Review of Mars Attacks! (1996) by Aaron A — 28 Apr 2011

"I want the people to know that they still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them, and that ain't bad.".

Synopsis: Bulbous-headed Martians come to Earth hell-bent on world domination and destroying everyone and everything in their path! Can the president save America -- and the planet -- from the invaders? Or are we all just toast?

All you need to really know about this film to "get it" and enjoy it is that it's a spoof of cheesy, campy sci-fi films of the 1950's before George Lucas and Steven Spielberg infused the genre with widespread credibility. It's funny, and satirical and manages to make old cliche's new again by putting a rather odd spin to them. The special effects are (by today's standard) suitably lame and cheesy. The alien weaponry literally looks like Supersoaker@ water-guns and other technology reeks of the early sci-fi films of yesteryear.

What many will not appreciate (or at least I didn't) is the film's dark, unsettling edge that persists through the first half of the film. The film is an alien invasion spoof/comedy but instead of laugh, many times you will feel strangely unnerved. It's a film that works incredibly well when the aliens are killing people in hilarious ways and bringing smiles to the audiences faces, and one that doesn't when the aliens are killing people in hilarious ways and making the audience uncomfortable, though perhaps that's just a testament to how well made this picture is.

Though the film incorporates many elements that made all those 50's era sci-fi flicks forgettable and has an unsettling dark edge to it, Mars Attacks is a unique and unforgettable entry in modern sci-fi.