Mars Attacks!

Summary

“Now….I want the people to know that they still have two out of three branches of government working for them and that ain’t bad.”

In May of 1996, I turned eleven years old. After the big summer blockbusters that year, which were possibly the best summer lineup of all time (Twister, Mission:Impossible, Independence Day,) there was one film my eleven year old self truly couldn’t wait to see in the theaters that fall – Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! At the time, I was captivated by the ways in which Industrial Light and Magic was integrating computer generated imagery with real life footage. All of the films in that time held an excitement for me. I could not wait to watch the latest episodes of Movie Magic on the Discovery Channel where I learned more about the visual effects (practical and otherwise) these craftsmen were pulling off. I actually owned a book that specifically focused on the art of Mars Attacks!, which I loved and frequently revisited before my bed time. When I went to see the film, its mixture of dark comedy and inspired satirical science fiction mayhem really worked for me. I am sure that my parents were probably less enthusiastic about the picture than I was, but it was still a great time at the movies. This experience from my childhood was permanently seared in my memory, so I was excited to pick up the new 4K UHD edition of Mars Attacks! from Warner. I had the pleasure of showing the film to my family over the weekend – including my eleven year old son. It was not lost on me that he was the exact same age as I was when I went to see the film. All of us had a blast.

As the film begins, in Lockjaw, Kentucky, two farmers smell what they think is barbecue. It is actually a herd of cattle on fire. They watch as a UFO flies away. In Washington DC, President Dale (Jack Nicholson) meets with his war-hungry General Decker (Rod Steiger), more measured and soft-spoken General Casey (Paul Winfield), Professor Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) and his head of press Jerry Ross (Martin Short). Kessler is excited about the possibility of communicating with intelligent life. The First Lady, Marsha(Glenn Close,) prepares with her daughter Taffy (Natalie Portman) for the President to announce the existence of extraterrestrial life. As the news is relayed by the President, the film focuses on numerous characters across the nation. In Vegas, former fighter Byron Williams (Jim Brown) entertains guests. He gets a call from his ex-wife Louise, who is living in Washington D.C. with their two boys. Gambler and hotelier Art Land (Jack Nicholson) sits with his wife Barbara (Annette Bening) in a casino. In New York, investigative reporter Jason Stone (Michael J. Fox) is talking with fashion reporter Nathalie Lake (Sarah Jessica Parker,) whom he is dating. In Perkinsville, Kansas, Richie Norris (Lukas Haas) gets the news while on shift at a donut store. His family in a trailer consists of his dad, Billy Glenn Norris (Joe Don Baker), his mom Sue Ann, and brother Billy Glenn Jr., who plans to go on “Martian detail.” Richie’s grandmother Florence (Silvia Sidney) lives in a home. The world is surrounded by Martian spaceships. There is going to be a meeting between the Martians and the Americans in the Nevada desert. When a hippie releases a dove as a symbol of peace, the Martian leader fries it with a ray gun. This begins the attack of the Martian forces.

Mars Attacks! is a singular comedic film experience. I can’t think of many films that so gleefully laugh at the destruction of the world (aside from maybe Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and This is the End.) Mars Attacks! has always held a special place in my heart. The studio not only allowed Tim Burton to make a golden age science fiction satire starring some of the most recognizable stars of that era, the studio also allowed him to kill almost all of them onscreen. This type of large-scale risktaking by a studio seems almost unthinkable now (although Warner has still made some pretty surprising large scale films recently such as Mickey 17.) Watching the film with my sons and wife, I saw all the lightbulbs clicking in my children’s minds. 

A picture like Mars Attacks! reminds you that the world is full of possibilities. Grandiose original ideas can be explored and expressed if the director and team have enough clout. Coming off of the success of two Batman films, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton had the clout to be able to make Ed Wood as he wanted in Black and White, and Mars Attacks! on an epic scale. The studio probably felt a little bit of heartburn when neither Ed Wood nor Mars Attacks! performed at the box office as well as they had hoped, but both films have gained cult followings in the years since their release and have aged beautifully. Both films became hits on home video, so I feel confident that Warner eventually made a profit on them.

Screenwriter Jonathan Gems worked closely with Tim Burton on his script. The screenplay was based on ideas explored in a 1962 trading card series from Topps that famously featured grotesque pictures of Martians destroying the world and its inhabitants. The screenplay focuses on several areas of the country as the world faces destruction with the idea of recreating the feeling of an Irwin Allen disaster picture. The screenplay is hilarious and much more clever than it probably was given credit. Whenever Gems would run into an issue that needed some outside input, Tim Burton would help to figure it out. In the special features on the disc, Gems discussed how the death of (spoiler alert) the President was conceived by Burton when Gems hit writer’s block deciding how to off that character. It is one of the most memorable sequences in the film. The idea for the ray gun to be so comedically large that the aliens placed behind Grandma’s head was also a Burton idea. Unlike some pictures, this film clearly has the director’s handprints all over it. The resulting film is a true collaboration between screenwriter, director, and an exceptional production team. 

Working with Industrial Light and Magic, Burton and his crew were able to bring CGI Martians into real life settings while also using all manners of practical effects such as miniatures. Burton originally wanted to do the Martians in stop motion, but after seeing some effective tests from ILM, he went with the computer generated creatures. The CGI in some ways looks a little dated now because the technology has advanced so much, but the practical effects are phenomenal. All of the beautiful practical effects in this picture would probably be done in CGI now, which is a shame because the explosion of Big Ben in this picture looks a million times better than any of the buildings we see knocked over in Avengers films. 

This film has one of the best ensemble casts ever assembled. Jack Nicholson is the star of the film, and the reason the picture got the green light. When he signed on, so did everyone else. Playing the President and a hotel developer in Vegas named Art, Nicholson is obviously having a blast. His wonderful line delivery as the President is the comedic heart of the picture. Glenn Close is great as the First Lady. Martin Short is perfectly slimy and very funny as the press secretary. Rod Steiger is absolutely fantastic as a hawkish General. Pierce Brosnan looks and sounds exactly like the scientific characters from those 1950s science fiction pictures. Jim Brown is a perfect badass team leader for the Vegas sequences. Silvia Sidney is great as Grandma. Annette Bening steals numerous scenes. Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Danny DeVito, Pam Greer, Natalie Portman, Lucas Haas, Ray J, Lisa Marie and Paul Winfield all make a great impression as well. On top of those performances, the film has a perfectly composed score by Danny Elfman (with loads of theremin) that accentuates all the best elements of the picture. Elfman and Burton work beautifully together, and this picture shows just how great their collaboration can be.

Mars Attacks! is a one-of-a-kind sci-fi comedy that is even better now than the day it released. The dialogue is hilarious, and the workmanship to craft the film is exceptional. While some people obviously missed the joke or had difficulty falling into its silly acidic comedic rhythms, I have loved the film since it came out a quarter century ago. My family luckily had just as much fun watching it as I did on Warner’s wonderful 4K release.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, Mars Attacks! looks wonderful in its UHD presentation. Warner has been doing some really incredible restoration work on their 4K titles recently, and this is no exception. The cinematography by Peter Suschitzk with Tim Burton’s direction manages to capably blend CGI elements into the real world with tons of practical effects occurring. The production design shows a mind blowing effort, and the results show up on the screen. The film is visually enticing with strong color schemes. The HDR makes the picture truly pop. This is the best the picture has looked since its theatrical release. 

Audio

The new Atmos mix for Mars Attacks! is wonderful. The Danny Elfman score shines and as the action unfolds, LFE support is deep and rich. This is a very active mix and a huge upgrade from prior releases.

Supplements:

• Looking Back on Mars Attacks! – screenwriter Jonathan Gems, editor Chris Lebenzon, director of photography Peter Suschitzky, visual effects supervisor Michael Fink, miniature DP Patrick Sweeney, and VFX supervisor David Andrews discuss the film in this short retrospective and the next piece.
• Ack! Ack! Aesthetic – Associate producer Mark S. Miller, production designer Wynn Thomas, VFX supervisor James Mitchell, and sound designer Randy Thom join the previous crew members to discuss the numerous techniques and challenges while making the film’s look and visual effects.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.75/5 

Audio – 5/5

Supplements – 2.5/5

Overall – 4.75/5

Mars Attacks! is one of my absolute favorite Tim Burton films. This dark comedy satire of golden era science fiction set in today’s world, is an absolute blast from beginning to finish. The film may not have let the global box office on fire, but for some of us young boys or girls who saw the picture at the right age, it was an experience at the theaters that we would never forget. Rewatching the film with my family, including my son who happened to be the same age that I was when I first saw the film, was an absolute delight. Warner has done a first class job on their 4K UHD treatment. The film has never looked better and the audio is terrific. Fans of the film will certainly want to purchase this as soon as possible and for those who have not seen the picture, this is definitely the best way to view it. Highly recommended!