Mars Attacks!

Audience Reviews

View More (1000+)

Spencer B Growing up, a teacher once told me Mars Attacks! was one of his favorite movies, and I can see why. Tim Burton’s morbid sense of humor is on full display, and it works perfectly. Honestly, if aliens really did invade Earth, I could easily imagine them laughing their way through our planet like it’s some interplanetary frat party. The effects are gloriously stylized, channeling the campy charm of 1950s B-movies. The performances are hilarious and delightfully over-the-top, and the film’s mix of comical and gory deaths perfectly captures the spirit of the trading cards it’s based on. Despite its cult status, I still don’t understand why it isn’t spoken of in the same ranks as Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, or Batman. To me, this is one of Burton’s very best. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/11/25 Full Review Claudio C Mars Attacks! (1996) We Come in Peace! (11,940 – 26 May 2000 / 28 Aug 2006 / 24 Sep 2025 – by Claudio Carvalho) When the USA satellites photograph many flying saucers coming to Earth, the American President James Dale (Jack Nicolson) has a meeting with his advisors. He is convinced by Professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) that Martians would be a developed culture and therefore peaceful by nature, despite the warnings of General Decker (Rod Steiger). The authorities, some civilians and the press prepare a welcome committee for the aliens, but they realize that Mars is actually attacking Earth. "Mars Attack!" is one of the most hilarious and entertaining movies by Tim Burton. Using a parody to the sci-fi of the 50's and like a shotgun, he criticizes the politicians and their greed to be popular; the arrogance and lack of humility of some intellectuals; the lack of sensibility of the army; the lack of ethics in the press; the shallow behavior of the first lady; and some silly cults. On the other hand, he highlights the importance of friendship, loyalty and love. I particularly like very much the characters of Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan and Rod Steiger in the cast that is a constellation. Unfortunately, Jack Black dies in the very beginning, because his character was also very funny. This movie is one of my favorite cult-movies, and a great homage to Ed Wood’s "Plan 9 from Outer Space". My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "Marte Ataca!" ("Mars Attacks!") My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/ Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/25/25 Full Review Madie R Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (1996) is a campy, B-list, sci-fi satire where aliens invade Earth with deadly rays and twisted humor. Featuring an all-star cast, bizarre retro visuals, and over-the-top comedy, the film gleefully skewers politics and human folly. While its chaotic tone won’t appeal to everyone, its mix of dark comedy and cult-level weirdness has aged into a true classic. If you like your sci-fi strange and satirical, this is a must-watch. Verdict: This could have only come from the quirky mind of Burton. A gloriously bonkers sci-fi spoof that’s more weird art than blockbuster. If you love camp, satire, and Burton at his oddest—this is for you. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/03/25 Full Review Blu B When you see something like this it really makes you look back at the 10 year run Burton had before this and look back in wonder how it all resonated with the public so much. Because you could honestly say every single one of those projects was one step away from being something like this. This is a love letter to B movies, filled with camp, and the Burton imagination for better or for worse. It's not bad at all all around honestly. It makes sense and I'll give it this, it's unique and not trying to copy Marvel lol. But in all seriousness, it's so weird and just I don't know who this is for. The biggest problem of all is there is way too many characters and nonsensical subplots. Jim Brown/Grier's plots could be removed and nothing lost. Pretty much everyone from Las Vegas could be cut out also and nothing changes either. Martin Short's weird romance scene is the most boring thing and weird at the same time and should've been axed. It's incredible how much of an All Star cast this is. Really shows how big Burton was at his peak to be able to command a list of stars like this. But there is just too many and needed to be axed in half. Even Independance Day had less characters than this it feels like and all came together in a group at the end. this never does that and just keeps jumping around for better or worse. The humor....the humor....umm...It's defintely Burton type of humor. I don't know if I'd call it funny and I don't know if I'd call it flat either or stupid. I'm not really sure. It's just campy, bizarre, and sometimes well lots of times I don't even know. It gives it such a bizarre tone that's difficult to pin down. The alien designs are cool, and there is plenty of imagination. The special effects aren't bad but there B movie style and the designs are unique. This has lots of production value also which shows but I'm not sure it works either. Too many characters, and bizarre tone on top of it are the biggest problems with this. Maybe if it was less concerned with gags at times and committed more to the quirkiness instead it would work. But I don't know this one...I can see this being a good idea on paper possibly but just not fully working as it should in reality for unique and not so unique reasons that would've been difficult to see. As it is, if your a die hard Burton fan or of any actors in this than it might be worth to check out. Or if your in the mood for something REALLY weird and quirky. But most aren't missing anything here. Stick with Independance Day which came out the same year instead for most people. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/30/25 Full Review Lautaro M its is a funny creative movie I love it Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/29/25 Full Review Audience Member Had a big budget, a big cast, and a big director but ultimately just went nowhere. Jokes land flat most of the time. See Men in Black for a funnier and more engaging similar extraterrestrial film. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review Read all reviews

Mars Attacks!

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Most Popular at Home Now