Mars Attacks! (1996)
Movie · 1996 · Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction · 1h 46m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.8/10 (536.7K ratings)
Tagline: Nice planet. We'll take it!
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 2.8/10
- IMDb: 6.4/10
- Letterboxd: 3.25/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
- Metacritic: 52
- TMDB: 6.4/10
Director: Tim Burton
Production: Warner Bros. Pictures, Tim Burton Productions
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Janice Rivera, Ray J
Curator Review
Verdict: A gleefully mean, star-stuffed alien-invasion satire that turns disaster-movie spectacle into cartoon chaos. It’s messy on purpose, but the joke density, production design, and Burton’s love of retro sci-fi make it a cult favorite for viewers who enjoy absurdity over coherence.
Best for: fans of dark sci-fi comedy; viewers who like ensemble casts and broad satire; people who enjoy campy practical-effects spectacle; audiences in the mood for a gleefully chaotic 90s studio oddity
Skip if: you want a tight, emotionally grounded story; you dislike broad slapstick and tonal whiplash; you prefer serious alien-invasion thrillers; you need every joke to land cleanly
Overview: Mars Attacks! is a gleeful demolition of the alien-invasion movie, replacing awe with spite, slapstick, and a parade of movie-star casualties. Tim Burton leans into retro pulp design and deadpan cruelty, making the whole thing feel like a feverish toy-box version of a disaster epic.
Worth noting: What makes it endure is the commitment: the cast plays it straight, the Martians are hilariously vicious, and the visual gags keep escalating until the movie becomes a kind of anti-blockbuster. It’s not polished satire so much as a sustained prank on the genre, and that’s part of the fun.
Bottom line: The film can feel scattered, but its chaos is also its identity. If you enjoy camp, practical-effects weirdness, and a comedy that treats authority figures as punchlines, this is a very easy cult-watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- I.V.: The Martians aren’t the bad guys. They destroyed the political class, the capitalists, the generals, and the media so that the Earth could be inherited by service and transit workers, blaxploitation icons, gamer teens, and Tom Jones.
- Liam Barrett: It's like Independence Day if it shit itself.
- Keith 📽🎬🍿: ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK.
ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK.
ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK. ACK. ACK. ACK. ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK… more
- David Sims: it is insane that I was allowed to see this in a theater at the age of 10
- Sam: best cast of all time?
Recommended similar titles:
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988 · Comedy, Crime · 1h 26m · PG-13 · Curator 6.9/10 (641.8K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential)
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- Ed Wood (1994 · Comedy, Drama, History · 2h 7m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (363.3K ratings))
Another Burton film that celebrates outsider genre obsession, kitsch, and affectionate weirdness.
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Horror · 1h 40m · R · Curator 8.6/10 (848.3K ratings) · Where to watch: BroadwayHD)
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- The Witches of Eastwick (1987 · Comedy, Fantasy, Horror · 1h 58m · R · Curator 4.0/10 (196.3K ratings))
A Burton-adjacent fit for viewers who like starry, mischievous supernatural comedy with bite.
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986 · Horror, Comedy · 1h 34m · PG-13 · Curator 8.1/10 (350.2K ratings))
A musical black comedy where cheerful surfaces hide gleeful destruction and monster mayhem.
- Beetlejuice (1988 · Fantasy, Comedy · 1h 32m · PG · Curator 6.5/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: AMC, Philo)
Same love of grotesque humor, cartoonish production design, and anarchic tone.
- This Is Spinal Tap (1984 · Comedy, Music · 1h 22m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (398.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
A benchmark for deadpan parody and ensemble improvisational chaos.
- Airplane! (1980 · Comedy · 1h 28m · PG · Curator 7.6/10 (827.9K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus, Philo)
If the appeal is joke-a-minute absurdity and total tonal commitment, this is essential.
- Innerspace (1987 · Action, Comedy, Science Fiction · 2h · PG · Curator 4.9/10 (108.3K ratings))
A playful studio-era sci-fi comedy that balances effects spectacle with broad humor.
- The Fifth Element (1997 · Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 2h 6m · PG-13 · Curator 5.5/10 (1.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, TNT, Netflix Standard with Ads)
For flamboyant sci-fi design, comic energy, and a maximalist sense of fun.
- Evolution (2001 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Action · 1h 42m · PG-13 · Curator 1.3/10 (225.3K ratings))
A lighter, effects-driven alien-comedy cousin with broad studio comedy instincts.
- The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 · Science Fiction, Thriller, Drama · 1h 32m · G · Curator 8.0/10 (139.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Cultpix)
A classic alien-contact film that makes a good contrast point for the movie’s satirical demolition of the genre.
Topics: dark comedy, science fiction, satire, camp, alien invasion, ensemble cast, practical effects, 90s, pulp pastiche, black humor
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/mars-attacks/75
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Movie · 1996 · Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction · 1h 46m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 2.8/10 (536.7K ratings)
Nice planet. We'll take it!
Overview A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.8/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.25/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Metacritic: 52
TMDB: 6.4/10
Production Warner Bros. Pictures, Tim Burton Productions
Cast Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Tom Jones, Lukas Haas, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown, Lisa Marie, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Janice Rivera, Ray J
Curator Review
Verdict
A gleefully mean, star-stuffed alien-invasion satire that turns disaster-movie spectacle into cartoon chaos. It’s messy on purpose, but the joke density, production design, and Burton’s love of retro sci-fi make it a cult favorite for viewers who enjoy absurdity over coherence.
Best for
fans of dark sci-fi comedy
viewers who like ensemble casts and broad satire
people who enjoy campy practical-effects spectacle
audiences in the mood for a gleefully chaotic 90s studio oddity
Skip if
you want a tight, emotionally grounded story
you dislike broad slapstick and tonal whiplash
you prefer serious alien-invasion thrillers
you need every joke to land cleanly
Overview
Mars Attacks! is a gleeful demolition of the alien-invasion movie, replacing awe with spite, slapstick, and a parade of movie-star casualties. Tim Burton leans into retro pulp design and deadpan cruelty, making the whole thing feel like a feverish toy-box version of a disaster epic.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the commitment: the cast plays it straight, the Martians are hilariously vicious, and the visual gags keep escalating until the movie becomes a kind of anti-blockbuster. It’s not polished satire so much as a sustained prank on the genre, and that’s part of the fun.
Bottom line
The film can feel scattered, but its chaos is also its identity. If you enjoy camp, practical-effects weirdness, and a comedy that treats authority figures as punchlines, this is a very easy cult-watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
I.V. (3.5★) · 4215 likes
The Martians aren’t the bad guys. They destroyed the political class, the capitalists, the generals, and the media so that the Earth could be inherited by service and transit workers, blaxploitation icons, gamer teens, and Tom Jones.
Liam Barrett (4★) · 2765 likes
It's like Independence Day if it shit itself.
Keith 📽🎬🍿 (2★) · 2740 likes
ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK.
ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK.
ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK. ACK. ACK. ACK. ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK! ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK ACK… more
David Sims (3.5★) · 1813 likes
it is insane that I was allowed to see this in a theater at the age of 10
Sam (3.5★) · 1573 likes
best cast of all time?
Recommended similar titles
1988 · Comedy, Crime · 1h 26m · PG-13 · Curator 6.9/10 (641.8K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
For viewers who want relentless gag density and deadpan absurdity.
1994 · Comedy, Drama, History · 2h 7m · R · Curator 8.2/10 (363.3K ratings)
Another Burton film that celebrates outsider genre obsession, kitsch, and affectionate weirdness.
1975 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Horror · 1h 40m · R · Curator 8.6/10 (848.3K ratings) · Where to watch: BroadwayHD
For its camp sensibility, cult devotion, and gleeful embrace of theatrical excess.
1987 · Comedy, Fantasy, Horror · 1h 58m · R · Curator 4.0/10 (196.3K ratings)
A Burton-adjacent fit for viewers who like starry, mischievous supernatural comedy with bite.
1986 · Horror, Comedy · 1h 34m · PG-13 · Curator 8.1/10 (350.2K ratings)
A musical black comedy where cheerful surfaces hide gleeful destruction and monster mayhem.
1988 · Fantasy, Comedy · 1h 32m · PG · Curator 6.5/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: AMC, Philo
Same love of grotesque humor, cartoonish production design, and anarchic tone.
1984 · Comedy, Music · 1h 22m · R · Curator 8.4/10 (398.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A benchmark for deadpan parody and ensemble improvisational chaos.
1980 · Comedy · 1h 28m · PG · Curator 7.6/10 (827.9K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus, Philo
If the appeal is joke-a-minute absurdity and total tonal commitment, this is essential.
1987 · Action, Comedy, Science Fiction · 2h · PG · Curator 4.9/10 (108.3K ratings)
A playful studio-era sci-fi comedy that balances effects spectacle with broad humor.
1997 · Science Fiction, Action, Adventure · 2h 6m · PG-13 · Curator 5.5/10 (1.1M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, TNT, Netflix Standard with Ads
For flamboyant sci-fi design, comic energy, and a maximalist sense of fun.
2001 · Comedy, Science Fiction, Action · 1h 42m · PG-13 · Curator 1.3/10 (225.3K ratings)
A lighter, effects-driven alien-comedy cousin with broad studio comedy instincts.
1951 · Science Fiction, Thriller, Drama · 1h 32m · G · Curator 8.0/10 (139.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Cultpix
A classic alien-contact film that makes a good contrast point for the movie’s satirical demolition of the genre.
Topics
dark comedy, science fiction, satire, camp, alien invasion, ensemble cast, practical effects, 90s, pulp pastiche, black humor
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