MARS ATTACKS: DVD

SYNOPSIS:
Inspired by the popular Topps trading card series, the film is a funky, spoofy alien invasion story, as the US citizens defend themselves against a Martian invasion of the earth. There is also love, grotesqueness and wholesale craziness at large.

"Whenever you hear the name Tim Burton, expect something a little extraordinary. It all began in 1962, when the Topps company created a trading card series called ‘Mars Attacks’. Inspired by these cards and the many hokey ‘alien invasion’ movies of the 50’s and 60’s, Burton created this strangely spectacular and hilariously funny motion picture. In essence, this is a familiar plot but with the creative Burton twist. Martians have come to invade Earth, so watch out! As the melodrama unfolds we follow the lives of several different characters as they each go through their own crises. Nearing defeat and utter annihilation, we retaliate with an unforeseen and unexpected weapon. Mars Attacks is presented in the original widescreen format. With the exception of a few minor film artifacts, the transfer itself is quite magnificent and is consistently bright and colourful. The menu is simple but effective in design, with an image of Earth with flying saucers floating in front of it. A simple click on one of the flying saucers links you to the small selection of extra features on the disc. These include some interesting production notes, some (out-dated) cast bios and filmographies, the theatrical trailer as well as the language and sub-title selections. Another welcome extra to this disc is an isolated music score on track two, where you can listen to Danny Elfman’s unusual and dramatic score uninterrupted by ray gun wielding Martians. With some amazing special effects and a cast with more stars than the night sky, Mars Attacks is a welcome addition to the Australian DVD lineup and is definitely one of Warner Bros. better efforts."
Ben Hooft