Mars Attacks!

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Rating 2


Directed by Tim Burton

Written by Jonathan Gems, Tim Buton (uncredited), Scott Alexander (uncredited) and Larry Karaszewski (uncredited)

Starring Jack Nicholson (President Jim Dale; Art Land), Glenn Close (Marsha Dale), Natalie Portman (Taffy Dale), Pierce Brosnan (Professor Donald Kessler), Sarah Jessica Parker (Natalie Lake), Michael J Fox (Jason Stone), Annette Bening (Barbara Land), Jim Brown (Byron Williams), Pam Grier (Louise Williams), Rod Steiger (General Decker), Paul Winfield (Lt General Casey), Martin Short (Jerry Ross), Danny DeVito (Rude Gambler), Luka Haas (Richie Norris), Jack Black (Billy-Glen Norris), Joe Don Baker (Mr Norris), O-Lan Jones (Sue-Ann Norris), Sylvia Sydney (Florence Norris), Christina Applegate (Sharona), Brian Haley (Mitch), Ray J Hammond (Cedric Williams), Brandon Hammond (Neville Williams) and Tom Jones (himself)

A huge fleet of flying saucers from Mars makes its way to Earth. One ship lands in the Nevada desert close to Las Vegas and the Martians announce that they have come in peace. However, when a white dove is release and flies towards them they begin killing the assembled crowd using ray-guns. After further negotiations the incident is put down to a cultural misunderstanding and a Martian ambassador comes to address the United States Congress, but once again the meeting goes horribly wrong.

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‘Mars Attacks!’ is a 1996 spoof sci-fi film, presented up to a point in the style of 1950s monster movies. Directed by Tim Burton, it is based on a 1962 trading card series created by Len Brown and Woody Gelman. 55 cards were produced in the original series, but the graphic depiction of violence caused controversy at the time and the cards quickly went out of production. They were revived in the 1980s. The film attempts an uneasy mix of spoof and homage, recreating the style of 1950s b-moves, but with a blockbuster production budget. Reaction was mixed and it has a 49% rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 55 reviews.

I first watched the film when it came to cinemas in Britain in early 1997. I wanted it to be brilliant, but I came away disappointed. Watching it again now after a gap of more than twelve years, I have come away with exactly the same impression. The film has some inspired moments, but these are outweighed by a myriad of faults. It’s far too campy and self-satisfied; virtually none of the human characters are in anyway interesting. Simply putting a succession of well-known faces on the screen is not enough, although some do fare better than others. Sarah Jessica Parker is quite effective in her role, as flimsy as it is, but Annette Bening is dreadfully miscast and Jack Nicholson is even worse in his secondary role as the ludicrous Las Vegas hotel developer Art Land. The appearance of Tom Jones, playing himself, doesn’t work at all.

‘Mars Attacks!’ grossed just under $38 million at the domestic box office and a total a little in excess of $101 million worldwide. Its production and marketing budget is estimated to have been in the region of $100 million, making it to all intents and purposes a commercial failure, although undoubtedly subsequent television, video and DVD revenue will have helped to redress the balance.

Review posted 14 December 2009


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The Frighteners

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Rating 4


Directed by Peter Jackson

Written by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh

Starring Michael J Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Chi McBride, Jeffrey Combs, Troy Evans, R Lee Ermey, Dee Wallace and Jake Busey


Frank Bannister (Michael J Fox) is a down and out architect who describes himself as a psychic private detective and claims to rid his clients of unwanted ghosts and poltergeist. What he does is a scam, although he genuinely can see the spirits of the dead. When a Grim Reaper-like creature begins to kill in the small town where he lives, Frank is accused of the murders. He is aided in his attempts to stop the killings and prove his innocence by Lucy Lynskey (Trini Alvarado), and has to finally confront the truth about the death of his wife several years earlier.

This black comedy horror was co-written and directed by Peter Jackson (‘Lord Of The Rings’, ‘King Kong’). It was his first Hollywood film and came two years after the acclaimed ‘Heavenly Creatures’. It was the last film to feature Michael J Fox in a lead role (not counting his featured role in ‘Mars Attacks!’) before the public announcement that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

The film was rated “R” in America, meaning that it lost a large percentage of its intended audience, and it failed to repeat the box office success of ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Beetlejuice’, the two films that it most obviously resembles. Reviews were mixed, although mostly positive.

I saw this film a couple of times several years ago and I really liked it. Watching it again now, after such a long gap, I still enjoyed it very much. I am not a fan of over-the-top special effects, something that Jackson has a tendency to overdose on, but they are largely kept under control here. The mix of horror and comedy is just right, and the film takes quite a dark turn in its second half. The cast is excellent. Michael J Fox was one of the most personable leading actors of his time and he is on top form here. I would be interested to learn why the career of Trini Alvarado became somewhat becalmed after this film.

The film has established quite a cult reputation in the years since it was first released – and rightly so. I think it's excellent and I highly recommend it.



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