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Movies / On DVD / Mars Attacks!
Mars Attacks!

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Mars Attacks! (1996)

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Reviews Counted:55

Fresh:27

Rotten:28

Average Rating:5.7/10

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Director Tim Burton unleashes MARS ATTACKS!, a vicious, affectionate, brightly-colored homage to 1950s alien invasion movies. When a shiny silver flying saucer lands in the Nevada desert, a group... Director Tim Burton unleashes MARS ATTACKS!, a vicious, affectionate, brightly-colored homage to 1950s alien invasion movies. When a shiny silver flying saucer lands in the Nevada desert, a group of skull-faced Martians exit the gleaming craft. Although they claim to be peaceful, they promptly "vaporize" a gathering of unfortunate Earthlings, kicking off a bizarre high-tech war with wild special effects. This studiously campy sci-fi spoof, based on a series of Topps bubble-gum cards, gleefully parodies not only schlock B-horror movies, but also overblown blockbusters such as INDEPENDENCE DAY. This subversive film is helped along by an all-star cast including Jack Nicholson in dual roles as both a clueless U.S. President (with First Lady Glenn Close) and a Las Vegas sleazebag. The film follows the wacky WAR OF THE WORLDS-like proceedings from the points of view of numerous colorful characters, from the inane U.S. Press Secretary (Martin Short) to a trailer-park family (Lukas Haas and Sylvia Sidney), to singer Tom Jones (as himself). [More]

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Joe Don Baker, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martin Short, Lisa Marie, Tom Jones, Natalie Portman, Lukas Haas, Christina Applegate

Director: Tim Burton

Director: Tim Burton
Composer: Danny Elfman
Story: Len Brown, Woody Gelman, Wally Wood, Bob Powell, Norm Saunders
Screenwriter: Jonathan Gems
Producer: Larry J. Franco, Tim Burton

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 6, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Mars Attacks!
  • tim burton returns to the studio where he enjoyed his greatest successes, with "beetlejuice" and the first two "batman" movies
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Mars Attacks!

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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    Flaming white hot death to anyone involved in this crappy film!

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment 1 Comment
    01/01/00
    Oz
    Oz
    eFilmCritic.com

    First he made Ed Wood, a tribute to the man fondly recalled as the worst movie director of all time. Now Tim Burton seems to have made a tribute to Wood's work.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment 1 Comment
    01/01/00
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If movies have pop cult I.Q.s, Mars Attacks scores somewhere beyond 200.

    Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    E! Online
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Boston Phoenix

    Burton's only failure.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    08/25/08
    Channel 4 Film

    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.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    08/25/08
    TV Guide's Movie Guide
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Washington Post

    A holiday film with no conscience whatsoever, Mars Attacks! will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it definitely will make you wonder about Earth's ability to defend itself in the face of higher life forms.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Alison Macor
    Alison Macor
    Austin Chronicle

    Just when you're about to give up hope, suddenly the aliens land, the gags start flying faster and faster, and the movie gets great in a hurry.

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Andrew Wright
    Andrew Wright
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    This messy masterpiece is the year's funniest comedy and a weird, winking affirmation of the power of the people.

    Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Bryant Frazer
    Bryant Frazer
    Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

    A bizarre combination of eye candy, warped humor, social satire and comedic ultraviolence.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    06/05/02
    Christine James
    Christine James
    Boxoffice Magazine

    Nothing much is funny in Mars Attacks!, whose mildly amusing War of the Worlds story can best be described as... Mars attacks.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

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

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    01/06/07
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Unfortunately, it's not very good.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    02/09/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    Only moderately amusing.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    10/29/02
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

    Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
    05/22/03
    Dragan Antulov
    Dragan Antulov
    rec.arts.movies.reviews

    Despite the very slow start, Mars Attacks! delivers the goods.

    Full Review Source: NUVO Newsweekly | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Edward Johnson-Ott
    Edward Johnson-Ott
    NUVO Newsweekly

    Unlike Burton's tribute to B-movie director Ed Wood or Mel Brooks' parody Young Frankenstein, this movie's self-awareness doesn't work.

    Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Elspeth Haughton
    Elspeth Haughton
    Apollo Guide

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Jack Garner
    Jack Garner
    Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

    A stillborn affair that could have been -- and should have been -- a whole lot hipper and funnier.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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    Latest News for Mars Attacks!

    September 22, 2005: Critical Consensus: A Beautiful "Bride," A Bumpy "Flight," And a Bouncy "Bounce"
    This week at the movies brings a twisted tale of love from beyond the grave ("Tim Burton's Corpse Bride"), a paranoid thriller at 40,000 feet ("Flightplan")... More...

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