Mars Attacks!

55%

Tomatometer

87 Reviews

53%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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 (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) 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.

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Critics Consensus

Tim Burton's alien invasion spoof faithfully recreates the wooden characters and schlocky story of cheesy '50s sci-fi and Ed Wood movies -- perhaps a little too faithfully for audiences.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Salisbury

Empire Magazine

A giddily madcap, surreal, sardonic satire that sets out to be deliberately cheesy.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 7, 2018

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

Oh, those Martians! They are funny, mean little buggers, and they're worthing checking out.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 7, 2018

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Peter Rainer

New Times

It's a destructo orgy without any phony-baloney sanctimony about the fellowship of man -- or spaceman.

Dec 7, 2018

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Even with a few decent laughs and unforgettable antagonists, the end result isn’t spectacular; it’s a unique sci-fi genre blend, recalling productions from a bygone era of schlockier monster movies, but it’s only moderately entertaining.

Rated: 4/10

Nov 8, 2024

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

It’s such a wonderful lampoon of the establishment and hammers in Burton’s disdain for those in charge. It’s also got the frenetic spirit of a PG-13 Tex Avery/Chuck Jones/Bob Clampett cartoon.

Jun 25, 2022

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Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

It's not the funniest, saddest, or most poignant film in Tim Burton's filmography, but it is a great deal of fun. (25th anniversary)

Rated: 4/5

Dec 15, 2021

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Audience Reviews

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thiago s Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, o elenco é legal,Algumas cenas são boas, mas o cgi é ruim, e o pior a velha que estava escutando música clássica, salva o mundo dos aliens, que porra é essa. Uma velha no asilo salvou a porra do mundo. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 11/12/24 Full Review Mister I The aliens traumatised me the one on the film poster has the most sus face Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 10/23/24 Full Review Andrew M The movie gets better as the years pass by. Fun, such a fun film. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/11/24 Full Review Audience Member Pure farcical perfection! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Cristina L É muito legal e doido Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/13/24 Full Review Audience Member One of the worst films ever. My sole reaction was to vomit. Was expecting a fun sci-fi. Instead got a wretched movie that all involved with ought to be deeply embarrassed as they cashed their checks.Check out Killer Klowns from Outer Space to see how's it's done, and on a shoe-string budget, with a no name cast. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/12/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Mars Attacks!

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Cast & Crew

Tim Burton Director Jack Nicholson President James Dale Glenn Close First Lady Marsha Dale Annette Bening Barbara Land Pierce Brosnan Professor Donald Kessler Danny DeVito Rude Gambler

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Mars Attacks!

Mars Attacks! (1996)

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Synopsis 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 (Jack Nicholson) receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) 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.

Director: Tim Burton
Producer: Tim Burton, Larry J. Franco, Laurie Parker
Screenwriter: Woody Gelman, Bob Powell, Norman Saunders
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 12, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.8M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Surround