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The problem is that no one knows if the aliens are malign or peaceful, so the President plays it safe. His speech to the nation is packed with nods to his family, Marsha (Glenn Close) and Taffy (Natalie Portman), and visions of interplanetary peace. Thus General Casey (Paul Winfield) is assigned to the job of welcoming the visitors, whilst paranoid General Decker (Rod Steiger) champs at the bit. Across the country in Las Vegas even the most obsessed gamblers break their play to watch the TV, apart from property developer Art Land (Jack Nicholson) and an obnoxious crapshooter (Danny DeVito). In this glitzy, neon-town where money rules, Tom Jones finds himself performing to a lounge-suited audience while former world-class boxer Byron Williams (Jim Brown) is reduced to parading as an Egyptian. Perhaps this is the one place that deserves alien death-ray destruction!
After decoding the Martian's latest message, it appears that their Ambassador will be disembarking in the Nevadan desert. For such a unprecedented occurrence the crowds are thick, pressing eagerly forward as the giant saucer unfolds its insectile legs, held back only by Casey's troops. A ramp unfurls and a bunch of big-brained beings sidle down, with tidings of peace and friendship. Unfortunately, under the horrified gaze of reporters Jason Stone (Michael J. Fox) and Nathalie Lake (Sarah Jessica Parker), the white dove released by an ageing hippy is blasted from the sky by the Ambassador himself! Chaos erupts as the Martians efficiently wipe out their welcoming party, disintegrating them to leave only their brightly coloured bones. This is a bit of a set-back for the President but, possibly, it was all a cultural misunderstanding? Perhaps the Ambassador should drop by Congress to explain!
A stupendously imaginative satire of apple-pie America and a homage to cheesy 50s sci-fi flicks, Mars Attacks! is truly the fruit of one man's hyperactive imagination. Tim Burton, inspired by a series of bubble-gum cards, unleashes a tidal wave which pokes fun at new-age dreamers, kill-happy squaddies, rapacious capitalists and more. Connected by the idea that Martians might invade not because they need to but just for the hell of it, Mars Attacks! raises superficiality to the level of an art form. The extended, A-list cast is handed a range of well-used disaster movie roles, put into separate groups then (in a stunning twist) decimated with abandon. There's none of the sickly "bonding together in adversity" which typified Independence Day. Here humanity is presented in its destructive, manipulative glory, scarcely worth saving when compared to the Martians.
Given that Mars Attacks! is Burton's movie throughout, there should be no expectation for a complex plot and involving characters. No drive for individual development is found because the roles are defined purely by the invasion and the context of the movie. That said, the cast seem to have fun being chased, mown down and experimented upon by the skull-busting invaders. Nicholson is unusually restrained as the President, though not so interesting as a hotel developer, while Brosnan and Steiger are excellent in their advisory roles. Elsewhere, the well-known actors find themselves getting fried while ordinary folk such as Brown, Sylvia Sidney (Grandma Norris) and Lukas Haas (Richie Norris) survive. However, the real stars are the superbly animated Martians. They cackle madly, grimace, frown, tumble and gallop around slaughtering folk in a totally believable way. Even better, the saucer scenes allow them to gloat and experiment freely, a whole new angle on alien invasions.
Mars Attacks! is utterly hilarious if approached in the right way; that fun can be had in subverting standard movie clichés. If you don't find the image of a bunch of aliens incinerating Congress intrinsically funny then maybe Mars Attacks! isn't for you, otherwise it's a scream. From the opening shots of wave after wave of an armada in tight formation, to alien brains exploding like popcorn, the film is a reckless and incoherent ride, ludicrous but inventive. The whole premise is absurd (that Martians would come all this way to play pranks) yet Burton takes this concept and runs with it. It'd be nice to have a sharper satirical edge yet even at this level it's obvious why Mars Attacks! wasn't a hit in the States. So many "sacred cows" are stamped on that a certain distance is required to really appreciate what Burton is trying to do. Ultimately though, Mars Attacks! is a perfect tonic for the dreadful Independence Day.
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