Ack, ack, ack! In 1996, Tim Burton unleashed one of his most raucous and playful films – a crazy, colourful sci-fi satire that let marauding Martians loose on (then) modern America to wreak havoc. While the legendary filmmaker is often associated with the macabre and the gothic, Mars Attacks! saw Burton indulge his inner pop-artist with an anarchic alien invasion movie whose tongue is lodged firmly in cheek. And, in making a big summer blockbuster, Burton got to pay tribute to the 1950s B-movies he loved too.
Right from its opening scenes, Mars Attacks! sees Burton lean into the tropes and iconography of ‘50s outer-space horrors, all fused with the 1962 trading card series that gave the film its name and distinctive alien design. It’s a film that delivers flying saucers, little green men, ray guns that turn people to green goo – all accompanied by a Danny Elfman score that heavily features the theremin, the go-to sound for classic science-fiction soundtracks. This is Burton’s loving homage to the schlocky (and often shonky) alien-attack movies of his youth – like Invaders From Mars, Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, and Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space; notably, Burton’s latest film prior to Mars Attacks! was Ed Wood, his love letter to the largely-lambasted director.
Burton brings the same ironic view of Americana he deployed in Edward Scissorhands
Just like those 1950s films were speaking to the nuclear fears and Cold War paranoia of their time, Mars Attacks! presents a playful satire of an America entirely unprepared for alien invasion. Jack Nicholson’s POTUS, James Dale, is proven to be an incompetent leader, incapable of taking down the extra-terrestrial nasties; legendary actor Rod Steiger hams it up as General Decker, all too happy to go gung-ho at any given opportunity, despite his firepower being entirely ineffective; and Vegas big-shot Art Land (also Nicholson, in a dual role) is so obsessed with his space-themed ‘Galaxy’ casino that he doesn’t see the invaders coming until it’s too late. Burton skewers all of this with the same ironic view of Americana he deployed in Edward Scissorhands’ pastel suburbia.
30 years on, it’s still a blast to see Burton deliver this kind of summer movie mayhem – blowing up scale models of global landmarks as the martians descend (goodbye, Big Ben!), turning hapless humans to slime as they run riot in congress, and laying waste to Las Vegas in the third act. The aliens look as great as ever, too – especially in this brand new 4K transfer from Warner Bros – created by the masterminds at Industrial Light and Magic. While Burton initially wanted stop-motion animation for the martians (in part as tribute to the great Ray Harryhausen), the cutting-edge computer effects courtesy of ILM allowed for them to be as expressive as possible, all the better for channelling Burton’s mischievous humour.
Mars Attacks! was both a retro throwback, and ahead of its time too
While the martians are the real stars, Mars Attacks! boasts one of the most impressive human ensembles Burton has ever amassed. Beyond double Jack Nicholson, there’s Glenn Close as the First Lady, Marsha; a young Natalie Portman as their daughter Taffy; Pierce Brosnan as scientist Donald Kessler; Sarah Jessica Parker as talk show host Nathalie Lake; Michael J. Fox as her boyfriend Jason; Martin Short as the President’s Press Secretary, Jerry; Annette Bening as Art Land’s wife Barbara; Burton regular Danny DeVito as Galaxy gambler Joe; sports legend Jim Brown as boxer Byron Williams. And that’s not to mention the film’s secret weapon – a bonkers extended cameo from none other than Tom Jones, whose Vegas stage show is besieged by the cackling creatures. It’s a Hollywood who’s-who of all-time greats, ‘90s legends, Burton favourites, and rising stars.
Now available on 4K Ultra-HD for the first time, Mars Attacks! has never looked better – and still stands as one of Burton’s most entertaining and vibrant movies, with all the distinctive visual invention he’s known for. With its wholehearted embrace of ‘50s B-movies and subversive satire, it was both a retro throwback, and ahead of its time too. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, now is the perfect time to revisit Mars Attacks! and surrender to its chaotic and cheesy charms – available on standard 4K Ultra-HD, SteelBook, Collector’s Edition, and on digital too.
Buy Mars Attacks! now on 4K at warnerbros.com
