- Actors: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Annette Bening, Glenn Close
- Directors: Tim Burton
- Writers: Bob Powell, Jonathan Gems, Len Brown, Norman Saunders, Wally Wood
- Producers: Larry J. Franco
- Language English, French
- Classification: 12
- Studio: Warner
- VHS Release Date: 1 Oct 1999
- Run Time: 106 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CUOA
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 9,633 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's enlightening to view Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! as his twisted satire of the blockbuster film Independence Day, which was released earlier the same year, although the movies were in production simultaneously. Burton's eye-popping, schlock tribute to 1950s UFO movies actually plays better on video than it did in cinemas. The idea of invading aliens ray-gunning the big-name movie stars in the cast is a cleverly subversive one, and the bulb-headed, funny-sounding animated Martians are pretty nifty, but it all seemed to be spread thin on the big screen. On video, however, the movie's kooky humour seems a bit more concentrated. The Earth actors (most of whom get zapped or kidnapped for alien science experiments) include Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rod Steiger, Michael J Fox, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, Tom Jones and Pam Grier. --Jim Emerson
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It's difficult not to be fond Tim Burton's big-budget 50's sci-fi spoof Mars Attacks (1996).
The lead actors were clearly having a real laugh whilst making this, with hilariously cheesy over-acting and some great one-liners. Amid the mayhem, you don't really care what happens to most of these characters anyway, most of whom come to a gory end, but towards the end of the film, you'll want to get in there yourself to sort out the vicious little Martian creeps.
The admittedly shaky plot is pretty secondary to the excellent visual effects, and there is an eery 50's-esque score underlying the whole film, which is a good touch.
The scheming, skeletal aliens have a genuinely nasty look about them, whilst also coming across as quite comic, and go about their murderous human annihilation / experimentation with a twisted glee. In fact they are the most unsympathetic aliens to have graced our movie-screens since H R Giger's ultra-aggressive 'Alien' back in 1979.
The 50's B-Movie cliches are used to full-effect, with body-pulverising ray guns, saucer-shaped spacecraft and large-brained/puny-bodied aliens running riot throughout.
You just cannot take Mars Attacks too seriously (as did the producers of Independence Day in the same year), so if you'd like to see half the US Presidential Administration and Chiefs of Staff wiped-out within 90 minutes, this is your movie !
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
I think this Tim Burton film suffered from coming out at the same time as 'Independence Day' - both films concern an alien invasion of Earth, but Mars Attacks is all-out comedy while Independence Day takes itself very seriously. ID4 (!) elevates its US-president character to hero status; Mars Attacks sends its president (Jack Nicholson) up as a figure of fun. Unlike the typical Tim Burton film (see Ed Wood, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands... and so on), there's no obvious male hero in this film. Instead we get a broad central cast, played by some unexpected actors (Tom Jones, Natalie Portman and Pam Grier are among the cast). The film suffers from being a little meandering and unstructured, but the psychotic skull-faced Martians are brilliant, chanting "We are your friends" at the earthlings as they simultaneously mow then down with laser guns!
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Tim Burton outdoes himself with this silly, but funny, spoof of 1950s flying saucer/alien invasion movies. It is absolutely zany and quite funny. There is also nothing politically correct about it, as there are no sacred cows. The film is totally irreverent of American culture and icons. Everything and everyone is fair game.
Martians have come to Earth, and they do not come in peace. Diabolical and deadly, they are bent on wreaking havoc wherever they go with their death ray guns, which serve to incinerate living beings. These bulbous headed martians with their own brand of deadly humour are hell bent on destroying Earth, while laughing and cackling maniacally.
The special effects are meant to to be reminiscent of those found in 1950s UFO flicks and in this it certainly succeeds. The cast is stellar with Jack Nicholson playing dual roles, that of President James Dale and that of entrepreneur Art Land. Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Jim Brown, Natalie Portman, Sylvia Sydney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Lisa Marie, Christine Applegate, Lukas Haas, and Tom Jones round out the star studded cast. With tongue in cheek performances, the viewer is bound to get a good laugh out of this film.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Brilliant
Must see. Best send up I have seen for years, you really side with those Martians. Slim Whitman shame on you.
Published 3 months ago by Robert A. H. Smith
Funny movie
I've often watched the VHS tape of this movie and enjoyed it immensly but on the DVD version found that the speech was drowned by the music. Bit of a shame really! Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. Henderson
Not brilliant, but not bad
MARS ATTACKS is a 1997 comedy sci-fi film. Whilst some parts where funny and filled with comic violence, others were boring and just didn't make sense. Read more
Published 12 months ago by G. Stephenson
Mars Attacks
One of the best scifi spoofs ever! Just read the cast list...... always gives me a laugh & I've seen it tons of times.
Published 12 months ago by Tazamal
Don't run! We are your friends!
When I was younger I used to watch a lot of old fifties B-movies, marvelling at how bad the effects were, how cheesy the aliens looked, and at just how triangular and pointy some... Read more
Published 22 months ago by T. Wahaid
sci fri gone wrong!
when this first cam out I wasnt impressed with it. however on watching it 10 years later i think it is absolutely brilliant! Read more
Published 23 months ago by M. Moran
Brill
I watch this film so many times as a teenager and just forgot about it. then I bought it!!! And it as good as I remember. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2009 by Ms. C. Haggerty
Crazy but very entertaining!
I bought this for my daughter, who claims to be an alien! She thoroughly enjoyed it, as did her slightly more sensible sisters. It is completely bizarre, but very enjoyable!
Published on 27 Nov 2009 by H. Davidson
mars don,t attack please
film in good condition it played ok haven,t seen it for a long time happy i got it.
Published on 15 Sep 2009 by Mrs. Gillian Russell
Unfunny misjudged sci-fi
The US government receives intelligence from outer space that aliens from Mars are coming to earth, which soon spells disaster for the entire world. Read more
Published on 21 July 2009 by Stampy
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