Product Details

• Actors: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Annette Bening, Glenn Close
• Directors: Tim Burton
• Writers: Bob Powell, Jonathan Gems, Len Brown, Norman Saunders, Wally Wood
• Producers: Larry J. Franco
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English, French
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1997
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (277 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304458908
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,165 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

It's enlightening to view Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! as his twisted satire of the blockbuster film Independence Day, which was released earlier the same year, although the movies were in production simultaneously. Burton's eye-popping, schlock tribute to 1950s UFO movies actually plays better on video than it did in theaters. The idea of invading aliens ray gunning the big-name movie stars in the cast is a cleverly subversive one, and the bulb-headed, funny-sounding animated Martians are pretty nifty, but it all seemed to be spread thin on the big screen. On video, however, the movie's kooky humor seems a bit more concentrated. The Earth actors (most of whom get zapped or kidnapped for alien science experiments) include Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rod Steiger, Michael J. Fox, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, Tom Jones, and Pam Grier. The digital video disc features an isolated track for Danny Elfman's score, as well as a few other clever and nasty little Martian surprises. --Jim Emerson

Product Description

Item Name: Mars Attacks!; Studio: Warner Home Video

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Campiness at its best!, July 5, 2003

By 

Alan Attebery (Arlington, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mars Attacks! (DVD)

Hollywood has made movies from books, TV shows, even other movies. However, "Mars Attacks" may be the first time a movie was made from a trading card.

Back in the late 1960s, Topps Cards created a line of Mars Attacks trading cards. However, these cards were pulled off the shelves after only a few months because the aliens depicted on them were considered to be too gruesome. My, how times have changed.

Director Tim Burton has taken those old trading cards and recreated them into this Sci-Fi B-movie throwback. In the process, he has created a movie that is pure, guiltless fun.

"Mars Attacks" also benefits from an all-star cast, including Jack Nicholson (in a dual-role), Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Martin Short, Danny Devito, Glenn Close, Natalie Portman, Tom Jones, Annette Bening, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, and many others. The fact that you get to watch the aliens disentegrate (and otherwise kill) many of these stars only adds to the fun. Unfortunately, Tom Jones wasn't one of those unlucky stars. Maybe someday a sequel will be made that will rectify that. :)

Oh yeah........ did I happen to mention that Congress gets vaporized? This proves that the Martians aren't all bad!

The DVD comes with many extras, including quite a few production notes that helps you to understand how the movie came to be. This is one movie that you will want to see over and over again (especially anytime that Congress is getting on your nerves).

58 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the Stupid, December 14, 1999

By 

"mr_bee" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mars Attacks! (DVD)

Having spent an hour or so reading every review of this movie on the site, I have come to the conclusion that most of the people who did not like it, were simply not bright enough to "get it". Most of the humor in this movie is sophisticated satire and irony. i.e. - you need a brain to understand what the joke is. Unfortunately it seems that that leaves about 70% of the population out in the cold sort of speak.

Also, a lot of the reviewers here trash the acting and imply that the big name actors were "only in it for the money", yet are unaware of the fact that most of those "big stars" clamored to be in this movie at lower pay scales than they are used to. Then they go on about how 2 dimensional or "broad" the acting is. Well, ..Duhhh! It's a cartoonish satirical comedy based on a series of bubblegum cards. It's *meant* to be that way.

Finaly, a lot of those who hate this movie compare it unfavorably to (their favorites), ID4 or Armageddon or some such trash as that.

Nuff said.

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WICKEDLY WACKY..., February 19, 2002

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mars Attacks! [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Tim Burton outdoes himself with this silly, but funny, spoof of 1950s flying saucer/alien invasion movies. It is absolutely zany and quite funny. There is also nothing politically correct about it, as there are no sacred cows. The film is totally irreverent of American culture and icons. Everything and everyone is fair game.

Martians have come to Earth, and they do not come in peace. Diabolical and deadly, they are bent on wreaking havoc wherever they go with their death ray guns, which serve to incinerate living beings. These bulbous headed martians with their own brand of deadly humour are hell bent on destroying Earth, while laughing and cackling maniacally.

The special effects are meant to to be reminiscent of those found in 1950s UFO flicks and in this it certainly succeeds. The cast is stellar with Jack Nicholson playing dual roles, that of President James Dale and that of entrepreneur Art Dale. Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Jim Brown, Natalie Portman, Sylvia Sydney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Lisa Marie, Christine Applegate, Lukas Haas, and Tom Jones round out the star studded cast. With tongue in cheek performances, the viewer is bound to get a good laugh out of this film.