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Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks! (1996)

tomatometer

51

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 59
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 29

Tim Burton's alien invasion spoof faithfully recreates the wooden characters and schlocky story of cheesy '50s sci-fi and Ed Wood movies -- perhaps a little too faithfully for audiences.

44

Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 16
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 9

Tim Burton's alien invasion spoof faithfully recreates the wooden characters and schlocky story of cheesy '50s sci-fi and Ed Wood movies -- perhaps a little too faithfully for audiences.

audience

49

liked it
Average Rating: 2.8/5
User Ratings: 361,234

My Rating

Movie Info

This quirky science fiction comedy is a characteristic feature by iconoclastic director Tim Burton, known to moviegoers for Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The storyline affectionately harkens back to the deadpan sincerity of such '50s and '60s science-fiction films as The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds. Flying saucers have been reliably seen over the capitals of the world, and the whole world awaits with bated breath to see what will

PG-13, 1 hr. 48 min.

Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

Jonathan Gems

Jun 24, 1997

Warner Home Video

Mars Attacks! Trailer & Photos

More Trailers and Videos (1)

Cast

Critic Reviews for Mars Attacks!

All Critics (61) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (29) | DVD (16)

Perhaps they don't create quite enough deeply funny earthlings to go around, but a thoroughly meanspirited big-budget movie is always a treasurable rarity.

August 25, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

oaded with wit, nifty little ideas and an extraordinary sense of design, but its allure is of quite a particular nature, much closer to that of Ed Wood than of Burton's earlier, and far more commercially successful, works.

August 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment (1)
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Just a parade of scattershot gags, more often weird than funny and most often just flat.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Only moderately amusing.

October 29, 2002 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Hilarity never seemed so tedious.

June 18, 2002 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This may not be a Christmas movie, but it sure captures the elusive spirit of the season, and the simple pleasure is contagious.

April 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | Comment
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Tim Burton's tribute to the B sci-fi-alien genre of the 1950s is sharply uneven, but the top-notch cast, dark humor, and production values offer some pleasure.

July 3, 2011 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

Alien-invasion satire for older tweens and up.

December 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Charles Cassady
Common Sense Media

Taken in parts, pieced back together minus the mugging and endless stretches of pointless ensemble padding, Mars Attacks! is a delightful outline for a fantastic, first rate sci-fi action comedy.

September 15, 2010 Full Review Source: DVDTalk.com | Comment
Bill Gibron
DVDTalk.com

The pinko commie Independence Day, Burton's film orders an invasion of little green men not to reinvigorate our all-American bloodlust, but to make us look like complete and utter boobs.

September 1, 2009 Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | Comment
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Since the movie is obviously designed to be a larky romp through low-culture cheese, it may seem mean-spirited to complain that in the end Burton's spectacle is a bit hollow.

August 25, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Burton's only failure.

August 25, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comments (4)
Film4 Source: Film4

Burton is at his funniest when the Martians are zapping away like brats playing a video game.

September 27, 2007 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com

It has a silly juvenile appeal in its unrelenting and subversive camp satire of the pop culture scene.

January 6, 2007 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Unfortunately, it's not very good.

February 9, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment
Derek Adams
Time Out Source: Time Out

This may not be the best or funniest effort by Burton. It is his biggest, and a lot of fun, too.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | Comment
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

A most unpleasant surprise to all those who based their expectations on Burton's previous work.

May 22, 2003 Full Review | Comment (1)
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

A very disappointing effort by director Tim Burton.

March 16, 2003 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | Comment
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Mars Attacks!

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Tim Burton's trash parody of Sci-fi picture from the 50's is a kinda funny and scary black comedy, but the script is not very entertaining and make the audience want look for better movies and I agree with them. Rotten.

September 16, 2011
Lucas Martins
Lucas Martins

Super Reviewer

Flawed, but still clever satire of american culture. It's both a homage and parody of 50's crappy sci/fi flicks with a very acid sense of humour, and just happens to be the right mix of all of the above. So it's no wonder why it got so many people pissed. It makes a mockery out of every single "sacred" thing out there,

January 4, 2008
DragonEyeMorrison
Tsubaki Sanjuro

Super Reviewer

Mars Attacks! Quotes

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    1. Billy Glenn Norris: I surrender.
    – Submitted by Evan T (2 months ago)
    1. President Dale: We still got two out of three branches of congress, and that ain't bad!
    – Submitted by Nash A (3 months ago)
    1. Grandma Norris: Richie, I think these guys are very sick.
    2. Richie Norris: What's happend to them? What's killin them?
    3. Grandma Norris: I think it must be my music.
    – Submitted by Frank C (4 months ago)
    1. Donald Kessler: Nathalie? Nathalie, is that you?
    2. Nathalie Lake: Yes, How are you feeling?
    3. Donald Kessler: Not terribly good, i'm afraid.
    4. Nathalie Lake: May I ask you just one question?
    5. Donald Kessler: Sure, Of course you can, Nathalie.
    6. Nathalie Lake: Were you flirting with me on the show? Because if you were, I just want you to know that i liked it.
    7. Donald Kessler: You did? Really? I watched you quite a bit. I had something of a schoolboy crush on you for. Oh, Gosh, Ages!
    – Submitted by Frank C (4 months ago)
    1. Rude Gambler: You are Tom Jones!
    – Submitted by Javis C (8 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Mars Attacks (DE)
  • Mars Attacks (UK)
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