Mars Attacks! (1996)

One movie I love because it's very funny and well filmed, but parts of the story are dumb (especially the ending. It just stops) is Mars Attacks! A lot of fun and my second favorite Burton behind Ed Wood.

Okay, so what do you get when you take War of the Worlds, Earth vs the Flying Saucers, Independence Day, and combine that with the mind of the director of Ed Wood, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands who grew up watching those types of movies? The result is Mars Attacks!, a sci- fi parody with an all-star cast; Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, Jack Black, Paul Winfield, Annette Bening, Rod Steiger, Natalie Portman, Lisa Marie, Glenn Close, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, and Jack Nicholson!!Oh yes, this movie has stars a-plenty! This movie has more stars on Earth than you see in space!This movie is one that you either love or hate. I love it! Though there are reasons why I rated it 9 stars rather than 10. One reason is because a lot of the characters I wanted to see live don't survive. Hell, one of my favourite characters dies very early on.If this was another movie, the dated CG would've made me dock another star. But for the type of movie it is and for the genre it's spoofing, the now-poor CG works. In the '50s and '60s alien invader films that this makes fun of, the effects were dated in 1996 (strings visible that hold up the saucers, aliens obviously people in suits, etc). As a result, the effects in here being dated now unintentionally harks back to the dated effects of the '50s and '60s.One very interesting scene is when one of the buildings in Vegas is destroyed. In real life, that building was actually scheduled to be demolished! Tim Burton got permission to film the demolition of the Landmark Hotel and Casino from multiple angles and it's demolition was used in the film so when you it destroyed in the movie, it was actually destroyed (though no one was actually inside.).My mom told me that she saw this in the theatre and that it was the most terrifying movie she'd ever seen. Goes to show that Mars Attacks! isn't for everyone.So if you like Tim Burton, alien invader films, sci-fi comedies or even all three, definitely give this film a watch.Also, keep an eye out for the meat packing tycoon from Ed Wood, one of Burton's earlier films. He plays an investor in this film too.

Bland and boring film with awful cgi, heck even Toy Story was more realistic CGI than this and Woody and co came out year earlier.I have honestly not much to say about this film. Other than I found it very funny and extremely boring back in the day.Despite some good casting it falls on every level in all form and execution.

Tim Burton's sci-fi spoof was a massive flop on first release; this was because audiences were expecting a straight science fiction film, when what they got in fact was a comedy. People either love or hate this film, there is no in between, and thankfully I'm in the former camp in this case. As a comedy, Burton's film is wonderful. A star-studded cast of famous faces send themselves up shamelessly, all of those tacky alien invasion pictures of the 1950s are referenced and paid homage too, and on top of all this, we have loads of excellent CGI effects to contend with. The comic book feel of the film comes from the rich, bright colours, everything looks fake and tacky, and it's meant to.Along the way we get take-offs of WAR OF THE WORLDS, EARTH VERSUS THE FLYING SAUCERS, and INDEPENDENCE DAY. The Martians themselves are a delightfully mischievous little bunch who enjoy mass destruction and sadism. Comedy highlights include a scene where one such Martian runs through the burning streets with a tape playing "Do not run. We are your friends!"! The bulging brain and eyeballs of these creatures make them very distinctive and difficult to forget, and as a bonus they're excellently animated too. The UFOs are also wonderful.As with any comedy, things are hit and miss, but as a whole this film is a success. It's difficult to believe the ensemble cast assembled here. Jack Nicholson overacts in not one but two roles as the president and an entrepreneur. Glenn Close appears briefly as his wife before being crushed by a falling chandelier. Annette Bening is an annoying New Ager who sadly doesn't get incinerated by the aliens. Pierce Brosnan plays a clichéd British scientist who ends up minus his body in one of the film's many odd and unique moments. Sarah Jessica Parker is the braindead chat show host who gets her head attached to the body of her dog. Danny DeVito is an obsessive gambler who fails to impress an alien enemy and gets fried. Michael J. Fox loses his hand. Martin Short mistakes an alien in disguise for his newest girlfriend and has his finger chewed off for his troubles. Rod Steiger goes way, way over the top as an antagonistic general ("Annihilate! Destroy! Kill! Kill!) and gets shrunken and then stepped upon. Lukas Haas (all grown up from WITNESS) is a dumb teenage hero. Natalie Portman is the president's daughter. Tom Jones cameos as himself. Jim Brown and Pam Grier come back from the '70s. The list goes on.Everybody sends themselves up and acts appallingly. They seem to be having a really good time and this feeling rubs off. Burton also doesn't skimp on the violence, revelling in burning cattle, destruction (the stone heads on Easter Island turned skittles is a good one), people being ray-gunned and turning into multicoloured skeletons, amputations, and various other gory highlights, all in the spirit of the original sadistic Topps trading cards of the '60s. Ever wished that dog in INDEPENDENCE DAY had bought it? Here's your chance to see a canine fry. As a satire, MARS ATTACKS! has a winning formula and should be seen by any good-natured science fiction addict.