An artificial man, who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands, leads a solitary life. Then one day, a suburban lady meets him and introduces him to her world.
Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.
Director:
Tim Burton
Stars:
Johnny Depp,
Christina Ricci,
Miranda Richardson
The infamous story of Benjamin Barker, aka Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.
Director:
Tim Burton
Stars:
Johnny Depp,
Helena Bonham Carter,
Alan Rickman
An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.
It is a normal day for everyone, until President of the United States James Dale (Jack Nicholson) announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes to plan, and the Martians seem to have other plans for Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity?Written by
Film_Fan
Warren Beatty was originally cast as President James Dale. Paul Newman was cast when Beatty dropped out, but then left the project over the violence concerns. Michael Keaton was also considered. See more »
Goofs
The president's inconsistent tie during his speech is an in-joke reference to a similar continuity error with Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. See more »
Special effects: No living animals were barbecued during the production of this film. See more »
Alternate Versions
A television ad had Marsha Dale saying (over the desicion of what to do about the Martians): "Kick the crud out of them!" which was an edit to what she said in the theatrical version: "Kick the crap out of them!" See more »
It's Not Unusual
Written by Gordon Mills and Les Reed
Performed by Tom Jones
Courtesy of Decca Record Company Limited Deram Records
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing See more »
The greatest aspect of _Mars Attacks!_ is that it is not supposed to be great. The film was shot on a low budget, and many of the crew, namely actors Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito, and director, Tim Burton, agreed to make the film as an homage to the TOPS Bubblegum wrapper comic series.
The film works because it doesn't present itself as being more than what it is: a parody of '50's B-films. Throughout the film, obvious references to those B-film classics, like _The Day the Earth Stood Still_ and _This Island Earth_, are present. When the Martians land in Nevada (alleged home of Area 54), Burton reminds us of those famous scenes in which the U. S. army battles the aliens with crude artillery, matched against the sophisticated ray guns of their adversaries. Because the sci-fi B-films of the '50's were infused with anxiety, precipitated by the McCarthy era, Burton plays upon this context when the Martians visit Congress and destroy every senator and representative in attendance ("We still have 2 out of 3 branches of government working for us," President Nicholson reminds his fellow Americans).
Aside from the riotous parodying which takes place, the film draws upon a cast of Oscar-nominated talent. However, realizing their true motivation for such a film as _Mars Attacks!_, Oscar nominees Glenn Close, Annette Bening, and Jack Nicholson camp it up. Immediately, an audience member acknowledges that these actors know the Academy will not reward them for their efforts in this film. However, an informed audience member would see that their acting, meant to be campy and hammed up, is at the heart of their performances. Given the fact that these are award-winning actors acting poorly, any viewer would have to applaud the performances as "sheer talent-less."
I give this film 9 out of 10 points. While not a great film, by any stretch of the imagination, it is a fun film which fulfills its purpose. Nicholson, DeVito, and Burton can be pleased with the results of their desire to bring the famous TOPS story to the screen. In an age in which Hollywood either promotes lavishly expensive, high-tech scripts or promotes artistic plot-driven storylines, _Mars Attacks!_ finds its own place and does not put on the facade of being something other than it is, an homage and revival of the classic '50's sci-fi B-film.
105 of 141 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
The greatest aspect of _Mars Attacks!_ is that it is not supposed to be great. The film was shot on a low budget, and many of the crew, namely actors Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito, and director, Tim Burton, agreed to make the film as an homage to the TOPS Bubblegum wrapper comic series.
The film works because it doesn't present itself as being more than what it is: a parody of '50's B-films. Throughout the film, obvious references to those B-film classics, like _The Day the Earth Stood Still_ and _This Island Earth_, are present. When the Martians land in Nevada (alleged home of Area 54), Burton reminds us of those famous scenes in which the U. S. army battles the aliens with crude artillery, matched against the sophisticated ray guns of their adversaries. Because the sci-fi B-films of the '50's were infused with anxiety, precipitated by the McCarthy era, Burton plays upon this context when the Martians visit Congress and destroy every senator and representative in attendance ("We still have 2 out of 3 branches of government working for us," President Nicholson reminds his fellow Americans).
Aside from the riotous parodying which takes place, the film draws upon a cast of Oscar-nominated talent. However, realizing their true motivation for such a film as _Mars Attacks!_, Oscar nominees Glenn Close, Annette Bening, and Jack Nicholson camp it up. Immediately, an audience member acknowledges that these actors know the Academy will not reward them for their efforts in this film. However, an informed audience member would see that their acting, meant to be campy and hammed up, is at the heart of their performances. Given the fact that these are award-winning actors acting poorly, any viewer would have to applaud the performances as "sheer talent-less."
I give this film 9 out of 10 points. While not a great film, by any stretch of the imagination, it is a fun film which fulfills its purpose. Nicholson, DeVito, and Burton can be pleased with the results of their desire to bring the famous TOPS story to the screen. In an age in which Hollywood either promotes lavishly expensive, high-tech scripts or promotes artistic plot-driven storylines, _Mars Attacks!_ finds its own place and does not put on the facade of being something other than it is, an homage and revival of the classic '50's sci-fi B-film.