Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor.
Every frame of Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!,” which came out in 1996, winks at you. It’s a lively and irreverent take on the genre of 1950s alien invasion B-movies—an area that has never quite managed to keep its own seriousness. In this film, Burton completely dispenses with any respect for the genre, offering a silly, candy-colored spectacle that at the same time pays tribute to and parodies the subject, with the Martians both frightening and funny.
The plot is simple, and that’s one of the pleasures of the story: strange flying saucers come down to Earth, and mankind—shown through a series of politicians, scientists, journalists, and ordinary people—rushes to come to terms with the invasion. Burton enjoys mocking authority figures, targeting presidents, generals, and news anchors alike, and ridiculing their self-importance at every opportunity. The aliens, with their big, bug-like eyes and ray guns, are a masterpiece of cheesy design. Drawing on the well-known Topps trading cards, they are immediately identifiable, and their joyous destruction is both cartoonish and rather endearing.
What makes “Mars Attacks!” so special is indeed its wide-ranging cast of actors. Among them are Jack Nicholson (who appears in two roles), Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, and Lukas Haas—along with several other faces that will be familiar to you. One of the pleasures of seeing so many celebrities take part in the mayhem as the world is brought to its knees is simply that. Each subplot is a heartfelt tribute to the clichés commonly found in B movies, such as the optimistic teenager who might single-handedly save the day or the scientist who is convinced he can reason with the invaders.
The movie isn’t perfect; the Martians’ favorite trick—using their ray guns to turn people into skeletons—was initially amusing, but by the hour mark the joke begins to fade. Moreover, since there are so many characters, the plot can come across as disjointed, and you might have wished that Burton had spent a bit more time with any one of his oddball heroes. Yet the film’s chaotic structure is one of its attractions; it’s a picture that never stops moving and never stops presenting new absurdities to the screen.
When “Mars Attacks!” was first released, it didn’t make a great deal of impact, but it has since become a cult favorite and for good reasons. It is a rare example of a big-budget film that doesn’t hesitate to be silly, one that ridicules our self-importance and shows us that sometimes the best way to meet the end of the world is to laugh. Although the Martians are destructive, Burton’s enthusiasm for their fanciful chaos is infectious. If you have an interest in science fiction, satire, or simply want to see Tom Jones singing as chaos takes over, “Mars Attacks!” is a great treat from the retro past that still sounds fresh and in a uniquely and unapologetically strange way.
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