As far as judging filmmakers for a specific era in their career, the 80s/90s era for Tim Burton easily ranks among my favorites. His fresh approach led to many of the films that have since defined my childhood. Pee Wee's Big Adventure is one of the most innocent and well meaning movies I've ever seen and occupies a special place in my heart. Beetlejuice scared me so much growing up, but now I appreciate all the smart humor that resides in it. Batman and Batman Returns formed the foundation of who the Caped Crusader was, and still is, for me in a way that may have been improved with Nolan's films, but not truly recaptured. Edward Scissorhands, Burton's Gothic take on Pinocchio, is maybe Burton's most beautiful film. Although I came to it recently, Ed Wood is a worthy and important piece in his filmography. But maybe the most overlooked piece of this period was the film that ended it, Mars Attacks!
It's always baffled me that in this age of nostalgia and genre-spoofing no one of note as championed this work out of the proverbial film closet, outing it for its gay (as in happy) disposition. With modern day spoofs like Shaun of the Dead, the Scary Movie franchise, or The Adventures of Pluto Nash reaching some level of critical or financial success (kidding about the last one, as it fits neither distinction), Mars Attacks! proves that the 90s weren't ready for any cynical or ironic take on science fiction. After all, Independence Day had opened that same year (1996) to very sizable box office returns. Burton highlighted the subject matter's similarities as a coincidence, saying "we made a Mad magazine version" of Independence Day. However, at points, it's very hard to distinguish which one is more absurd.
It's easy to tell that Burton, if no one else, had a ball at spoofing these conventions that he grew up with and adored. Paying homage throughout the film to numerous science fiction B movies from the 50s and 60s, the movie makes these elements even more laughable when compared to the grave and serious tone that ID4 took. Instead of the characters becoming tired, overused cliches, they already were tired, overused cliches, highlighting the absurdity of the situation and how these characters react to it. And a lot of the comic brilliance of this movies comes from the stellar casting choices.
Jack Nicholson, for my money, plays the best fictional character in history in James Dale, a stoic, portrait-like leader who wants nothing more than to make peace with the Martians. Nicholson also plays Art Land, an eccentric Vegas tycoon who is totally un-phased by the sense of urgency that a Martian invasion poses. It seems pretty obvious to me that Nicholson, who loved working with Burton on Batman, had the time of his life here playing two opposite ends of the spectrum. The film has several references to Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: chief among them being the immortal concept of multiple performances by Peter Sellers. I would probably vote Dale for president. Sadly, this might mean that my country, let alone my world, would cease to exist.
There are so many other big names here, along with smaller roles that are played by future stars or headlines. Glenn Close plays First Lady Marsha Dale, a stuffy parody of your generic First Lady archetype, to great effect. Martin Short is the annoying Press Secretary, Pierce Brosnan the too-smart-for-his-own-good scientist, Natalie Portman the disinterested First Daughter...I could go on and on. Half the fun of this movie is the random and fun casting choices that add that extra zing of authenticity to the movie. Jack Black also plays a dimwitted soldier, with Rod Steiger as the hot headed general looking to "NUKE THEM NOW!", voicing this at any available chance. Jim Brown and Pam Grier also play great, surprising roles as an estranged couple caught up in the attack. Oh, and Danny De Vito is in something like two scenes of the movie and his name is on the poster. Why not?
Just writing this post reminds me why this movie is so enjoyable and has stuck with me years after first seeing it. It's a fun and silly farce disguised as big budget fare with a huge cast and director behind it. Ever since Burton has directed this, I've been greatly disappointed with his subsequent body of work, almost to the point of banishing him from any consideration. However, every time I nearly do this, I'm reminded about what his early films have meant, and still mean, to me. They represent deep, personal memories that helped develop my love and taste for movies. In some ways, as odd as this sounds, Mars Attacks! is one of the most personal films to me. I leave you with this.
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