselves, including Jack Nicholson twice as the president and as a gambler.
Pointlessness rules. "Do Martians have two sexes, like we do?" asks an androgynous reporter at a press conference. Rod Steiger as a general is shrunk and stepped on. Boy scouts are squashed by the Washington Monument when the Martians knock it down. Tom Jones is singing "It's Not Unusual" on stage when he is suddenly joined by a trio of Martians.
These are set up as punchlines, but there's nothing to punch here but piffle. There's some uniqueness to the Martians themselves, presented in early computer graphic imagery to resemble the day-glo plastic look of the bubble-gum-card Martians of Burton's youth. Jim Brown and Pam Grier offer some humor and sympathy as separated parents trying to save themselves and their two sons, and you wish they were around longer.
Everything else, especially a pathetic subplot involving a grievously sick-looking Sylvia Sidney and a puberty-challenged Lukas Haas who discover the Martians' Achilles heel, seems to have been pulled from Stephen King's wastebasket. What was Danny DeVito's purpose in the film? He has fifth billing, and maybe five lines, all of which sound improvised and not in a good way. Annette Bening is a New Age alcoholic who talks like Marilyn Monroe and runs from the invaders, the best performance but one sadly undernourished by dramatic or comic purpose.
Watching this film, I thought of "1941," another comedy spectacle that puts glitz over humor. Except this time there's not even a funny speech like Dan Aykroyd's "Was that Mickey Mouse I saw marching into Poland?" bit to latch onto, just a series of sloppy non sequiturs by actors paying Burton back for having once put them in better films. The script is lame, and like "1941" it's hard to imagine so many professional film people letting this one go through their hands without demanding a major rewrite. As with "1941," the idea is if you have a hot director with a unique visionary style, why not trust him to pull it all together?
"Mars Attacks!" is the answer. It's a sad little splat of a film, an early demonstration of CGI that also demonstrates how limited CGI as a tool can be. Burton is so much better when he lets the story dictate special effects, rather than the other way around. -
stiv-71 June 2004Anybody who hated this movie missed the point. This is a fun little satire on the American culture of assimilation, the great cultural melting pot. It dares to ask the question: What if another group of people doesn't want to be adopted into the American consumerist culture? The results are hilarious, as we have a group of Martians double-talking their way through the annihilation of the US of A, and the only people capable of stopping them are those who could really care less about the American Way: the President's daughter, who shows more respect for culture and history than her parents could ever muster; and Richie the donut store kid, whose primary concern is the welfare of others, specifically his grandmother, who ironically provides him with a way out of this mess. I've only seen this film twice, but it still makes me laugh my head off and provides me with the antidote for the jingoistic finale to the other alien invasion film of 1996, Independence Day.
In short, say what you want about Mars Attacks! If you don't understand it, that's not my problem. -
"Mars Attacks!" is another big hit by Tim Burton, the setting takes place on Earth, which is being invaded by Martians (or in other words: aliens).
The movie is another classic example of how humanity discovers a species of aliens and tries to communicate with them. Only to find out that the aliens have not come in peace. Unlike other movies which show the encounter with aliens, "Mars Attacks!" in particular laughs and makes fun of this sci - fi genre. It is made purposely so ridiculous, whacky and bizarre that it's main intension is just to laugh at humanity.
The audience know for sure that a real encounter with aliens will go down way more different than shown here, yet so personally I believe what we just saw on "Mars Attacks!" is a possible outcome.
The cast of actors is well wide and impressive: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Annette Bening, Glenn Close and many more.
Great movie and great casting, a good and funny screenplay, a really joyful film to watch all together. -
iquine25 February 2019(Flash Review)
This is an amusing and odd little movie with a massive cast of A-listers. As the title implies, aliens storm Earth with oodles of spaceships. The United States with Nicholson as president try to welcome them as friends but are quickly and brazenly attacked by the happy and colorful styled aliens. The rest of the movie is everyone trying to avoid being zapped by their deadly ray guns while trying to find a way to halt their invasion. There is light comedy interwoven as you wait to see which Hollywood star will be zapped next. The special effects, weapons and sound effects are reminiscent to the 50s Martian movies and are well-done. The funniest moment for me was when the military fires a nuke at them, some alien device sucks up the explosion and then an alien smokes the captured nuclear explosion matter with a pipe! Overall, this was fairly thin but strangely amusing. -
FilmFanInTheHouse28 August 2007Mars Attacks! (1996, Dir. Tim Burton)
It is a normal day for everyone, until the President of the United States. They are able to get in contact with the Martians, and arrange for a meeting behind them and us humans. But not everything goes to plan, and the Martians have other plans for Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings? or do they really want to destroy all of humanity.
When you see a film with Tim Burton's name on it, you know it's going to be something special. Mars Attacks! is nothing short of that. The story is there with enough action to keep you hooked. The action is top standard, even from Tom Jones. Jack Nicholson is just amazing in this playing two characters. The special effects are a mixed bag nowadays. Some of the effects still looked good such as the spaceships, but some CGI looked a bit dodgy, such as the green slime against the walls. This doesn't reduce the fun though, and you still have an enjoyable viewing experience, even after ten years.
"I'm not having that thing in my house." - First Lady (Glenn Close) -
bkoganbing25 July 2018Mars Attacks is not a great film. It's all right, but sad to say some of the comedy doesn't quite come off. But this is one of those films where if you were lucky enough to get cast in it you got the opportunityto give out with some shtick or overact outrageously. Jack Nicholson got to do it twice as he was cast in two different roles, as president of the United States and as a Las Vegas operator.
Nicholson is served better presidentially. Can you imagine Jack Nicholson in that familiar nasal twang trying to reassure the nation even after the aliens have blown up Congress. It's what people remember best from the film.
Pierce Brosnan is cast as the ever calm scientist who knows his field will provide the answers. All that's left of him is sheer intellect.
My favorite is Martin Short who gets a Martian through White House security. He's Nicholson's press secretary and he sneaks a disguised Martian past White House security. Poor Short thinks he's getting a little something something and is he ever surprised.
I also Paul Winfield who is modeled on General Colin Powell as the emissary President Nicholson sends to greet the Martians on the Nevada desert where they've landed. He's got a nice running rivalry with Rod Steiger who is a general along the lines of Buck Turgidson from Dr. Strangelove.
The whole component doesn't quite gel. But lots of funny bits should keep the viewer interested.
Can you imagine the current president trying to reassure the public after an alien invasion. Not non-Americans, real aliens. -
What a wild movie! I've begun to appreciate this more and more with multiple viewings. I think it's Tim Burton's most underrated film. Unlike many of his previous films, this seems pretty impartial when it comes to the satire: everyone gets it here, not just the usual Christians. Here, New Ange devotees and Liberal advisers and generals are also made to look stupid. This is probably one reason the national critics - who are overwhelming Left Wing - didn't like this movie. They weren't used to the same abuse some of us put up with all the time.
Politics aside, this is one funny movie. It's a combination of science fiction, drama and comedy. It's a parody of the 1950s flying saucer films except it has 1990s color and good special-effects. Burton was a fan of those corny '50s sci-fi films so he made his own!
The story quickly moves from one character to another, from the low-key President of the U.S. played by an unusually-reserved Jack Nicholson to the wacky New Ager Annette Benning to Martin Short with his goofy smile....well, there are so many characters here - most of them completely whacked - it's too many to mention. The diversity of these people and the subtle humor in which they are all presented is just as much fun to watch as the special-effects. The Martians are a real hoot. They have to be seen to be believed.
I didn't like all the characters but, most people won't either. For me, showing elderly people as senile (Sylvia Sidney's role) is mean-spirited; Rod Steiger has the stereotypical war-mongering General is getting tiresome and the obvious politically-correct role for Jim Brown also went overboard.
All in all, however, this is about as entertaining a film as I have ever found, nd one that gets more enjoyable with each viewing.....which is why I rate it so high. -
The trouble is... 'Mars Attacks' doesn't have a lot (if any!) competition for that title. In the mid nineties, when alien invasion fever was at its highest, someone proposed a film about cheesy 1950s-style Martians attacking Earth and 'Mars Attacks' was born.
The first thing you need to know about it is that it's an 'ensemble' piece, i.e. it has simply tonnes of A-list stars attached to the project. And, despite sounding impressive, that's kind of a downside. For none of them are really given enough screen time to get to know. There's absolutely no character development for any of them and, what's more, most of them are pretty objectionable anyway, leaving you cold when they finally get melted in a – visually-pleasing – array of colourful laser fire from out green, big-brained invaders. There are a couple of 'nicer' characters, but they're hardly in it enough for you to even remember their names. Many of the characters could have been removed completely and the story wouldn't have lost anything.
Jack Nicholson is undoubtedly the 'main' character, as he plays the President of America. However, despite his acting abilities, he doesn't really do much as the role. Perhaps that's why they gave him another role to play, but, as I said before, half the characters could have been easily gotten away with and Jack's second performance is one of these.
As for the story... well, there isn't really one. Mars does indeed attack, but not until about forty-five minutes into the movie. What you have is basically a 'sketch show' with many famous faces, all vying to 'out-horrible' each other.
However, despite the film's many flaws, it's kind of worth a watch... but only for the Martians. They're completely the stars of the film. They get all the best lines (not that any are actually spoken in English) and are a delight to watch. In fact, they're so good they only go and double how bad their human (and un-computer-generated) co-stars are in comparison.
If you think you can sit through a sketch-type alien invasion film with a few comedic moments (but not enough to really class the film as an out and out 'comedy') you should enjoy this. Even if it's just to watch Tom Jones thrash it out with an alien race (not that IS unusual!).
http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/ -
After a first contact meeting in the Nevada desert between the U.S. President's science aides and the Ambassador of Mars doesn't go well, the President and his advisers suddenly find Earth at war with the intergalactic creatures. Rarely has a modern movie collected such an eclectic group of actors in one place. This is, of course, a testimony to the reputation of director Tim Burton, but Burton doesn't set up a very appealing showcase for his amazing cast. We're primed to laugh at who they are (their personas) rather than who they're playing (a bunch of idiots). Martian invasion movies from the 1950s were supposed to be scary but were instead funny and maybe a little campy--this one wants to be funny, but is instead condescending and mean-spirited. Usually, Burton's strengths as a filmmaker (eccentric bits of whimsy and character interaction) save the day; with "Mars Attacks!", he's coasting on shtick (pitched far too high) and relying on caricature-driven mayhem to carry the plot (concocted by screenwriter Jonathan Gems) and the players (willing stars, by the way, who were probably hoping for a slam-dunk). It doesn't work. Even the cartoon-derived violence is heavy-handed. NO STARS from ****
-
jamesonwhite110 February 2021I went into this with 0 expectations. I was laughing through the entire thing. Really great parody of alien invasion films and hilarious dialogue throughout. Just a really well done film overall.
-
Watched Mars Attacks! Featuring Jack Nicholson(Batman) as President James Dale/ Art Land , Glenn Close(Hamlet) as First Lady Marsha Dale , Pierce Brosnan(Goldeneye 007 ) as Professor Donald Kessler ,Danny DeVito(Batman Returns) as Rude Gambler,Annette Bening(Richard III) as Barbara Land ,Martin Short(Father Of The Bride II) as Press Secretary Jerry Ross, Sarah Jessica Parker(The Substance Of Fire) as Nathalie Lake, Michael J.Fox(Back To The Future) as Jason Stone, Rod Steiger(Shiloh) as General Decker, Lukas Haas(The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) as Richie Norris,Natalie Portman(Leon The Professional) as Taffy Dale, Jim Brown(L.A. Heat) as Bryon Williams, Sylvia Sydney(Used People) as Florence Norris , Pam Grier(Jackie Brown) as Louise Williams, Jack Black(The X-Files) as Billy-Glenn Norris and Tom Jones as Himself . The film is interesting and one of my favorite Burton films with 1950's B Sci-Fi Flavor as well Burtons Own spin also very Hilarious Also A Parody of Independence as well also enjoyed the heavy handed cast as well . Amazing Score By Danny Elfman( Ed Wood), Costume Design By Coleen Atwood(That Thing You Do!) ,Cinematography By Peter Suschitzsky (Krull) ,Screenplay by Jonathan Gems(White Mischief) , Direction By Tim Burton(Beetlejuice) A Hilarious Tribute To Alien Invasion B Movies with Burton Flavor 7/10
-
rmax30482315 November 2008A cast of thousands! This spoof of 1950s science fiction movies should have been a huge hit, what with its many allusions, in-jokes, and contemporary references -- not to mention that cast: Jack Nicholson (in two roles) through Sylvia Sidney and who knows who else? The Martians are short green creatures with huge heads and they come to earth in flying saucers, claiming "We come in peace," then they mow everyone down with ray guns and blow up national monuments and destroy the world's governments.
Big wigs like President Nicholson and the blustering general Rod Steiger perish in Washington, while in Las Vegas it is discovered that senile Sylvia Sidney's favorite music -- a parody of Slim Whitman's early 1950s hit, "Indian Love Song," turns the invaders' monstrous brains to jelly. The planet is saved. A handful of heroic survivors are awarded medals in the ruins of Washington by Natalie Portman as the president's daughter while a mariachi band, the only musicians left alive, play the national anthem.
The iconography of the alien ships and their exploits are directly derived from "Earth Versus The Flying Saucers." They perform variations of some of the same tricks, like knocking over the Washington Monument. But new tricks are added. They recarve the faces on Mount Rushmore and bestow Martian features on them.
There are wise cracks aplenty. Danny DeVito approaches an alien and shouts, "Wait a minute. I'm a lawyer. You want to conquer the earth, you need lawyers, right?" As the president, Nicholson makes a tear-jerking speech to the Martians about joining forces in friendship. He winds up his pitch with, "Why can't we all just get along," the most famous statement to emerge from the Rodney King business of the early 90s. And Nicholson, in his other, Las Vegas, persona, is making a pitch to some investors to build more hotels. "After all, the Martians come here, they gotta stay someplace, don't they?" The investors include only Texans, Arabs, and Japanese.
I'm afraid I didn't find it at all funny. Maybe because so much of the film was a special effects charivari focused on death and destruction. One loud mouth vaporized might be funny. Repeated vaporizations, running into the dozens, are no longer amusing. As the president, Nicholson isn't vaporized. Instead he shakes an alien hand, the hand detaches itself, slips around into his back, and a cone-like object punctures Nicholson's chest and extends a few feet outward before Nicholson drops dead. This is funny? To me, it seemed like an excuse for overblown digitalization, like the blowing up of cities.
My disappointment might have something to do with a personal quirk too. I've always found clowns to be more disturbing than funny. They strike me as human beings with gross physical deformities and a bizarre taste in garments and accessories. But, then, I don't know. I enjoy Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and many of the other send ups of genre movies. I even liked Slim Whitman when I was a kid.
Well, what can I say? Try it. Maybe you'll like it. I didn't.