Mars Attacks! (1996)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Mars Attacks is not a great film. It's all right, but sad to say some of the comedy doesn't quite come off. But this is one of those films where if you were lucky enough to get cast in it you got the opportunityto give out with some shtick or overact outrageously. Jack Nicholson got to do it twice as he was cast in two different roles, as president of the United States and as a Las Vegas operator.Nicholson is served better presidentially. Can you imagine Jack Nicholson in that familiar nasal twang trying to reassure the nation even after the aliens have blown up Congress. It's what people remember best from the film.Pierce Brosnan is cast as the ever calm scientist who knows his field will provide the answers. All that's left of him is sheer intellect.My favorite is Martin Short who gets a Martian through White House security. He's Nicholson's press secretary and he sneaks a disguised Martian past White House security. Poor Short thinks he's getting a little something something and is he ever surprised.I also Paul Winfield who is modeled on General Colin Powell as the emissary President Nicholson sends to greet the Martians on the Nevada desert where they've landed. He's got a nice running rivalry with Rod Steiger who is a general along the lines of Buck Turgidson from Dr. Strangelove.The whole component doesn't quite gel. But lots of funny bits should keep the viewer interested.Can you imagine the current president trying to reassure the public after an alien invasion. Not non-Americans, real aliens.

Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable weapons and a cruel sense of humor. Mars Attacks! has a terrific cast of actors such as Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Pierce Brosnan, Michael J. Fox and more but pretty much half of them are wasted in roles that even tho their alright they either get killed of half way threw the film or just in the end with some stupid way. I mean Tom Jones did more than most of them, hell even the kids were better than the entire freaking Army. The special effects are a bit dated tho but we all know that's not the real issue. (5/10)

This star studded dark comedy is a good film although it often drags and sometimes becomes too heavily burdened by the star power. The premise is simple: Earth is invaded by Martians but unlike what HG Wells envisioned, these sinister aliens have a different agenda. Looking at other reviews it is not easily to classify this film as good or bad- some love it others cannot stand it and then some consider it a guilty pleasure. See and decide yourself.

It makes sense that this movie was based on a trading card franchise, because that's pretty much what it felt like. It was as if they turned a bunch of the scenes from the cards into scenes in a movie and stitched it together into a coherent plot. Like a lot of stuff happens, but it doesn't really mean anything. Like for example, two people are captured by the aliens, and then eventually they die when the spaceship crashes, but they don't really do anything when they're on the ship. The cast was packed with stars I did not expect, but even they didn't really do anything. They were just there, in that situation. All this movie has is that at the end there's a basic conflict resolution, but until then everything going on just feels very random. It's never explained why the aliens acted peaceful for one second before attacking, or even why they're attacking. Again though, I can't fault it too much on all of this because this does make it feel more faithful to the source material. That's the problem with having the source material be a trading card game. It just feels... weird... that this movie exists.Besides that, a complaint I have is that I feel like they should have probably made this movie with an R-rating. As I look at some of the trading cards the movie was based on, they seem pretty violent, and I think this movie would have had a lot more to work with if it was rated R. The aliens aren't even supposed to have green blood. It's red, like ours. Also, imagine Jack Nicholson cussing out some aliens.