Mars attaque!

When 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.

Based 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.

There'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...

This film takes the p*ss out of pretty much everything, is very whacky, absurd and - depending on your sense of humour - extremely funny. Don't watch if you take yourself or humankind too seriously. Quite unique, with wonderful B-movie vibe and stellar cast. Anarchic and biting wit throughout. Watch out for the nuke blow-back scene which is one of the funniest things I've ever seen on screen. Improves with repeated viewings. Recommended.

I 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.