MARS ATTACKS! [1996 / 2010] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Nice Planet, We’ll Take It!
AWAKE, EARTHLINGS! It’s later than you think. Don’t miss the hilarious frenzy as Tim Burton directs – and Mars Attacks!
SEE! Stars that shine across the galaxy. Jack Nicholson [President James Dale / Art Land], Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito and a dozen more! SHRIEK! At mean, green invaders armed with insta-fry ray guns, endowed with slimy, humongous brains – and enlivened with state-of-the-art special effects. GASP! As the U.S. legislature is overwhelmed. (Don’t fear, we still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for us.) THRILL! As Earth fights back with an unexpected weapon. Take that, Martians!
When Martians arrive on planet Earth, American President James Dale [Jack Nicholson] is persuaded to extend the hand of friendship. One of the President's advisers, Donald Kessler [Pierce Brosnan], has been studying the aliens, and is keen to make peaceful contact. However, the Martians gleefully fry their greeting party from Earth, and launch an all-out attack on the planet. Various celebrity faces including Michael J. Fox, Danny DeVito and Martin Short appear briefly before being zapped by the Martian baddies in director Tim Burton's quirky spoof of alien invasion movies.
FILM FACT: In 1985, Alex Cox pitched the idea of a film based on the Mars Attacks trading card series as a joint-production to Orion and Tristar Pictures. He wrote three drafts over the next four years, but was replaced by Martin Amis before Orion and Tristar placed ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ in turnaround. Jonathan Gems, who had previously written multiple unproduced screenplays for director Tim Burton, came up with his own idea for a ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ film in 1993. The writer pitched both concepts of ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ and ‘Dinosaurs Attack!’ to Tim Burton, who both decided that ‘Dinosaurs Attack!’ would be too similar to ‘Jurassic Park’ [1993]. Tim Burton, who was busy preparing ‘Ed Wood’ [1994], believed that ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ would be a perfect opportunity to pay homage to the films of Edward D. Wood Jr., especially ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’ (1959), and other 1950s science fiction B movies, such as ‘Invaders from Mars’ [1953], ‘It Came from Outer Space’ [1953], ‘The War of the Worlds’ [1953], ‘Target Earth’ [1954], ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ [1956] and ‘Earth vs. the Flying Saucers’ [1956]. Tim Burton set ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ up with Warner Bros. and the studio purchased the film rights to the trading card series on his behalf. The original theatrical release date was planned for the summer of 1996. Jonathan Gems completed his original script in 1994, which was budgeted by Warner Bros. at $260 million. The studio wanted to make the film for no more than $60 million. After turning in numerous drafts in an attempt to lower the budget, Jonathan Gems was replaced by ‘Ed Wood’ writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Alexander and Karaszewski worked on the film through July 1995, focusing the characters and making the tone more satirical. The film was based upon MARS ATTACKS!® and it is the copyrighted property of THE TOPPS COMPANY.
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Sir Tom Jones, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Janice Rivera, Ray J, Brandon Hammond, Joe Don Baker, O-Lan Jones, Christina Applegate, Brian Haley, Jerzy Skolimowski, Timi Prulhiere, Barbet Schroeder, Chi Hoang Cai, Tommy Bush, Joseph Maher, Gloria M. Malgarini, Betty Bunch, Gloria Hoffmann, Willie Garson, John Roselius, Michael Reilly Burke, Valerie Wildman, Richard Irving, Jonathan Emerson, Tamara 'Gingir' Curry, Rebecca Broussard, Vinny Argiro, Steve Valentine, Coco Leigh, Jeffrey King, Enrique Castillo, Don Lamoth, C. Wayne Owens, Joseph Patrick Moynihan, Roger Peterson, John Finnegan, Ed Lambert, John Gray, Gregg Daniel, J. Kenneth Campbell, Rance Howard, Jeanne Mori, Richard Assad, Velletta Carlson, Kevin Mangan, Rebeca Silva, Josh Philip Weinstein, Julian Barnes, Ken Thomas, Darelle Porter Holden, Christi Black, Sharon Hendrix, Frank W. Welker [Various Martians voices], Jim Beatty (uncredited), John Bradley (uncredited), Colleen Ann Brah (uncredited), Greg Bronson (uncredited), Mac Canepi (uncredited), Maria Celeste Genitempo (uncredited), Geri Gilmore (uncredited), Matt Gulbranson (uncredited), Roger Jackson [Translator Device voice] (uncredited), Anthony Kopczynski (uncredited), Walter Ludwig (uncredited), Johnny Mansbach (uncredited), Stephanie Masoner [Ambassador Martian] (uncredited), Scott McKinley (uncredited), Bob Pepper (uncredited), Kelly Lynn Richards (uncredited), David Sherrill (uncredited), Skeleton in Congress (uncredited), William Victor Skrabanek (uncredited), Alexandra Smothers (uncredited), Jay So (uncredited), Edward Tubbs (uncredited), Carl Washington (uncredited) and Don Winsor (uncredited)
Director: Tim Burton
Producers: Larry Franco, Laurie Parker (uncredited), Mark S. Miller, Mary Ann Marino (uncredited), Paul Deason and Tim Burton
Screenplay: Bob Powell (trading card series), Norman Saunders (trading card series), Len Brown (trading card series) Wally Wood (trading card series), Woody Gelman (trading card series) and Jonathan Gems (screen story/screenplay)
Composer: Danny Elfman
Costumes Design: Colleen Atwood
Visual Effects: Supervisor: James Mitchell, Michael Fink and David Andrews
Cinematography: Peter Suschitzky, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
French: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
German: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Italian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Spanish [Castilian]: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Czech: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Thai: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish [Castilian], Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Czech, Norwegian, Português, Romanian, Swedish and Thai
Running Time: 105 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Home Video
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ [1996] is based on the 1960’s Topps Company trading card series Mars Attacks! And is Tim Burton’s take on the classic alien invasion sci-fi films. Told with its tongue firmly in its cheek, the film starts with the arrival of Martian flying saucers. The President, the media and the average American learns to deal with the new visitors, and soon they learn whether they are friendly or not. As the Martians are on the rampage, a few humans are able to fight against them, hoping to save their planet.
Supposedly a parody of Alien invasion films, Tim Burton’s insane spoof is much more than that; because it’s a great homage and a total genius superb film. Sending up the likes of ‘It Came From Outer Space’ and many more sci-fi films of the 1950’s. ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ sublimely tackles the visual inaccuracies of science fiction fare and blows them up on a larger scale. The comedy not only comes from the mockery, but from Tim Burton’s crazed mind teaming with Jonathon Gems to create a film that works on its own hyperactivity, ballsiness, and dark humour. Fast and snappy, the film allows us to find hilarity in absurdity and moments such as Danny DeVito’s untimely end and Sarah Jessica Parker’s head sandwiched to a Chihuahua’s body are memorably funny. Even the way the aliens look and slide in movement make ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ a total visual riot; their wide eyed quirkiness etches into your mind for a lifetime.
I’ve been a huge Tim Burton fan and this is one of my favourite films of his, even though it is largely forgotten and often misunderstood. This film offers a surreal look at an exaggeration of how things would transpire behind the scenes of such events. Yes, it’s over-the-top, but there’s a terrifying truth in how politicians would want to spin this or media would want to angle it.
The genius of ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ is how it works on so many different levels. First, it serves as biting satire and a brilliant commentary on our political system in the information age. Second, it works as a neat little alien invasion story, tapping into the memories of the sci-fi films of the 1950’s. Finally, it also works as an action film. Having come out within a year of the rubbish embarrassing blockbuster ‘Independence Day,’ and ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ is a brilliant and far superior to that really waste of space film, and giving us a much more superior professional film, by a genius that is Tim Burton.
‘MARS ATTACKS!’ also has one of the greatest casts assembled. Featuring Jack Nicholson in dual roles, plus brilliant smaller parts with Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Jim Brown, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sir Tom Jones making his debut performance, and ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ is a great sci-fi film that holds up really, especially as it is a very funny tongue in cheek satire, action and adventurous film for modern audiences today.
But if you ever find me watching this film and not chortling at the moment where Sir Tom Jones’ discovers extra-terrestrial backing dancers to “It’s Not Unusual,” which was quite a comic moment and of course it is helped with the genius that is Tim Burton.
The visual design of the aliens is aggressively awesome; and I loved the fact that they only say the phrase “ACK-ACK,” and when their heads explode inside of their space helmets – priceless! It’s a pity that critics couldn’t just embrace this film for what it was and have some fun, as they seemed eager and almost happy to pounce on this back in the day. ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ is a film that I could watch any day of the week.
‘MARS ATTACKS!’ succeeds in many ways as a parody of science fiction from the 1950’s, and it reeks of Tim Burton's personal style and sense of humour. But unlike many of his movies, the bizarre characters of ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ and we get a lot of macabre humour that again is very tongue in cheek and should not be taken seriously. Science fiction fans should find something to love here, as should Tim Burton fans, and anybody else who has a taste for seriously offbeat quirky humour.
MARS ATTACKS! MUSIC TRACK LIST
ESCAPE (The Piña Colada Song) (Written by Rupert Holmes) [Performed by Rupert Holmes]
HEADSTRONG (Written by E. Antwi and Filo) [Performed by Elisabeth Troy-Antwi]
INDIAN LOVE CALL (Written by Otto A. Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II and Rudolf Friml) [Performed by Slim Whitman]
CHAMPAGNE FANFARE (Written by George Cates)
STAYIN’ ALIVE (Written by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb) [Performed by The Bee Gees]
I’M CASTING MY LASSO TOWARDS THE SKY (Written by Jimmy Wakely and Lee “Lasses” White) [Performed by Slim Whitman]
IT’S NOT UNUSUAL (Written by Gordon Mills and Les Reed) [Performed by Sir Tom Jones]
HUMMING (uncredited) (Written by Portishead)
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER (uncredited) (Written by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith)
TAPS (uncredited) (Written by Daniel Butterfield)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Home Video presents us the film ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ with a stunning and amazing 1080p image and is enhanced with an equally impressive 2.40:1 aspect ratio. ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ looks fantastic in high definition. With director Tim Burton’s vision gives the film great dynamics, especially object definition impresses on occasion. Daytime exteriors and well-lit interiors make promises the film's shadowy ships and night-time sequences look equally good image presentation. So overall, ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ is really brilliant with this Blu-ray release.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Home Video brings us film ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ with an amazing out of this world 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio experience. For the most part, the soundtrack makes for a highly entertaining and engaging listen. There's plenty of clarity detail filling the entire soundstage where most all discrete effects are located, creating a fairly expansive and wide sound field. Dynamics can be quite broad and spacious in a few action sequences though it's nothing truly impressive. Dialogue is crisp, clean and nicely prioritized, dynamics are passable, separation is commendable and directionality. Explosions, tank cannons fire with the Martian insta-fry ray guns are well produced with great gusto and give your speakers a good workout, as well as the sounds of the Martian spaceships and Danny Elfman's composed film score really stands out. Ambience, music and acoustic flourishes worm their way across the sound field, to watching this film really enjoyable.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Sadly, Warner Home Video felt that the UK Blu-ray release was not worthy of having any special features, at least they could of included the original theatrical trailer.
Finally, ‘MARS ATTACKS!’ is a mix of absurd over the top tongue in cheek comedy with a pinch of salt political satire, and of course is a highly entertaining hodgepodge of wild nonsense, a homage to the cult sci-fi B-movies of Tim Burton's youth. With a large ensemble cast, the film has its moments where it properly pays tribute to the spoof sci-fi genre, but it also forgets how to truly recreate the feel and desire behind their making. Also I love the UK Blu-ray Cover, and it is a far superior design than the USA Blu-ray Cover. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
