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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 source)
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    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

    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

    Mars Attacks! wants to be the Dr Strangelove of alien B-movies, but isn't up to the challenge. Instead it's a paceless, overlong, and campy film partly redeemed by a number of hilarious and gruesome alien invasion skits.

    Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
    06/27/01
    Tom Coates
    Tom Coates
    BBC
    N/R

    Click to read the article

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

    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

    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

    Burton's only failure.

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

    As light entertainment, Mars Attacks! gave me more pleasure than most other recent movies I've seen.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    It's got attitude, goodness knows; it has stars by the fistful; and it certainly was made with technical skill. What it doesn't have is enough of a story to fill an hour and 46 minutes.

    Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
    10/15/02
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Margaret A. McGurk
    Cincinnati Enquirer

    Como parodiar algo que já não se levava muito a sério originalmente?

    Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
    05/31/02
    Pablo Villaca
    Pablo Villaca
    Cinema em Cena

    With Mars Attacks, director Tim Burton has created not only an instant cult hit, but a very offbeat black comedy that parodies martian invasion films, disaster films, and many aspects of our popular culture.

    Full Review Source: Cinematter | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Madeleine Williams
    Madeleine Williams
    Cinematter

    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.

    Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
    09/01/09
    Rob Nelson
    Rob Nelson
    City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

    An acquired taste.

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Jeff Vice
    Jeff Vice
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Susan Stark
    Susan Stark
    Detroit News
    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

    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

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

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    09/27/07
    Rob Gonsalves
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com

    Mars Attacks will keep you laughing from first to last.

    Full Review Source: Film Scouts | comment Comment
    04/17/02
    Leslie Rigoulot
    Leslie Rigoulot
    Film Scouts

    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
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by source)
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