Movies-TV

Honestly,Mars attacked!

After reading some of the other comments, there's only one thing everyone should keep in mind. This film is for laughs and is spoofing the early 50's sci-fi films that some of us grew up watching. In the early film, War of the Worlds, the Martians were killed by micro organisms that were in our atmosphere. Here they were killed by Slim Whitman music. How about when the Martians were chasing people and zapping them while the "translator" machine keep saying "Don't run,we are your friends". The Martians like Tom Jones so much that they joined his back up singers. Every time I watch this film I see something else that's there for a "joke". Don't try to make this movie fit the sci-fi mold; just watch it for the spoofs and enjoy yourself.

Mars Attacks and is dumb and stupid

This is a dumb unfunny movie. It involves a martian invasion of Earth. I don't know who this is targeted at. It is not a serious action movie. It is a comedy if you are a sicko and find people getting killed funny. If you want to see a good alien invasion movie see Independence day. This only deserves one star because Natalie Portman is in it and see is so hot.

Bad film, good satire

I'd heard some fairly good things about this film despite being dubious of it when it first came out but last night I finally gave into the temptation and watched it. Let's just say I was fairly disappointed.The satire was good, I could definitely recognise the cheesy elements of old sci-fi 'shocker' flicks it was sending up despite not being an advocate of the genre but the fact is it doesn't make for good viewing. It's nothing more than just the same old corny, over-the-top acting and deliberately awful special effects (if one can even call them that) as the sort that director Tim Burton is trying to mock. All it leaves you with is a thought that says 'it was meant to be like that' even if it is terrible.For another thing, it is disappointing to see such a stellar cast reduced to such pointless acting. It's such a waste of talent to put Nicholson, Close, Brosnan, Benning among others in a film where rookies picked randomly off the street could do the same job for a much lower wage.And the film itself is difficult to watch because the direction and the script are truly awful, but it just leads me back to the too-oft-uttered phrase, "it's meant to be like that". All it really does is alienate the viewer rather than truly draw you into the experience, either as a sci-fi flick or as a comic satire.I think it's fair to say that the cast and crew had a lot more fun making this than we have watching it. 2 stars out of 5.

Pam Grier is all you need

To see Pam in that belly dancing outfit is the only reason you need to see Mars Attacks. Good flick.

Totally wild send up of alien invasion films. A winner

The acting is somewhat over the top, it is over cast with big name stars, and the death scenes during the attacks may be a bit gruesome, but this satire of films like "Independence Day" and others is pure genius. The ironic touches, such as the wold being save, by Slim Whitman music, of all things is great. And once again Tim Burton gets to kill off Jack Nicholson. (See Batman, also directed by Burton.) If you are a collector their is no doubt that this film belongs in your library. List it as Science Fiction, list it as a comedy, but most of all list it as fun. Where else would you find Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Jack Nicholson, Glen Close, Pierce Brosnan, and a very young Natilie Portman all in one film?

This isn't that great of a movie!

This movie is really bad, it's like they got a bunch of big name actors to make a movie that was stupid and thought the names would carry them all the way but it didn't!!!! There are a few funny parts and there is a few good actors. My personal Favorite thing in the movie is Natalie Portman, She is Hot!!!! She plays the Pres. daughter.

ACK!ACK! ACK!ACK!

Anybody 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.

Pretty cool

This movie really wasn't a comedy except for the fact that all the aliens were blasting the guts out of the big screen stars. I dont like the fact that Lukas Haas was became the big star of the movie. Clever. But Micheal J. Fox should have had more screen time.

Great cast.

Micheal J. Fox

Pierce Brosnan

Joe Don Baker

Lukas Haas

Jack Nicholsin

Danny Devito

Tom Jones

Sarah Jessica Parker

Glenn Close

Anneta Benning

Martin Short

Mars Attacks is not that bad.

I think peole should buy this movie because it isn't that bad. I loved the movie because it was so funny to me. When the martians said they'd come in peace I laughed because I knew they weren't coming in peace, because there wouldn't have been a movie otherwise. This movie didn't make me feel bad like some people wrote. You should buy this movie because it is funny.

A festival of dreck

I was really looking forward to this movie because it seemed like a cool sci-fi spoof with a great cast. Even better, I noticed that "Mars Attacks!" was being shown on cable in a late-nite time slot -- the best time for watching a flick like this.However, my pleasure quickly turned to pain as I actually began watching the movie -- it started out slow and unfunny and did not deviate from that course one iota. I'll say one thing in favor of "Mars Attacks!" -- it is consistent. Nothing works on any level at any time; it doesn't work as a spoof, parody, comedy, satire, etc.. etc... And it is boring, incredibly boring... and when something does happen, it is boring.I think the main problem with "Mars Attacks!" is that Tim Burton tried too hard and too seriously to make a funny little spoof movie when he is not a director of funny little spoof movies. Burton's successes are with stories that are a little weird, like Edward Scissorhands or Batman (to which he added a dark visionary element). He's not really a comedy director and "Mars Attacks!" really needed a lighter touch to make the material work. Don't waste your time with this, you will only be disappointed as the movie promises so much and delivers so very little.

daft but fun

Disarmingly, gleefully pointless: this is a film that it would be silly to criticize for being an undisciplined mess, seeing as it never intends to be anything different. It's not a satire - there's no trace of animus towards any of the objects of its spoofing - and it redefines shallowness for all ages to come. But for the most part it's genuinely funny.One caveat. It's quite hard to imagine a worse performance, by any normal standards, than Jack Nicholson's as the US President. Maybe the sheer shamelessness with which he manages to sink below the level of the material is appropriate - but it gets pretty tiresome, and seems self-serving.
Almost everyone else plays it straight, to advantage; one can't help but wonder how much better the film would have been without Nicholson.The quieter performances (among the humans, that is) tend to score: Natalie Portman and Lukas Haas are both appealingly ordinary, Haas's character's grandmother (Silvia Sidney) superb. The way to get this sort of thing to work is to carry on as though you've no idea that everything going on around you is ludicrous beyond imagining. That's the only way you can sustain a film in which the downbeat, rather realistic family headed by Pam Grier can share screen-space with Tom Jones and a romance played out between disembodied heads. One of the things the film wants to parody is the effort of ID4-style blockbusters to dovetail grandiose alien-invasion stories with the everyday lives of the ensemble cast, and the more incongruous the ingredients, the better.There are really too many strands for the film to feel like more than a succession of interwoven sketches, not all of them anything like funny enough: some characters, such as the Las Vegas entrepreneur also played by Nicholson, barely raise a smile from start to finish. The Martians, however, are a fine creation - not villainous aliens bent on world domination, just naughty kids enjoying high jinks with some noisy toys - and their final come-uppance is splendidly inventive (if a bit protracted). A good score from Elfman, and it's nice to see that, even though he shows not the smallest interest in the craft of storytelling, Tim Burton's directorial skills have improved a lot since Batman in the staging of action sequences.
Overall, a lot more fun than Independence Day, so long as you've no quarrel with its shambolic inconsequentiality.

Mars Attacks!

Only a filmmaker like Tim Burton could make a movie so outrageous and wacky, but at the same time so clever and intelligent. The director got his inspiration for this spoof (not in the AIRPLANE!-style, fortunately; this movie is more subtle than that) of cheesy 50's sci-fi movies from a trading card series which showed weird-looking aliens destroying the Earth with strange weapons, and turned into a twisted and wildly entertaining movie, that's definitely not everyone's cup of tea. Special effects are great; you can't really tell when something's real of fake, hand-made or computer-generated. And what a cast!

Good fun

It may be silly, but that was the intention. Special effects work well and were state of the art in 1996 and surprisingly still hold up just fine. Some witty writing too. Contains some truly laugh out loud moments .. and nowadays that is a rarity. Nice to see Pierce Brosnan being silly, something which he should do more (works well, as soon to be seen in the Matador). Sarah Jessica Parker had not yet found her stride in this movie, but works OK. Jack Nicholson is, well, Jack Nicholson. Definitely a nice retro 50s style self depreciating science fiction movie. It may work better with people in their 30s and above as they remember actually watching the reruns of 50s movies :) Is that why it hasn't got a higher score on here as younger viewers don't get the in-jokes? Enjoy!

With Tim Burton, how can you lose?

Granted it's not his best effort, but it IS funny, especially when the often biting satire hits the viewer. Burton not only mocks most space movies but much of our world and culture, and does so effectively. I can see why "Mars Attacks!" has become a cult classic.

How is this movie funny?

I actually saw this movie when I was 15, and it scared the crap out of me. I'm not some sheltered person either. I loved horror movies and had seen every one up until that point with no nightmares and Mars Attacks scared the crap out of me. It was embarrassing--especially since Tim Burton was and is my favorite director, but he certainly is more demented than most directors--which I usually love--but this time I was very disturbed by the fact that he found mean-spirited cruel aliens on a senseless killing spree--funny. I rewatched the movie tonight for the second time ever, and I still found this disturbing. This time is didn't scare me, but I still didn't find it funny. I usually love Dark Comedy, but for it to be successful it actually needs to be funny. I don't find this funny at all, so I'm really asking, why is it funny? When these aliens incinerate people who are just trying to shake hands with them, they laugh, and apparently the audience laughs with them, but why? Am I really supposed to laugh when they incinerate Congress after pretending to come in peace? Am I supposed to laugh when they drop a chandelier on the first lady? Am I supposed to laugh when they incinerate a dog who's just trying to protect his masters? Am I supposed to laugh when the ambassador tricks the President into shaking hands with him so he can stab him through the chest? Am I supposed to find the aliens funny because they're dancing to Tom Jones when the lights come on, even though they turn their guns on the audience and start incinerating people again? With all the incineration that's going on this seems more like a holocaust movie. It's also especially morbid that all the skeletons are red and green (this movie came out around Christmas). After Nightmare before Christmas--which I do actually love and see the brilliance of--I've decided Tim Burton had something really bad happen to him on Christmas once,or maybe every year his family and he roasted people and painted their skeletons who knows? But my point is HOW IS THAT FUNNY? It's senseless violence and, sure it supposedly spoofs every thing American, Presidential, and Sci-Fi, but I still don't laugh during this movie ever. I really don't see a place that I possibly could, and yes I've seen all the old sci-fi movies. War of the World. The Day the Earth stood still etc. I get these aliens were based on bubble-gum cards, but the only successful spoof of Tim Burton's in this genre--I think is Ed Wood--which actually is funny.So seriously. I know it's like Opera (you either love it or you hate it) but I really don't see how anyone could love this. And yes, I'm pretty sure I get what about it is SUPPOSED to be funny--I'm not dense--but it's not funny to me (just because some people don't love it other assume they don't get it. It's possible to understand something and not like it). Especially since I don't find mean things that kill people for fun, funny, and apparently that's what it takes to like this movie. And YEAH, I get that it's supposed to be a joke and I shouldn't take it seriously--I don't, it's obviously an exaggeration,. But still, I don't find it funny at all, and I really don't get how anyone could. So, man, I really think Tim Burton dropped the ball on that one. This movie was no good for anyone's careers who were involved. They all seemed to disappear for a two year period...

breaking schemes

What I loved about this movie was that you didn't know who the "heroe" was. In every ordinary movie, there's always one person (usually a famous actor) who takes the lead and you know from the very beginning s/he will be the one who will save the day. And if there are famous actors, you know they won't die, and if they do, it will happen in an heroic way by the end. This movies breaks all the schemes.You can't take anything for granted. Every person I thought "well, this is the one" ended up being killed! Until the very end you have no clue about who will finally beat the aliens! I think it's awesome when a movie is able to keep you intrigued the whole time, and making it impossible for you to say "I bet this will happen". Hooray for Tim Burton!!!

The Martians have landed!

Although I am a huge fan of Tim Burton, even a talented and innovative director like him turns out a few clunkers. Big Fish (his worst film) had him trying to be something he wasn't and Planet of the Apes is not even worth mentioning. And as for Mars Attacks, well it doesn't rank very highly on my Burton list, but it is a moderately diverting big budget extravaganza. Its just less than the sum of its parts. Not what I've come to expect from Tim Burton.A lot of people were disappointed with Mars Attacks when it came out. Even though its not an altogether bad film. It does occasionally have some inspired scenes of chaos. And the Martian invaders are wonderfully malevolent. But its a little too chaotic for its own good. Too disjointed. Compare it to Gremlins. A similar story about malicious creatures gleefully destroying everything. But Joe Dante managed to keep the slim story going with great energy on his part, not to mention hilariously memorable sight gags and set-pieces. Burton is unable to do the same with Mars Attacks.One thing that must be said for this film is the extraordinary cast Burton has managed to assemble. Not only is it comprised of some of Hollywood's top stars, but even actors in supporting roles just before they hit the big time. As well as Burton faves. (Although Johnny Depp is nowhere to be found!). Even Tom Jones! Which shows you how many people in the world want to work with Tim Burton.I won't go into detail about who we have present. We'd be here all day. And besides, they're so underdeveloped anyway what would be the point? All the actors are just fodder for the Martian attack. Although it is a genuine shocker when you see top names like Michael J Fox and Danny DeVito getting killed after just a few minutes of screen time.Jack Nicholson gets the most scenes, for the simple fact that he's playing not one but two parts. The President James Dale, and Art Land, a developer in Las Vegas. Its an obvious homage to Peter Sellers magnificent showcase in Dr Strangelove. But Nicholson just doesn't have the same range. He's mildly amusing as the befuddled President out of his depth. But the other character is unnecessary and doesn't go anywhere.Pierce Brosnan makes an impression as the pipe smoking scientist certain the Martians are friendly. But he only really opens up in his scenes with Sarah Jessica Parker when they're on board the alien ship. As two severed heads. His a disembodied one. And hers grafted onto a Chihuahua's body.If truth be told the story sags whenever the Martians are not around. With their bulbous brains, bug eyes and maniacal cackle, they're an inspired creation. Clearly loving destroying the Earth, they get some great moments. Like defacing Mount Rushmore and putting their faces on it instead. Blowing up the Taj Mahal while posing in front of it for pictures. And frying Congress!There are lots of great little touches when examining the Martians lifestyle. I love the ray guns they use. They look like something you'd buy from your local toyshop. Their spaceships look like gigantic hubcaps. Their twisted sense of humour extends to blowing up national monuments just for the fun of it. And their infectious laugh reminds me of the aliens from the Cadburys Smash adverts. Without the Martians, Mars Attacks would be a pretty lifeless production.Its just a shame the human cast can't enliven their half. Except for one cast member. Lisa Marie, who delivers a grandstanding scene stealing performance as a Martian disguised as a human girl. Check out her beehive hairstyle designed to hide the giant brain. And her swirly patterned form fitting dress. She doesn't walk. She glides! On a mission to assassinate the President. And gets sidetracked by Martin Short's sex starved Press Secretary. Its a wonderfully witty scene, with a real appealing sense of deadpan humour. And Lisa Marie carries it all off without uttering a single syllable. If only the rest of Mars Attacks had some of the same inspiration.Its not all Tim Burton's fault. The film originated from a set of bubblegum cards. And those striking images of decimation and devastation doesn't provide much in the way of plot. The solution to stopping the Martians is a bit odd, but it fits in with classic B-movie clichés.But overall, Mars Attacks is a disappointment. Its a bloated, over-inflated production with too many cast members. You're actually grateful when the Martians start blowing people away, because it shortens the cast list and tightens the focus. But its still an overlong and painfully slow film at times. A minor entry in Tim Burton's otherwise excellent body of work.

Tim Burton's lowest moment... what on earth was he ON when he made this thing?

I still can't believe that Tim Burton was responsible for this mess. I mean, seriously, what on earth was he snorting when he made this, talcum powder?As much as I have enjoyed most of his output over the years since discovering his animated short "Vincent" on The Disney Channel in 1984, I avoided this movie simply because I had a gut-wrenching feeling that it was going to be lousy simply because friends were warning me like anything not to see it, and also because it was based on a series of bubble gum cards. Since these details are also shared by the equally atrocious "Garbage Pail Kids", I was convinced of this movie's awfulness.But there it was down at my local library, and I could watch it for free. So out of curiosity, I watched the dumb thing anyway. And how I wish somebody had been around to slap me hard for giving in to such a temptation, because even though I didn't have to pay a dime to see it I *still* feel ripped off. I feel like my time was wasted and that I'll also never be able to forget the stupid images this movie filled my brain with.So what exactly went wrong here? I'm not really sure and don't claim to understand the exact problem, but I think I have a pretty good idea: the original bubble gum cards were meant as a serious piece of horror sci-fi. Burton, for some strange reason, apparently thought the cards were funny by nature and attempted to make a comedy out of them as they were. And in the end, the resulting film simply ends up saying a lot about the nature of Tim's sense of humour than it does about the audience's. As a result, many of the bits which are obviously intended to be funny simply come across as sick, twisted and appealing to only a severely limited audience with the same idea.
What's particularly disappointing here is that so much strong talent is wasted here and not given much to do with. The characters simply end up getting offed in one way or another, and not particularly humourously either.Which leads to one of the movie's oddest problems, which is linked to both of the points I've made above: many of the scenes are played straight as they are, and Burton seems to think that the stuff itself is funny by its very nature instead of attempting to add any genuine humour or joy to them.WARNING: spoilers ahead.An excellent example of this is the whole scene in which a TV reporter has her head switched with her dog's on board a martian ship. After performing said "experiment" (the martians have an unbelievably cruel sense of humour in this film), her head--still alive and in a jar of fluid--is carried over just so she can be shown what has been done so she can scream in horror. This routine, obviously being done by the martians out of sheer maliciousness (they have absolutely no motivation except to torment everybody, and it's difficult to have villains of any sort be convincing or entertaining when they have no clear purpose to either cheer against or laugh about), is played straight; it comes across as a drug-induced nightmare as opposed to a weird Hollywood prank with special effects.By comparison, another related situation to this idea is handled in a way that *does* come close to working, and also provides one of the only two amusing gags in the whole movie (and also demonstrates why the rest of it simply doesn't work). After the TV reporter and her previous guest, as heads, discover each other aboard the martian ship, they don't appear to notice whatsoever what has happened to each other personally--they simply continue flirting with each other, the precise way they were while being broadcast on television, as if absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary! The best humour is always based on irony, especially this sort, and that's the attitude that's missing throughout the rest of "Mars Attacks!".The other amusing bit is in the way the martians are defeated in the end. I won't bother going into details, I'll simply say that it struck me as a deliberate homage to "Attack of The Killer Tomatoes" and leave it at that. The only problem is, "Killer Tomatoes" was much funnier in how it handled the same premise. (What's that? I'm actually saying that something about "Killer Tomatoes" is better than a Tim Burton flick?! HELP!)I'll stick with Burton's other films, thank you very much. Fortunately, he strongly rebounded with "Sleepy Hollow" later on, so I know he hasn't lost his touch. But every artist eventually creates a mistake, and that's a normal process for a strong talent willing to take chances. Burton deserves a lot of credit for taking such a strong risk: it's just that the risk didn't create a good movie. Oh well, live and learn from one's mistakes, and it always improves your future material somehow down the road...

Very Fun and Entertaining.

JACK NICHOLSON, GLENN CLOSE, PIERCE BROSNAN, ANNETTE BENING, JIM BROWN, LUKASS HAAS, TOM JONES, ROD STEIGER, MARTIN SHORT, SARAH JESSICA PARKER, MICHAEL J. FOX AND PAM GRIER star in the hilariously heinous 'Mars Attacks!'This was almost as good as the best all around movie 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' It also involves killer space aliens who act friendly but SUCK! Can be funny at times, can be upsetting and times... but no matter what will entertain you!If you want to see a movie with a GREAT bunch of cast member in it (not to mention JACK NICHOLSON playing two totally different characters) pick this one up!My Rating ******** out of 10.NATALIE PORTMAN, DANNY DeVITO, BRIAN HALEY, JACK BLACK co-star in this very funny movie.

Mars Attacks my funnybone

I ordered the CD for my daughter, we watched it and had a hilarious time, since watching it we've seen it over and over again.