Post

[Thread] 🤟So: Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! When I was 16, this film didn't excite me and I just wanted Independence Day. At 44, I'm so glad this movie exists!

The odds of a tribute to 50s sci-fi films, with irreverent humor but also a strong budget for such films, are so low. Not to say virtually impossible in 2025. But here it is: this film is simply unique. We're lucky it exists at all. Whether we like it or not, it's a truly powerful proposition.

The story is basic, but that's its strength. When you know the films of the 50s, you react like DiCaprio in front of a TV. References everywhere. But it's not simply nostalgia for movies seen in youth, as many of our recent blockbusters are. It's also the ultimate film in this genre.

Right from the start, the film sets the tone with hundreds of spaceships! How cool is that? Sure, they're identical flying saucers, but it's totally in keeping with the style that inspires this film. It totally respects the idea behind the trading card series released in 1962 by Topps.

There are even mechs! It's so cool. The fun is taken to the extreme, I love it. Martians are so mean, so evil, so devious, it's perfect. The film makes such good use of the key elements of sci-fi. The aggressive human general is perfect, too. 😁

And all those scenes focusing on a secondary character with an often dark, sometimes potty humor? It's so rare. The scientist played by Brosnan is sooo good. We've seen this character in so many sci-fi movies. And the end of his storyline is, well, surprising. 😁

I completely understand why this film didn't find its audience, or why many people still don't like it for that matter. But I'm so glad it exists. And to have seen it again. Impressive upgrade in my opinion. 👍

I think my first favorite of 2025 is a film from 1996. 😁

For the record, I also love Independence Day. Because it's really raw and ridiculous (the president's speech 🥰). It's also a strong, if less original, proposition. I love these two films for opposite reasons. I just wish I'd been mature enough back then to understand Mars Attacks! the way I do now.

I could almost say I watch Independence Day for the alien invasion and Mars Attacks! for the humans and Martians.

Ack!