Movie Notes: Mars Attacks!

August 9th, 2008

= 2 stars

Starring Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening
Directed by Tim Burton

Synopsis

Martians attack Earth and an assortment of random, ridiculous characters try to prevent the end of humanity.

The Good

• The large, celebrity-riddled cast facing impending doom recalls many a B-movie and disaster flick. Annette Bening: a ditzy hippie, Pierce Brosnan: a TV reporter (eventually decapitated), Sarah Jessica Parker: TV hostess whose head is grafted onto a dog-body, Rod Steiger: a pissed off general, Natalie Portman: the President’s daughter Taffy (?), and Jack Nicholson: as both the nutty President Dale and a Las Vegas real estate baron. There’s even a musical guest star: Tom Jones.
• The special effects are definitely amusing in a sort of campy way. The martians are giant skulls on stick-figure-esque bodies, and their weapons resemble the plastic parts in the board game Mouse Trap.

The Bad

• The plot is a galactic mess. The bit with a martian disguised as a bombshell babe should have come first. All logic is thrown out the window as the martians are invited into congress after blowing up a bunch of people.
• The twisted, dark Burton wit is surprisingly subdued. There are moments of icky glee, like the martian’s twisted biological experiments, the ruthlessness of their initial attacks, and the aforementioned bombshell martian severing Martin Short’s finger. But these moments are few and far between.

Conclusion

Mars Attacks! is essentially a big budget version of Plan 9 From Outer Space. The money is gloriously tossed everywhere, but the plot stinks. Skip it.

IMDB: Mars Attacks!
Wikipedia: Mars Attacks!
Rotten Tomatoes: Mars Attacks! 49%