O.K., so there's no proper spelling probably for the comical ranting of the Martians here which after hearing makes American First Lady Glenn Close declare, "Well, they are not eating off of the Van Buren China!". An all-star cast of famous actors, from octogenarian Sylvia Sidney down to teenager Natalie Portman, fill out the roles of the humans fighting against the invading aliens, all from the mind of director Tim Burton who brings the classic comic strip to life.
There's no time for boredom in this comical disaster movie spoof, and very little "exposition", one of the biggest complaints on recent films like "2012" where family drama had to take focus until disaster struck. There's no family with estrangements, no couple on the outs, just the fantasy of what might happen if the green aliens we have always wondered about decided to attack Earth and destroy humanity.
Along side Close as the president is Jack Nicholson, trying to remain together, but horrified as the crisis grows. Nicholson also plays the seemingly sleazy Las Vegas hotel owner, with Annette Bening as his alcoholic wife who is thrilled by the potential of the Martian's arrival. The closest you get to family crisis is Washington D.C. bus driver Pam Grier's discovery that her teenaged kids are skipping school to play video games and husband Jim Brown's absence as he works in Las Vegas, as well as the Kansas trailer park family of sweet Lukas Haas who is shocked by the sudden taking of one of their own by the Martians.
"They blew up congress!", grandma Sylvia Sidney laughs, and don't count this old lady out. The star of classic movies like "Dead End" and "Sabotage" in the 1930's was making a name for herself 60 years later by nice roles in this and "Beetlejuice" for director Burton, and here, he gives her a great little part with lots of surprises in it. There's also Sara Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Pierce Brosnan and Michael J. Fox, as well as a cameo by Tom Jones who gets into the plot as himself. Lots of one-great liners, a fun combination of animation with live footage makes this a must, and one you may find yourself attacking again and again.
There's no time for boredom in this comical disaster movie spoof, and very little "exposition", one of the biggest complaints on recent films like "2012" where family drama had to take focus until disaster struck. There's no family with estrangements, no couple on the outs, just the fantasy of what might happen if the green aliens we have always wondered about decided to attack Earth and destroy humanity.
Along side Close as the president is Jack Nicholson, trying to remain together, but horrified as the crisis grows. Nicholson also plays the seemingly sleazy Las Vegas hotel owner, with Annette Bening as his alcoholic wife who is thrilled by the potential of the Martian's arrival. The closest you get to family crisis is Washington D.C. bus driver Pam Grier's discovery that her teenaged kids are skipping school to play video games and husband Jim Brown's absence as he works in Las Vegas, as well as the Kansas trailer park family of sweet Lukas Haas who is shocked by the sudden taking of one of their own by the Martians.
"They blew up congress!", grandma Sylvia Sidney laughs, and don't count this old lady out. The star of classic movies like "Dead End" and "Sabotage" in the 1930's was making a name for herself 60 years later by nice roles in this and "Beetlejuice" for director Burton, and here, he gives her a great little part with lots of surprises in it. There's also Sara Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Pierce Brosnan and Michael J. Fox, as well as a cameo by Tom Jones who gets into the plot as himself. Lots of one-great liners, a fun combination of animation with live footage makes this a must, and one you may find yourself attacking again and again.