Mars Attacks! (1996)
I absolutely love this movie. No other science fiction comedy comes close. Well maybe Galaxy Quest, but that is somewhat different. I am not really big on Tim Burton, but this is absolutely gold. I have seen it countless times since 1996, but it has been a while since last time and it still holds up. The fantastic score and the 50’s kitsch atmosphere sets the mood and the movie sure doesn’t waste any time in its 100+ minute runtime.
What makes this work so well is the absolute stacked cast of great actors. Again confirming by belief that good actors are better at comedic timing in movies than comedians. Jack Nicholson is stellar as both the president and the casino-man. Pierce Brosnan has the proper demeanor as the confident professor, making quite a character with his stupid pipe. Rod Steiger nails it as the war-hungry general that they really should have listened to from the start. And then there are all the rest not limited to such big names as Michael J. Fox, Danny DeVito, Tom Jones and Glenn Close. Despite no one really being the main character in this movie and many characters only getting a small amount of screen time, no one falls through and we know enough about them to not really miss anything deeper.
Tim Burton is utterly committed to the silly, but extremely well made, action style with plenty of explosions and iconic destruction scenes. All in the name of good old fashioned fun.
Rating: 5