Mars Attacks! details
| Formats: | 12 DVD, Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny De Vito, Joe Don Baker, Lukas Haas, Sarah Jessica Parker, Christina Applegate, Tom Jones, Natalie Portman, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox |
| Director: | Tim Burton |
| Genres: | Comedy - Family, General, Sport, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
| Studio: | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Collections: | Alien Invasion, Funny Films, Kids' Collection, Our Instant Picks, Something for the Weekend..., Ultimate Comedy |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Mars Attacks! |
12 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 42 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 11 May 1998 |
| Main languages: | English |
| Subtitles: | Arabic, Croatian, Czech, English, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Polish, Turkish |
Most helpful review
Mars Attacks is one of the best films i have ever seen
By Peter David Bromley from Newcastle Upon Tyne , 28 Apr 2004[Highly rated reviewer]
Tim Burton's Mars Attacks is wonderful.
it is definately pure Tim Burton. he took elements of his other movies and there scenes and crammed the best bits into one film and i'v never seen comedy since Love Actually which mixes fun humor with big stars in such feelgood way as this movie. without ruining anything too much the film's basic synopsis sees President Dale [ Jack Nicholson] of the United States find photos of martain visitors given to him by his creepily wonderful spin doctor[ Martin Short]who has this wonderfully dark moment later on in the film - you'll know what i mean when you see it! meanwhile what of the other characters? Pierce Brosnan takes his polished and arrogant businessman roles too far and purposefully and the funny role of Doctor Donald Cessler who believes that the martians have came in piece. there's also Natalie Portman in the role of The President's daughter Taffy. Glenn Close is her snobby mother who along with Nicholson's President Dale are based very obviously on Ronald And Nancy Reagen. Danny Devito is in the movie as this man obsessed with gambling at casinos. Jack Nicholson also stars in the role of Art Land this modern time cowboy who owns his own money making hotel which has it's own space theme. the late Rod Steiger is one of the army men who wants to nuke the martains incase they strike. there's lot of other cast members like Micheal J Fox in the role of self obsessed reporter Jason who's jealous of Pierce Brosnan's Donald Cessler for flirting with his girlfriend Natty [ Sarah Jessica Parker]. meanwhile enough of the cast [ i could go on forever] what of the martains? luckily there wonderful. sound like a cross between The Penguin from Batman Returns and are also lot like The Gremlins in there mannerizms and evil red eyes. there are some wonderful spoofs/tributes to science fictions like War Of The Worlds and Independance Day. there are some very Tim Burtony moments like the martains doing plastic surgery on the humans they have abducted in their flying saucer. one of my favourite scenes is when The President loses it.
you must see Mars Attacks it's a rare treat of science fiction. watching it made me think of an idea for sci - fi spoofery'' Great Encounter of the superb kind!'' it's that fun.
++++- Was this review helpful to you?
- (22) Yes |
- No (4)
All reviews
(55)does what it says on the tin!
By yasf (1 review) , 02 May 2013i thought it was a good film, easy to watch i would recommend this for all the family. i reminds me of a flash gordon with the martians. brilliant all star cast!!! special effects bit corny but has an appropriate effect to the overall production of the film ... defo worth a watch!- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
Dont run, we are your friends...
By a customer , 18 Oct 2012I love the way this pokes fund at bleeding heart liberal pacifists. Burton exposes politicians (from all sides) need to be popular and their suicidal hand wringing political correctness. It also pokes fun at the idea of any Aliens visiting us would be benevolent and enlightened which is pretty much the de-facto standard.
It goes without the saying the absolutely splendid cast all did a marvellous job without exception and Im not just talking about the actors. If you think the special effects look cheap, they are. Burton spent a lot of money making sure they look like the B movie special effects used in sci fi during the 50's.
its quite amazing to think this film bombed really badly at the box office. But there is little doubt that today its considered a classic satirical comedy which has aged very well.
Well worth watching.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (3)
"When I'm calling yooooo ooo oooooouuuu"
By cheesekake (1310 reviews) from uk , 06 Oct 2012Totally brilliant film, all star cast, one of the best send up sci fi films I've ever seen.
defo worth watching- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (1)
Mars Attacks! (1996
By a customer from London, England , 25 Oct 2011This film tries to be funny by parodying other well known sci-fi films, but is just awful. The jokes are at best crude - at worst not even funny, but mostly just make you want to cringe.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (12)
Ack Ack! Dont Run! We Are Your Friends! Ack Ack!
By Baz (104 reviews) from London , 25 Aug 2011I hadn't looked at my DVD of Tim Burton's ridiculously over-the-top homage to Fifties Sci-Fi movies in years and I was stunned at two things when I popped this 2010 BLU RAY reissue in my Sony first - the massive improvement in picture quality - and second just how ball-breakingly funny 'Mars Attacks!' actually is.
At times the great picture quality is a shock after the dull DVD Ive been used to since 1996 - there's tremendous clarity on offer on almost all of the internal scenes. And the upgrade has somehow made the film seem all grown-up all of a sudden - a real contender for an all-time comedy classic too easily dismissed as fluff when it was released.
Genuinely anarchic in a way so few movies are these days, you also forget how good and varied the cast was Glenn Close plays the Presidents fussy uptight wife Marsha Dale (' theyre not eating off the bone china, I can tell you that '), Pierce Brosnan is brilliant as the pipe-smoking Professor Donald Kessler forever with a reasonable explanation about 'cultural misunderstandings' and why the Martians are delighting in ray-gunning everything in sight. Donald also has the hots for airhead news reporter Natalie Lake played deftly by Sarah Jessica-Parker (she and her irritating Chihuahua dog end up closer than they should at one point). Martin Short plays the permanently randy White House Press Secretary Jerry Ross (Lisa Marie does a great turn as a alien prostitute), Annette Bening as a dizzy hippy-chick saving her glass pyramid in her handbag as the Aliens wreck Vegas and Rod Steiger is just fabulously tacky as General Decker - the military dinosaur whose battle cry of 'Kill! Kill! Kill!' turns out to be right all along.
Theres Danny DeVito as a gross gambler, Lukas Haas as the only sane kid in a trailer-trash family (' they aint getting the TV ') trying to protect his wheelchair bound aunt (played with relish by Sylvia Stalwart). We get Blaxsploitation stars Jim Brown and Pam Grier as a couple trying to keep their family together (their kids gaming skills come in handy when the aliens attack the Whitehouse). There are even early roles for Jack Black and Natalie Portman before global fame consumed them both and Tom Jones gives it a bit of swivel-hip as he belts out the irrepressibly brill 'It's Not Unusual'. Danny Elfmans score is suitably throwback and brilliantly woven into every scene it even pays respects to the films Tim Burton so loved by taking the ray gun sound from the 1953 Sci-Fi classic 'War Of The Worlds'. And by the time you get to the end - youve enjoyed enough fried doves of peace, bowling balls taking out Easter Island and splattered alien brain matter in glass-dome helmets to keep any customer satisfied.
But the real shame of this Blu Ray reissue is the complete lack of any bonus material (not even a trailer for God's sake), when this release screamed out for an orgy of it (definitely docked a star for that).
My son Sean watched this with me (hes 14) and we then spent a good hour afterwards going around the TV room squawking 'Ack Ack!' like giggling mayhem-inducing aliens. Buy this and do the same peopleoids.
Nice one Mr. Burton - and a bit of a wee gem frankly...- Was this review helpful to you?
- (5) Yes |
- No (0)