Classic Trailer Rewatch: Tim Burton’s ‘Mars Attacks!’ Sci-Fi Comedy
by Alex Billington
May 3, 2024
Source: YouTube
“They blew up Congress! Haha!” Do you remember this one? Or do you remember not going to see this one? Back in ’96, one of the hotly anticipated movies of the year was Tim Burton’s wacky sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks! He’d just directed Ed Wood before and everyone was waiting to see him take that zaniness and make his own alien comedy, opening in December before the holidays. But perhaps he went a bit too zany? Because this one bombed and most people hated it. The film is a parody of other sci-fi B movies. Earth is invaded by Martians with unbeatable ghastly weapons and a cruel sense of humor. Produced & directed by Tim Burton, but not written by him. Starring Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, and Danny DeVito, among others. The filmmakers hired ILM to create the Martians using computer animation after their previous plan to use stop motion, supervised by Barry Purves, fell through because of budgeting issues. Even these trailers aren’t that exciting, an early sign the movie wouldn’t live up to the hype. Perhaps it deserves a fresh new look now?
Here are three classic trailers for Tim Burton’s sci-fi comedy movie Mars Attacks!, found on YouTube:
It is a normal day for everyone on Earth, until President of the United States James Dale (Jack Nicholson) announces Martians have been spotted circling Earth. The Martians land and a meeting is arranged, but not everything goes to plan, and the Martians seem to have other plans for the planet Earth. Are they just misunderstood beings or do they really want to destroy all of humanity? Mars Attacks! is a sci-fi comedy directed by the acclaimed, visionary American filmmaker Tim Burton, his 8th feature film at the time after directing Ed Wood (1994) and before going on to make Sleepy Hollow (1999) next. The screenplay is written by Jonathan Gems; adapted from the original trading card series created by Len Brown & Woody Gelman & Wally Wood & Bob Powell & Norm Saunders. Featuring music by Danny Elfman. Released by Warner Bros, Burton’s Mars Attacks! originally hit US theaters on December 13th, 1996 during the holiday season. The movie bombed big time and barely made $37 million from its theatrical run in the 90s. Any fans out there?
 |
