Review of Mars Attacks! (1996) by Kai82 — 07 Mar 2021

A science fiction comedy and homage to classic B movies from the 1950 era. In short it has a remarkable cast with a lot of big names and is a disappointment. I could stop here but will go more into details.

The idea for the movie sounds crazy because it is based on a trading card series of the same name from the sixties. I had a hard time to believe this but read that it was correct (Could also be a joke by the producers or widespread rumor).

The director Tim Burton was pitched the idea for the movie and want to pay homage to classic B movies. I think he succeeds with the homage even if the movie is not entertaining enough to be remembered (For some it is rememberable but for the wrong reasons like being unremarkable, boring etc.

). It has the tropes and hallmarks of B movies including the silly ones with for example the disguise that is so obvious that it can never work and mad science that lets comic books look like scientific educational books (head scene near the end).

I think the set up is clear with the title being Mars Attacks. A fleet of flying saucers is on the way from Mars to Earth and humanity not knowing what to expect readies themselves for this event. So starts the story of the movie.

Like I already said it is B movie inspired but does not deliver. It is neither in the realm of good movies or so bad that it is good category (=entertainingly bad). It fells somehow tasteless. This is even more a surprise with this cast of actors.

We have Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Natalie Portman, Michael J. Fox and Sarah Jessica Parker to name just a few. Even the smaller roles have prominent actors or at least familiar once.

While I say there is no bad acting or even a notable missteps there is also nothing to remember. No performance is outstanding or wowing me. Then there is the humor. I say there a few good laughs in the movie but again overall it is not entertaining enough.

Tit is uninspired or not worked out well enough. The special effects are great for the style they aimed to archive. It is unique and looks well even when I must admit that it is not my cup of tea. I will still praise it for this review.

I must make a warning here. For some people the movie is to violent. While I first would have disagreed I see the point now. It is a bit cartonish or slapstick like violence. Comparable to the Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry were it slips under the radar.

The soundtrack is remarkable. It made the “Indian Love Call” by Slim Whitman world famous and the song is just called “Mars Attacks song” now (Just google it or use this on YouTube). The rest is also good and we have a contribution by Tom Jones too.

Danny Elfman did a fine job for the score. Overall this is a weaker movie and disappointment. It is hard to pinpoint what exactly is missing. For me it is not funny enough and feels like a to do list was done.

It has some memorable scenes but overall fails to get immersive.