Mars Attacks!

Details

When hundreds of flying saucers suddenly appear over the world's major cities, humanity prepares itself for mankind's greatest moment. Despite military concerns, President James Dale is determined to welcome the Martians peacefully, believing diplomacy is the only sensible option. Unfortunately, first contact proves rather less successful than anticipated when a minor misunderstanding rapidly descends into total chaos and the Martians reveal their true intentions with spectacularly destructive consequences.

As the invasion spreads across the globe, director Tim Burton follows an assortment of loosely connected characters whose lives are turned upside down by the alien attack. From politicians, scientists and television reporters to gamblers, soldiers and an ordinary Kansas family, everyone has their own bizarre encounter with the invaders. Along the way, countless famous faces appear, often only briefly, as Burton gleefully dispatches one Hollywood star after another in increasingly outrageous fashion.

Rather than presenting a traditional science-fiction blockbuster, Mars Attacks! affectionately spoofs the alien invasion films of the 1950s, complete with oversized flying saucers, ray guns, bug-eyed Martians and wonderfully exaggerated performances. The result is a deliberately over-the-top black comedy that mixes spectacular destruction with absurd humour, never taking itself remotely seriously as civilisation collapses around it.

Picture & Sound

Warner's transfer is generally very pleasing, with the colourful comic-book visuals reproduced well throughout. The deliberately exaggerated costumes, bright landscapes and impressive special effects all benefit from a clean transfer that exhibits little in the way of print damage. Black levels are solid, colours remain vibrant and the CGI effects, whilst inevitably showing their age in places, still integrate surprisingly well with the live action. There are moments where the image appears a little soft, but overall this is a respectable presentation.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is where the disc really comes alive. Danny Elfman's energetic score makes excellent use of the surround channels, whilst the Martians' bizarre electronic voices, exploding buildings, ray guns and flying saucers constantly keep the rear speakers occupied. Dialogue remains crisp and easy to follow throughout and the LFE channel receives a healthy workout whenever another famous landmark disappears in a spectacular explosion. It's an entertaining soundtrack that perfectly complements Burton's larger-than-life visuals.

Menu & Extras

The menus are attractively animated and nicely scored with Danny Elfman's unmistakable music, setting exactly the right tone before the film even begins. Unfortunately, the extras themselves are rather disappointing.

Apart from a comprehensive cast list and some production notes, the only real addition is the theatrical trailer, which hardly represents the sort of special edition treatment that a film with such a large cult following deserves. Given the enormous cast and Tim Burton's unique approach to filmmaking, a behind-the-scenes documentary or commentary track would have been a welcome inclusion.

Overall

Mars Attacks! proved to be something of a box office disappointment when it first appeared, perhaps because audiences were expecting another straightforward alien invasion blockbuster rather than the wonderfully eccentric satire that Tim Burton actually delivered. Looking back now, it's arguably one of Burton's most entertaining films, happily poking fun at everything from American politics and celebrity culture to the classic science-fiction B-movies that inspired it.

One of the film's greatest strengths is its astonishing cast. Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Annette Bening, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Natalie Portman, Danny DeVito and even Tom Jones all throw themselves enthusiastically into Burton's wonderfully ridiculous world, with nobody appearing too concerned about protecting their screen image. In fact, watching just how creatively Burton finds ways of disposing of such an impressive collection of stars becomes part of the fun.

The DVD itself may be rather light on extras, but the excellent surround soundtrack and solid picture quality ensure that the film is presented well. If you're looking for serious science fiction then this certainly isn't it, but if you enjoy Tim Burton's offbeat sense of humour, classic B-movie nostalgia and more than a little glorious madness, then Mars Attacks! remains an enormously entertaining slice of sci-fi comedy that's aged far better than its original box office performance suggested.

Special features

• Production Notes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Cast List