Mars Attacks!

For those who are into Hollywood B-movies from the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction of the 1950s (like me), this is a must. I believe I would have a lot to talk to Burton about, at least about all the inspirations from the greatest classics that this film is literally riddled with. (11/12/2005)

Mars Attacks! is an example that even a master carpenter sometimes cuts their finger. It is hard to say what the poet - sorry, Burton - actually wanted to say with this unsuccessful genre mishmash. As a parody of old B-movie sci-fi films, it seems desperately unfunny to me, or rather, whenever I expect a punchline in a hopeful scene, Burton simply buries it. It is uneven, scripturally unfinished. On the other hand, I am certainly not objective; if it weren't for Burton, from whom I expect a film with a capital F, I would add a second star... Overall impression 30%. (18/01/2008)

I'm not at all surprised that this nonsense is the work of Tim Burton, he strikes me as a very peculiar person, which was only confirmed here. Initially full of dull and boring dialogue, the film gradually turns into a mix of insane action scenes starring such crazy looking aliens that it's simply indescribable. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as funny as it might seem at first glance, and if it weren't for Jack Nicholson, who plays the role of the American president perfectly, who knows how this madness would have turned out. This way it's solely because of him at 3*. (03/06/2012)

After the Ed Wood biopic, Tim Burton couldn't seem to break out of his infamous films and decided to make his own "Wood movie". Mars Attacks! is a very bizarre film, but not in the "Burtonian" sense, but in the "Woodian" sense. I understand, or try to understand, the director's intention to make the film just as it was made, but whatever way I look at it, this is (for me personally) his weakest work. The destruction sequences were good, though Independence Day from the same year was somewhere else, and I was intrigued by Lisa Marie's role, who won me over much like she did in Sleepy Hollow without actually speaking. Overall, I was surprised at how many familiar faces were in the film, which makes it all the more disappointing that it didn't appeal to me, either as comedy or as science fiction. (04/01/2022)

Another one of my favorites. And of course, this Burton hit the spot for me. It has a great 50s vibe, yet it's modern, entertaining, and there's also room for great performances, especially from Jack Nicholson, who easily dominates the film. I had fun, I laughed, and I enjoyed this great B-movie story. (27/11/2015)