I Think This Is Tim Burton’s Most Underrated Movie

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1. Identify the main points made about the movie “Mars Attacks!”:
– The movie is a black comedy sci-fi film directed by Tim Burton, released in 1996.
– It features an ensemble cast of big Hollywood stars, many of whom meet violent or bizarre deaths throughout the film.
– The movie pays homage to B-movie director Ed Wood and his work, particularly “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”
– Burton’s decision to have a high death toll in the movie took viewers by surprise, creating a sense of unease and tension.

2. Analyze the author’s perspective on the movie:
– The author views “Mars Attacks!” as an underrated film, particularly praising its unexpected deaths and homage to Ed Wood.
– They believe that Burton skillfully uses shock value to keep audiences guessing who will die next.
– The author argues that the movie’s dark tone and indifferent destruction of characters and humanity are what make it stand out from other Tim Burton films, emphasizing its parallels with Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.”

3. Consider potential discussion questions:
– What makes “Mars Attacks!” an effective black comedy sci-fi film?
– How does the movie’s homage to Ed Wood and “Plan 9 From Outer Space” impact its overall narrative and tone?
– Why do you think Burton chose to include such a high death toll in “Mars Attacks!,” and what effect does it have on the audience’s experience of the film?
– In what ways does “Mars Attacks!” resemble or differ from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” in terms of narrative structure, shock value, and character deaths?
– How does the use of big Hollywood stars in a B-movie setting contribute to the film’s unique appeal?

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Tim Burton, the creator of numerous beloved classics from my childhood, often goes unnoticed for his 1996 film, “Mars Attacks!”. Just like many others from my generation, I owe much to Tim Burton for introducing me to Batman in 1989’s “Batman” and 1992’s “Batman Returns”. Other films such as “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure”, “Beetlejuice”, “Sleepy Hollow”, and even the sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” are all memorable entries in Tim Burton’s impressive collection. However, among his top works, “Mars Attacks!” stands out as a unique gem that deserves more recognition.

On December 13, 1996, the film “Mars Attacks!” was launched, inspired by a well-known trading card series. True to its name, it presented an alien invasion as promised, but unfortunately, it didn’t do well at the box office and received mixed reviews. Yet, Tim Burton’s offbeat and hilarious space invasion movie, “Mars Attacks!”, is arguably his most undervalued creation.

Mars Attacks! Is Scarier (& More Violent) Than You Remember

Tim Burton rarely hesitates to aim for a PG-13 rating whenever possible (and let’s not forget his R-rated take on Sleepy Hollow). However, Mars Attacks! might appear as a humorous, zany tale of extraterrestrial invasion at first glance. But what truly sets it apart is the surprising intensity with which it portrays the terrifying Martians. Their exaggerated features – large brains, skeletal faces, and exposed eyes – make them an extreme representation of alien creatures. However, the real impact of this movie lies in the brutal reality of these strange visitors from Mars.

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As a child, I distinctly recall watching the movie “Mars Attacks!” and feeling both startled and terrified when General Casey (played by Paul Winfield) was transformed into a neon-red skeleton following an attack from the Martian ambassador’s ray gun. From that moment on, “Mars Attacks!” became a ruthless spectacle of humans being vaporized into colorful skeletons en masse, with the Martians regarding them as mere pests or insects.

In summary, Rod Steiger’s character General Decker meets a highly undignified death in “Mars Attacks!”, shrunk to bug size and squashed by a Martian ambassador’s boot. Despite its humorous tone, the movie portrays the Martians as a genuine threat, contrasting with 1996’s other alien invasion movie, “Independence Day”. While the people in “Independence Day” unite in a grand and inspiring battle against their extraterrestrial foes, “Mars Attacks!” depicts humanity as mostly panicking and getting defeated until they stumble upon the most unlikely Martian weakness – the song “Indian Love Call” by Slim Whitman.

Mars Attacks! Has a Huge Ensemble Cast (& Kills Off Most of Them)

Similar to how Tim Burton gathered a large group of prominent (and even up-and-coming) actors like Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Tom Jones, Martin Short, Danny DeVito, Jack Black, Natalie Portman, and others in the film “Mars Attacks!”, it’s more akin to assembling a cast destined for a gruesome encounter with invading Martians. In Burton’s movie, these characters frequently find themselves in darkly comical yet brutal situations, often ending up as victims of the Martian onslaught.

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picture yourself thinking about how someone my age, who was primarily familiar with Michael J. Fox through the movie “Back to the Future”, would feel upon witnessing Marty McFly transform into a smoldering green skeleton. Characters like Danny De Vito and Jack Black suffer similar fates, while Martin Short has his finger viciously bitten off by Lisa Marie’s disguised Martian before being brutally beaten to an unclear demise. Even some characters who manage to survive endure twisted and disturbing outcomes, as does Jack Nicholson’s character President James Dale after his plea for peace between Earth and Mars.

In a twist following his debut as James Bond in “Goldeneye,” Pierce Brosnan found himself transformed into a living head connected to alien technology, grafted onto the body of Sarah Jessica Parker’s character’s Chihuahua. Despite this bizarre turn of events, their shared death scene saw them confess their love for each other. As a child, I was left both disturbed and intrigued by the macabre spectacle of death and dismemberment depicted in “Mars Attacks!”, a creation that director Tim Burton would later reveal was an attempt to surpass Alfred Hitchcock’s technique from “Psycho.” By featuring prominent stars like Brosnan in a likable role, only to shock the audience by annihilating most of the cast, Burton succeeded admirably in his endeavor.

After playing James Bond, Pierce Brosnan ended up as a talking head attached to a Chihuahua’s body in “Mars Attacks!”. Despite this strange turn of events, he and Sarah Jessica Parker showed love before they died. As a child, I was shocked but fascinated by the gruesome death scenes in this movie. Later, I learned that the director tried to outdo Alfred Hitchcock’s shock tactic from “Psycho” by killing off most of the famous cast members. He succeeded brilliantly!

Mars Attacks! Is Ed Wood for the ’90s

At first glance, the film “Mars Attacks!” stands out for its shock value alone. However, to truly understand Tim Burton’s intentions with this movie, a background in the history of alien films is beneficial. More precisely, Burton’s admiration for the work of B-movie legend Ed Wood is essential to grasp. Burton has often acknowledged Wood as an influence, and his film before “Mars Attacks!” was the 1994 biopic about Wood titled “Ed Wood.” Upon delving deeper into the historical context, I realized that Burton effectively created a modern-day Ed Wood movie with “Mars Attacks!”.

Tim Burton’s film, Mars Attacks!, features extravagant CGI spaceships instead of paper plates, yet maintains the quirky ’50s ambiance and eccentricity reminiscent of an Ed Wood production. The Martians and the overall setting of Mars Attacks! are akin to those found in an Ed Wood movie, even sporting 1950s-style military uniforms for the U.S. Army. While it might appear oversimplified to describe Mars Attacks! as an Ed Wood film with financial backing, Burton’s offbeat, playful science fiction comedy is infused with the essence of Ed Wood from start to finish.

Tim Burton is frequently characterized as Hollywood’s top gothic movie director, a storyteller whose style matches the gloomy narratives of characters like Batman, Beetlejuice, Wednesday Addams, and Jack Skellington in a unique way. However, Burton doesn’t always receive the recognition he deserves as a director who can genuinely shock audiences, a talent he demonstrates brilliantly in the film “Mars Attacks!“. As a kid, the casual destruction of his own cast and most of humanity in “Mars Attacks!” surprised me like few movies did. Looking back now, I can comfortably say that “Mars Attacks!” is likely Tim Burton’s least recognized movie. It’s a twist similar to Psycho, where the audience stays alert for who will be the next unexpected casualty, all wrapped within the B-movie charm of an Ed Wood production.

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2025-01-05 00:10