X
- 1996
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 46 m
- 1996
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 46 m
Summary Earth is overrun with mean, green invaders! They're armed with insta-fry ray guns, endowed with slimy, humungous brains, and enlivened with out-of-this-world but state-of-the-art special effects. Thrill! As Earth fights back with an unexpected weapon. Take that, Martians! (Warner Bros.)
Directed By: Tim Burton
- 1996
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 46 m
- 1996
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 46 m
Mars Attacks!
52
6.9
Where to Watch
Summary Earth is overrun with mean, green invaders! They're armed with insta-fry ray guns, endowed with slimy, humungous brains, and enlivened with out-of-this-world but state-of-the-art special effects. Thrill! As Earth fights back with an unexpected weapon. Take that, Martians! (Warner Bros.)
Directed By: Tim Burton
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
52
32% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
58% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 19 Critic Reviews
52
32% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
58% Mixed
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
11% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Part homage and part demolition job, Mars Attacks! is perhaps the funniest piece of giddy schlock heartlessness ever committed to film.
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.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 189 User Ratings
6.9
58% Positive
109 Ratings
109 Ratings
33% Mixed
62 Ratings
62 Ratings
10% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 189 User Ratings
6.9
58% Positive
109 Ratings
109 Ratings
33% Mixed
62 Ratings
62 Ratings
10% Negative
18 Ratings
18 Ratings
This is the best movie ever. I do not care what anyone will ever say. This movie, it's just perfect entertainment. I was fully invested the entire runtime, I was never even aware of the concept of boredom throughout any scene. The actors know what movie their in, and they love it. It will never stop pissing me off how underrated Martin Short **** only real complaint I have is Natalie Portman's character, who is just Lydia Deets again, but I dont care. I loved this so much, it's so funny, so odd, and so pointless. I get that people were mad this followed Burton's more serious trend of movies like Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands, but I will never care a single time, ever. In conclusion, this movie is great, fight me.
Report
It may seem mean-spirited to complain that in the end Burton's spectacle is a bit hollow. But his genius has always resided in his ability to give depth and a curious, dark richness to the ephemeral fluff of his pop-culture memories -- this is all sparkly surface.
A stillborn affair that could have been -- and should have been -- a whole lot hipper and funnier. If you've seen the two- minute theatrical trailer, you've seen nearly everything that's worthwhile in the feature.
This messy science fiction comedy blows most of its inspired moments because of its mean-spirited, deafening siege mentality, which turns rich promise into a tiresome parade of half-baked skits. Hilarity never seemed so tedious.
It turns out to be more a throwaway piece of pop ephemera, like a '90s "Casino Royale," momentarily arresting and soon forgotten.
It's stingy at heart. Burton, who collaborated with British screenwriter Jonathan Gems, brings nothing of "Edward Scissorhands's" magic or "Beetlejuice's" wacky fun to this sadly empty exercise. Aimlessly plotted and blandly written.
When hundreds of Martians land on Earth, U.S. President James Dale arranges a meeting with them. The ambassador of Mars announces that they "come in peace", but when a dove is released as a symbol of said peace, the Ambassador shoots it before he and the other Martians massacre most of the people at the event.
Mars Attacks is an unusual movie. It's full of A-List starts, yet gives many of them very little to actually do, and the structure often makes it feel as though you're watching a series of unconnected sketches rather than the movie. Having said that. this movie does still provide a decent number of laughs and memorable moments, so if you're looking for something a bit different this is still worth checking out.
Report
You know how sometimes when you revisit a movie after a long time, you discover that you can now appreciate that movie in a way that you just couldn't when you were younger? Well, that was not my experience with Tim Burton's “Mars Attacks!”. I just watched it for the first time since I saw it in theaters 25 years ago. I remember really not caring for the movie then, and I figured maybe I just wasn't sophisticated enough to appreciate its brand of camp, but it turns out that it is even worse than my memory served. Every single role in this film is filled by an A-lister, but no one is given any material to work with. Christina Applegate, who was coming off of 10 years delivering zingers on “Married… with Children”, has zero lines of dialog. Jack Nicholson is doing his best to vamp up 2 roles, but when the writers give him nothing interesting to do, it all falls flat. I laughed zero times during the movie (not even a smirk), and I appreciated none of the story beats. Just so you know where my allegiances lie, I tend to absolutely love half of Tim Burton's films, while I detest the other half. I think you know which category “Mars Attacks!” falls into for me. Whatever you do, do not watch this movie. It is so bad it is bad. Let's collectively forget it ever existed and watch “Ed Wood” instead. “Mars Attacks!” gets an F - Reserved for movies with absolutely NO redeeming value.
Report
Production Company
Tim Burton Productions,
Warner Bros.
Release Date Dec 13, 1996
Duration 1 h 46 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Nice planet. We'll take it!
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 7 Nominations
Satellite Awards
• 4 Nominations
20/20 Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
