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Mars Attacks!
This article is about the film. For the trading card series, see Mars Attacks
Mars Attacks! 
Theatrical release poster Directed by Tim Burton Produced by Tim Burton
Larry J. Franco Written by Jonathan Gems Starring Jack Nicholson
Lukas Haas
Annette Bening
Jim Brown
Pierce Brosnan
Sarah Jessica Parker
Glenn Close
Martin Short
Michael J. Fox
Jack Black
Natalie Portman
Danny DeVito Music by Danny Elfman Cinematography Peter Suschitzky Editing by Chris Lebenzon Studio Tim Burton Productions
Warner Bros. Pictures Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Release date(s) December 13, 1996 Country United States Language English Budget $100 million Gross revenue $101.37 million
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 comic science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour and political satire, and is also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies. Mars Attacks! stars an ensemble cast, which includes Jack Nicholson, Lukas Haas, Annette Bening, Jim Brown, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Glenn Close, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Jack Black, Natalie Portman, Danny DeVito, and Christina Applegate.
Director Tim Burton and writer Jonathan Gems began development for Mars Attacks! in 1993, and Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to the trading card series on Burton's behalf. When Gems turned in his first draft in 1994, Warner Bros. commissioned rewrites from Gems, Burton, Martin Amis, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski in an attempt to lower the budget to $60 million. The final production budget came to $80 million, while Warners spent another $20 million on the Mars Attacks! marketing campaign. Filming lasted from February to June 1996.
The filmmakers hired Industrial Light & Magic to create the Martians using computer animation after their previous plan to use stop motion, supervised by Barry Purves, fell through because of budget limitations. Mars Attacks! was released on December 13, 1996 to mixed reviews from critics. The film grossed approximately $101 million in box office totals, which was seen as a disappointment. Mars Attacks! was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and earned multiple nominations at the Saturn Awards.
Cast:
Christina Applegate,
Annette Bening,
Jack Black,
Pierce Brosnan,
Glenn Close,
Danny DeVito,
Jack Nicholson,
Barbet Schroeder,
Pam Grier,
Lukas Haas,
Natalie Portman,
Paul Winfield,
Brandon Hammond,
Rod Steiger,
O-Lan Jones,
Lisa Marie,
Michael J. Fox,
Sylvia Sidney,
Jerzy Skolimowski,
Joe Don Baker,
Jim Brown,
Tom Jones,
Martin Short,
Sarah Jessica Parker,
Timi Prulhiere,
Rebecca Broussard,
Brian Haley,
Janice Riveria
Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Fantasy
Release Date: December 13, 1996
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 43min
Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy, Fantasy
Release Date: December 13, 1996
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 43min
More Mars Attacks! reviews
** out of **** To its credit, “Mars Attacks” is better than it should be. But it’s also worse than it should be, and that’s exactly where it falls flat. “Mars Attacks” is Tim Burton’s attempt at either satirizing or honoring the “B Movie” (it’s too hard to tell which one he’s really doing). Sadly, “Mars Attacks” is neither funny enough nor entertaining enough to hold … more
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Compliments (22)
Ed Wood's "Plan 9 from Outer Space” was as dull uneventful and as worthless as any picture he had made, yet somehow it has established itself as the creator of the Sci-Fi spoof. Many films have followed it is footsteps but all have been labeled cheesy, uneventful, worthless and some of the worst films of all time. That is until a visionary director named Tim Burton put his spin on Ed Woods trademark trait for making bad movies, his film, a homage to" … more
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Compliments (24)
Entertaining, but most of the movie seems forced in its humor.
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