Mars Attacks!
[4K/digital]
I’ve been watching Mars Attacks for 30 years now and I think I finally got it. It was a long road, I guess. I remember seeing ads for this on TV and renting it on VHS as soon as it was available. I don’t really recall what I thought of it, but I believe I was entertained by it. Maybe? What happened that time, probably, was that I didn’t quite grasp the star-studded nature of this. I saw it more as an intentional blockbuster.
Fast forward 15 years, and now watching it with my girlfriend at the time, I was underwhelmed by it. I think she was too. I recognized the faces but the campiness of it all escaped me still. Why did the special effects look so aged? Why wasn’t the message deeper?
I don’t know why, but in spite all this, I recently gave it another shot, and I finally get it now. Is there anything to get? Mars Attacks is MEANT to be cheesy, star-studded, and superficial. Also, I recognize the faces, now. Hey, that’s Anette Benning, star of Nyad! That’s Joe Don Baker, Mitchel himself! Is that Frank Welker I hear? Why, yes it is! Mars Attacks’ sole purpose is to have fun at its own expense.
So, once it sunk in that this is a throwback to the cheesy alien movies of the 50s (and not a reinvention of it), I was much more engaged. The hateful little aliens are supposed to be little shits. What else COULD they be in a movie like this? It makes watching their heads explore much more fun. All the actors are painting with broad strokes and the cameos are self-aware.
I wonder if maybe this movie has just aged really well. It’s a time capsule of a time capsule which is wild. Mars Attacks is a 90s reflection on 50s fears and it’s still relevant today. This was a blast.
