Customer Reviews

Invaders from Mars [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

There seems to be two versions of this film on DVD, the one I purchsed has "Midnight Movies" printed at the top of the DVD case, and even though there does not seem to be any mention anywhere, apart from the Trailer, there are two featurettes on the DVD. Unlike a lot of featurettes which are filmed for DVD now with photos from the time the film was made, the two on this DVD were made at the same time as the movie. They are 8 minutes, and 15 minutes in length, contain interviews with the main cast, as well a great look behind the scenes at shots in the movie as they are being filmed. There are also interviews with some of the crew, and a look at the production props, and special effects.

It's worth buying this version of the DVD for the extras, and the opening titles are still amongst the most exciting I have ever seen.

I nearly gave it 4 stars by the way

With little fanfare, MGM has quietly transferred a handful of great B films to DVD that they not too arbitrarily categorize as "Midnight Movies." The nice looking digital prints are in their original theatrical format and appear as if they were taken from original material. The discs come with no substantial extras but care has been lavished on the box art, often reflecting the lurid lobby cards and posters of their initial release. Even acknowledging the B category, these are for the most part well-crafted and, well, adequately acted.

In "INVADERS FROM MARS" Tobe Hooper directs a terrific cast -- Karen Black, Timothy Bottoms, Bud Cort and Louise Fletcher -- in a straightforward update of the of the 1953 cult classic. This flip side to the benign aliens of "E.T." or "Close Encounters" delivers bad guys from space who not only want our planet but our souls as well. Creepy fun that can still raise the hair on your neck.

The original 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS is a cult classic, appreciated for both its influence on later similar films and the fact that it reads as hilariously corny by today standards. But this 1986 remake--in spite of a big budget, several very talented actors, and a deliberately campy script--is unlikely to inspire the same sort of loyalty, and it was universally condemned by critics and audiences alike when first released.

That said, the film really isn't as bad as you may have heard. The plot follows the original version quite closely: the imaginative young son (Hunter Carson) of two loving parents (Timothy Bottom and Laraine Newman) catches sight of a UFO as it lands beyond the hill behind his house--and when his father goes out to investigate he returns... well... different. When his mother and his evil school teacher (Louise Fletcher) follow suit, he turns to the school nurse (Karen Black), and together the two alert the local military to the strange goings-on.

The cast is really quite good. Although the script gives her little to do beyond run around screaming, Karen Black has a unique screen presence--and it is as evident here as it is in her more celebrated films. Her real life son, Hunter Carson, does the honors as the child lead, and aquits himself very well. But the most memorable performances are from Laraine Newman, Timothy Bottom, and Louise Fletcher, who are transformed by the UFO and sent abroad to do the aliens' evil will. Fletcher is particularly enjoyable, wringing the most from her role as every child's nightmare school teacher. The special effects have dated and seem remarkably derrivative, a mix of STAR WARS and ALIEN, but they too are entertaining in their own way, and although it isn't always successful the script has enough campy humor (much of it in reference to the original) to give you an occasional hoot.

As pure fluff, the 1986 INVADERS FROM MARS works very well, and kids ten and up are likely to find it extremely entertaining. Still, I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way for this particular movie. It is mindlessly entertaining, but I don't think it is a film to which many viewers will care to return.

I love this movie! It is a classic sci-fy. It is a re-make of the movie from the 50's and is really well done. The extra footage is interesting and they show how everything was created for the film. The only disappointment is that they changed some scenes from the VHS version when they digitally remastered it. They also left some really good scenes out. But the digital quality is amazing. I think it would be best to have this movie in both VHS and DVD.

That's what I'm saying! Granted, I do concur with most of the preceding reviewers that Tobe Hooper has conjured more visceral cinematic thrills with the likes of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Poltergeist", & "The Funhouse." But I've always found "Invaders From Mars" to be enthrallingly fun popcorn flick fodder for my Friday nites. Sure, Dan ("Alien", "Total Recall") O'Bannon's script ain't Golden Globe material, and the acting's quite over-the-top at times...but it does boast an eerie score and sound design, as well as resplendent color & shadow schemes in its cinematography that still leave me in inexplicable wonderment. Even the ensemble F/X crew of Oscar winners Stan Winston, John Dykstra, & Les ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") Dilley did a commendable job on the creature and spacecraft design work when considering the budgetary constraints imposed on them from working under the Chapter 11-ridden Cannon Films banner.

As for the story, it's a formulaic 50's sci-fi motif from start to finish...but damn fun! Young David Gardner (Hunter Carson) makes a harrowing discovery of witnessing a Martian U.F.O. land behind his backyard one evening. As time progresses, he notices something's ominously wrong with his family and the other townsfolk. They each have grotesque flesh wounds on the backs of their necks, have extreme appetites for raw meat, and behave like stoical drones. The Martians have landed and plan to enslave humanity via implanted subliminal biochips and deplete the Earth's copper supply in the process! Able to convince the school nurse (Karen Black) and ironically the local NASA base's Marine Corp general (James Karen), what ensues for David is a fight-to-the-finish against the extraterrestial baddies! But it was all just a bad nightmare for poor David...OR WAS IT!?

I have seen both the 50's & this 80's version of the same chilling story a number of times. Hooper's interpretation, in my opinion, had appropriate equilibrium in keeping the story at times a taut, surrealistic sci-fi thriller, as well as a campy kiddie horror flick at others...though its 'PG' banner was really stretched to the limit. The fear "Invaders From Mars" tries to project comes naturally if one can elicit their inner-child and empathize with the common terrors of being alone with no place to hide and no one to believe you in a hostile environment...trite, but true.

MGM has compiled a very decent DVD re-release of this film. The 2.35:1 widescreen transfer is the cleanest (albeit with some minor grain) version I've seen, and it really does a sublime job in accentuating the spacecraft interior scenes! The 2.0 surround track does a satisfactory job, but a 5.1 remix would have really satiated my audiophile sweet tooth. Two Behind-The-Scenes featurettes are even included (I never knew Hooper was such a chain cigar smoker before watching his interviews and set shooting footage), as well as the perequisite trailer.

This is fun sci-fi/horror escapism on a bargain-packed DVD! Give it a chance...at least as a rental.

First of all Tobe Hooper gets a PG rating again! That's scarier than The Chainsaw Massacre! I was a beginning horror fan and 11 years old when this little film came on cable, before my mom got rid of it! This scared the crap out of me! A very young boy is watching his family and teacher get possessed by aliens, with little help. This is silly now but at the time really creepy. First of all this was a not a PG movie or an R but at least PG-13! The movie involves a child and is aimed was aimed at the wrong audience at the time. That's because Tobe, who I'm a fan of is not right for this kids horror type of movie without Spielberg involved. Watching it now its just an OK B movie and somewhat entertaining. As a kid I turned it off. I've seen thousands of Horror movies since and eventually,"The Exorcist" beat this one out! Anyway that's why this one didn't go over big. Tobe realized he needed to stick with the older kids later on.

Sooner or later, someone in Hollywood will remake not only every classic film that has been ever made, but every half-way decent film, too. The original 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS really isn't a great piece of sci-fi, but it is regarded as a classic because of some of the magnificent images in the movie, e.g. the lights behind the hill with the fence and people being sucked by a swirling vortex into the ground. In the early 1980s, Tobe Hooper (of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE fame) set out to remake his favorite movie of all time, INVADERS FROM MARS.

The movie revolves around David Gardner (Hunter Carson). David loves astronomy. One night during a freak thunderstorm he thinks he sees a spaceship land not far from their house, just over a hill. He tells his parents about it, but they think he was just dreaming. However, David's father, George (Timothy Bottoms), investigates and when he returns in the morning he is a different man. He tells David he was right, that there was something just over the hill but before he gets a chance to show David, the school bus arrives to take David to school. Later, David's mother and school teacher start acting just as strange as his dad and David suspects that aliens are involved. After he catches his teacher secretly eating during a meal, he knows aliens have invaded and are taking over people's bodies. He meets with the only person he feels he can trust, the school nurse, Linda Magnussen (Karen Black). Initially she doesn't believe David, but does believe something is going wrong in his life. But after seeing the truth for herself, she sets out with David for a nearby military base for help.

When this version of INVADERS FROM MARS was initially released, it was panned by critics and bombed at the box office. People kept talking about how good the original was and that this movie just didn't live up to it. I don't think any of those people ever saw the original movie because other than some amazing visuals and some fine acting by Jimmy Hunt as David Maclean, the 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS isn't that great of a movie. There's really only one alien in that movie and the rest are a bunch of Martian/human hybrid mutants that are referred to as "moo-tants" (instead of "mew-tunts) and are portrayed by people in green makeup and rubber suits running around with their hands in a robotic positions. The budget was so low that the interior of the cave in the original was made from blown-up condoms that were painted over. It's true that watching the original movie now, there is a certain charm to it that initial viewers of the remake might not have felt upon watching the remake.

Still, you can tell that Tobe Hooper was a major fan of the original movie because his version carefully replicates the best parts of that movie and sometimes the worst (including the terrible ending). However, he updates the movie with a more modern feel and also leaves his own special touch in a few places. The result is a fun little piece of sci-fi horror that is overall actually just as good if not a tad better than the original. It's a mix of humor, sci-fi action, and horror that at times borders on campy, but is blended fairly well. Also, watching the movie over 20 years after its initial release, the remake has a certain charm to it to, though of a far different kind than the original.

That's not to say INVADERS FROM MARS is a great movie, because it's not. However, it is a fun one. It's a movie that people would probably enjoy watching on a rainy day or late at night when they can't get to sleep.

The extras on the DVD include an original publicity featurette, a sci-fi featurette, and the original theatrical trailer.

This is one of those films that some people absolutely love, but I think most are ultimately disappointed with. A mostly tongue in cheek movie with very few scares, this one pales when compared to the original. Simply put, the story is of a boy who sees a Martian spaceship land not far from his home, yet no one will believe him and soon people start acting strangely, including his parents. A star for the great Karen Black appearing in the film, she does her best. This movie is for people who think "Explorers" was a great science fiction movie. It is mostly silly stuff and worth a rental at best, but no a purchase.

Before I start my review I'd like to say that Timothy Bottoms sure looks like George W. Bush(ironically, his character in the film is named George). I don't know if this film is trying to be a homage or a parody of 1950's sci-fi films. Either way, it does not succeed. To the films detriment, the make-up and special effects aren't really that good considering that they were designed by Oscar winners John Dykstra and Stan Winston. The film doesn't move that well;it just kind of lumbers along. The adult actors are adequate but not outstanding. Louise Fletcher seems to be channeling Nurse Ratched in her role as the mean biology teacher. Bud Cort(of "Harold and Maude" fame) has a strange little role as a scientist. What keeps this film grounded is the performance of young Hunter Carson(real-life son of co-star Karen Black) as David Gardner, the kid who sees all the strange goings on but is having a hard time convincing the adults. He makes the film watchable. If not for him I would rate this film two stars instead of three.

I absolutely lOvedcthis movie. It's been awhile but it still impressed me as much as it did tears ago. Great quality and art work. Thankyou