User reviews

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.

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.

So many Oscar winners and nominees. Very entertaining with cartoonish aliens. It's one of those film's you have to watch a few times to appreciate the humour. Tim Burton never dissaponts. Some of the cast are a bit hammy. Written that way I suppose.

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!

Mars 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)

"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.

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.

If 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

When 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...

I you're a sci-fi fan you might like this film, you might not. If you're a Tim Burton fan you might like this film, or you might not. I you're a fan of mixed genre films you might like this film, you might not. Personally, I really liked this wacky little flick. Mars Attacks! is a spoof of 1950's sci-fi movies, poking fun at all their cheese and cliché. It centers around a variety of characters spread out amongst the USA and how they all react and cope with a martian invasion. There's nothing in this film to take seriously and, for what it's worth, I found it to be hilarious and a ridiculous amount of fun, no matter how stupid it can be.

Mars Attacks! is, in a way, genius. It is the kind of movie that is designed in such a way that you can't critique it. You can dislike it, or even hate it, but you can't necessarily critique it on any specific element. The reason being is that it spoofs a genre and a time period for that genre, so anything that is cheesy, silly, or stupid can be accredited to the film's spoofing. If a character does something irrational and idiotic, it is spoofing the way characters were in so many of those cheesy 50's flicks. If something totally bizarre and unbelievable happens in the plot, blame it on the genre the film is spoofing. This kind of manipulations practically falls under the category of film treachery, but I have to give the film credit for finding a loophole around any and all imperfections.

And as far as imperfections go, Mars Attacks! has a lot of them. It is a ridiculous, absurd, unrealistic, and plot hole ridden film. Half of it makes no sense and the other half we just sort of have to go with. But the brilliant thing is, that's all part of the fun. This film isn't made to take seriously, and neither is it made to be criticized and scrutinized. It is meant to be enjoyed and only aims to be silly and entertaining. Some will see it as an uncreative way to force us to enjoy this movie, I see it as an opportunity to have a great time and numerous laughs.

Another thing I have to give Mars Attacks! plenty of props for is production value. The film rounds up an all star cast of characters with everyone from Danny DeVito to Jack Black. It is also just a large scale flick with lots of great actions sequences with plenty of explosions and giant collapsing buildings. The martians themselves are completely CGI. They look cool to me but I'm unsure if the CGI would be considered good or bad for 1996. I would have to go back and compare it to other special effects of the 90's. The film may looks cheesy but, once again, that just goes back to the fact that everything about this film is cheesy because that is what it is spoofing. But when you think about it, a good amount of money and construction went into making this film as exciting and big budget cheesy as possible, and for that I have to commend it.

Mars Attacks! isn't what you would call a high quality film, but that doesn't stop it from being pretty damn fun. I couldn't stop myself from laughing at the cheesiness, the irony, and the satire that is littered throughout this film. I see this is a great use of satire, and it is a spoof film that I can actually stand to watch, and that's saying a lot considering my alternatives would be Epic Movie or Vampires Suck. Mars Attacks! accomplishes what it sets out to do, and so I had a really great time with it.

When even Jack Nicholson and Glenn Close can't save a film you know you're in trouble. This supposed to be funny? I guess if funny has changed it's meaning to horribly bad. Mars Attacks is without a doubt the most awful movie I've ever seen John Waters' film... and those are INTENTIONALLY bad! I saw it years ago in the theater and wanted nothing more than to leave after the first few minutes. However, after seeing the whole thing I have to wonder why in the world a great filmmaker like Tim Burton would associate himself with such, dare i say it, crap? (we'll keep in mind this was well before the Planet of the Apes remake... another big OppS) Oh Tim Burton you know better!

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

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...

Mars Attacks! is a piss-take through and through. It takes the controversial trading cards of the 60s and creates a movie around them, taking the opportunity to poke fun and as many old sci-fi films as possible. It's parody, it's satire, and in some ways it's even an homage. If this tone doesn't immediately strike you when you watch it, you're missing the point. On its surface level, Mars Attacks! is just silly. It's absurd nonsense. But make no mistake, this is kind of the point. It wants you to look at those old sci-fi/horror movies from the 50s and 60s and realise how ridiculous they were. The flying Saucers with satellite-dish ray guns coming out the bottom and destroying buildings, the stampede of flaming cows, the frankensteining of human captives to create disturbing chimeras with animals, the cowardly president delivering a defiant speech. It's meant to be ridiculous

That said I find Mars Attacks! was almost designed in such a way that it would be easy to miss the point. The satire is clever and witty, but not always obvious. I don't think I would ever describe Mars Attacks! as a laugh out loud comedy. It certainly has its moments, for sure, but its goal wasn't to make you laugh heartily every five minutes. It's a more thoughtful comedy, comedy that requires dissection to find the joke. It demands a smirk now and a hearty chuckle later when the implications really hit you. If nothing else it's humour is dark. Super dark. If you can't find the humour in people being vaporised, Mars Attacks! is not the movie for you.

My most recent rewatch I actually found really rewarding in a number of ways. For starters, I never realised the insane amount of A-listers there are in this movie, and most of them are glorified cameos. Danny DeVito, for instance, has a couple of lines and then dies, he's barely on screen for a full minute, but this is Danny DeVito in the mid-90s! Glenn Close doesn't fair much better, nor does Michael J Fox (in his last ever live-action appearance no less). On the other hand Jack Nicholson gets to play two characters at opposite ends of the country. Then there's Natalie Portman, Jack Black, and Lukas Haas, all young and pre-fame. Annette Bening plays the most un-Bening character I've ever seen her play, while Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker share the most brutal fates. Tom Jones makes an appearance as himself, oh and Pam Grier stops a bus to retrieve her truanting sons.

Another thing I never realised about this movie before, but makes so much sense in retrospect, is how much they actually got away with. The design of the aliens is horrifying. Skeletal, big bulging eyes, and brainheads. They even have little wiggling appendages under their cheeks. They're pure nightmare fuel. The complete brutality and cruelty exhibited by the Martians is even worse. They come down and appear friendly just to mess with humanity, and then vaporise everyone. And not just tame disintegration you usually get in movies, no, their rayguns strip the flesh from your bones leaving only charred remains. The most horrifying though is the fate of Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan who are subject to human experimentation. Their bodies are taken apart and dissected while they're still alive. Brosnan ends up as just a disembodied head suspended from the ceiling with BLOOD STILL DRIPPING FROM HIS NECK, while Parker suffers a head swap with her dog, which is equally as disturbing to actually see. How did this get passed the censors? And this was the toned down version as well! Originally the rayguns were going to have a wider variety of effects, but they had to tone them down to vaporising to avoid a hard R-rating. And this is all without mentioning the bizarrely creepy movements of 'Martian Girl' which is always oddly unnerving to watch.

Mars Attacks! man. What a movie. It's been over twenty years and I still can't believe this actually got made. On paper it looks like a terrible idea: Let's assemble a huge cast of expensive A-listers and put them in a sci-fi parody that looks intentionally cheap. We'll make it visually terrifying yet colourful, kill off almost all the A-listers, and market it to a younger audience. While I'm not as bigger a lover of the movie as some (like my wife), it still holds a special place in my heart. I will always be nostalgic and have a fondness for it. I give it a solid 7/10. You definitely need to approach it at the right angle from the offset. This isn't Independence Day.

P.S. It ends with Tom Jones singing 'It's Not Unusual' with a bald eagle on his arm. That's all that needs to be said really.

It'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.

One movie I love because it's very funny and well filmed, but parts of the story are dumb (especially the ending. It just stops) is Mars Attacks! A lot of fun and my second favorite Burton behind Ed Wood.

Absolutely horrible movie from start to finish. This B-Movie satire isn't worth the paper the script was written on. A love or hate film for sure, I absolutely hated it. The best part was when it was over. Even Mystery Men, which I also hated was better than this steaming pile of turd.