Subject: REVIEW: MARS ATTACKS! (1996)

From: [email-masked] (Chuck Dowling)
Date: 17 Dec 1996 21:17:37 GMT

MARS ATTACKS!
                       A film review by Chuck Dowling
                        Copyright 1996 Chuck Dowling

Mars Attacks! (1996) ***** out of ***** - C:Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close,
Annette Bening, Martin Short, Danny DeVito, Rod Steiger, Pierce Brosnan,
Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Joe Don Baker,
Natalie Portman, Christina Applegate, Lisa Marie, Tom Jones.

This is director Tim Burton's finest film to date. Many will compare this
tale of Martians who invade Earth to Independence Day, but even though the
stories are similar, they really are two distinctly different films. However
as a whole, Mars Attacks is much more entertaining than ID4, and I loved
ID4.

You really have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this film. It is
completely wacked-out and unlike anything you've ever seen. Once the silly
tone of the film is set, it's easy to just sit back and throw logic out the
window because logic and comedy just don't mix.

The plot is simple: Martians invade the Earth. But it's different than any
other invasion film. Usually it's the evil aliens versus the heroic humans.
This time however, it's the goofy aliens versus the equally goofy humans.
The Martians, who are all computer generated, are just about the funniest
things I've seen in a long time. They look funny, they move funny, and their
"language" is hilarious.

And about the special effects. The effects in Mars Attacks! are just about
the most flawless ones I've seen to date. The computer animation of the
martians combined with the goofy personalities they are given makes them
seem 100% real.

There are just a couple of scenes that don't work, mainly those involving
Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan on board an alien ship. Also, Glenn
Close overacts tremendously in her (thankfully) very limited screen time, so
much so that I actually applauded silently when her character meets her
demise. But there are many big laughs in the film, as I said, if you are in
the right mood. Could it have been funnier? Certainly. Was it funny enough?
Yes. Was I entertained? Absolutely.

On a personal note, I'd like to thank whomever cast Rod Steiger (my favorite
actor) in the film as war-crazy General Decker. Finally, after many very
small parts in direct to video garbage and minor TV roles, Steiger is back
on the big screen in a real movie that many people will see. While he's not
given the type of role that you can give a real "performance" in, he does
the job well and has some good lines of dialogue. The preview audience I saw
the film with really seemed to enjoy him.

-- 
Chuck Dowling
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