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Mars Attacks!

5.8

99,081

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Original title

Mars Attacks!

Year

1996

Running time

106 min.

Country

United States

Director

Tim Burton

Screenwriter

Jonathan Gems

Cast

Music

Danny Elfman

Cinematography

Peter Suschitzky

Producer

Warner Bros., Tim Burton Productions. Producer: Tim Burton Productions

Genre

Sci-Fi. Comedy | Parody. Aliens. Black Comedy. Cult movie

Synopsis

Director Tim Burton unleashes MARS ATTACKS!, a vicious, affectionate, brightly-colored homage to 1950s alien invasion movies. When a shiny silver flying saucer lands in the Nevada desert, a group of skull-faced Martians exit the gleaming craft. Although they claim to be peaceful, they promptly "vaporize" a gathering of unfortunate Earthlings, kicking off a bizarre high-tech war with wild special effects. This studiously campy sci-fi spoof, based on a series of Topps bubble-gum cards, gleefully parodies not only schlock B-horror movies, but also overblown blockbusters such as INDEPENDENCE DAY. This subversive film is helped along by an all-star cast including Jack Nicholson in dual roles as both a clueless U.S. President (with First Lady Glenn Close) and a Las Vegas sleazebag.

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Awards: 1996: Satellite Awards: 4 Nominations including Best Actor Comedu (Jack Nicholson)

1996: Chicago Film Critics Awards: Nominated Most Promising Actress (Portman)

1996: Saturn Awards (Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films): Best Music. 8 nominations

1997: Hugo Awards: nominated to Best Dramatic Presentation.

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Critics' reviews

"A stillborn affair that could have been -- and should have been -- a whole lot hipper and funnier. If you've seen the two- minute theatrical trailer, you've seen nearly everything that's worthwhile in the feature."

James Berardinelli: ReelViews
"I'm not sure what it all means, but, as in 'Ed Wood', Burton's visual flair and affection for the characters make it fun."

Jonathan Rosenbaum: Chicago Reader
"A movie like this should be a lot better, or a lot worse. “Mars Attacks!” plays like one of those '50s movies that are ★not★ remembered as cult classic (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"'Plan 9 From Outer Space' is a better bad B-movie than this sour and pointless parody (...) (...) 'Mars Attack!' lacks a moral, a meaning and, worst of all, a clear-cut protagonist"

Rita Kempley: The Washington Post
"'Mars Attacks!' is just a parade of scattershot gags, more often weird than funny"

Janet Maslin: The New York Times
"Not as much fun as it should be. Few of its numerous actors make a lasting impression and Burton's heart and soul is not in the humor but in deadpan postmodern horrors, of which this film has a few."

Kenneth Turan: Los Angeles Times
"Both a tribute to schlock sci-fi and a deconstruction of it, this sleekly cheeseball $70 million production is all attitude."

David Ansen: Newsweek
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Ranking Lists Position

14 Underrated Movies (111)
28 Guilty Pleasures: Bad Movies I'm Into (87)
41 Worst Movies of All Time (163)
87 My Favorite Comedies (168)
94 My Favorite Sci-Fi Films (167)
100 Funniest Movies Ever (32)

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Mars Attacks!

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