6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 2.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.8 |
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds the world's major cities and all of humanity waits to see if the extraterrestrial visitors have, as they claim, "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale receives assurance from science professor Donald Kessler that the Martians' mission is a friendly one. But when a peaceful exchange ends in the total annihilation of the U.S. Congress, military men call for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVitoDark humor | 100% |
Comedy | 85% |
Sci-Fi | 17% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.41:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Czech: Dolby Digital 2.0
Thai: Dolby Digital 2.0
BDInfo
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish, Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Tim Burton. Eccentric genius or colorful mad hatter? Every time I decide, every time I claw my way out of his head, he pulls me back in. When his quirky, candy-coated imagination and macabre sensibilities align -- Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, and Sweeney Todd leap to mind -- his films emerge as infectious works of art. When the two collide -- Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and, most recently, Alice in Wonderland -- the ensuing misfires are gaudy, shallow, surprisingly bland blends of lofty concepts and seemingly uninspired execution. For me, Mars Attacks! lies somewhere in between. Based on the controversial 1962 Topps trading card series of the same name, his garish sci-fi comedy confused audiences and confounded critics. Was it a parody? Satire? B-movie homage? Dark comedy? Self-indulgent whim? All of the above? No one knew; least of all me, a seventeen-year-old fledgling film buff who walked away from his hometown cineplex cursing Burton's name. But that was 1996. Fourteen years later, I decided to give Mars Attacks! a second chance. And this time, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
The stage is crowded, but Nicholson steals the show...
Mars Attacks! looks fantastic in high definition... here and there. Unfortunately, Warner's 1080p/VC-1 transfer is the product of a dated, problematic master; one groomed for DVD scrutiny and little more. Don't get me wrong, the Blu-ray edition handily outclasses its 1997 standard definition counterpart -- it boasts several substantial (albeit largely inherent) improvements -- but a more complete overhaul would have eliminated many of the issues that sully the presentation and allowed Burton's vision to truly shine. Peter Suschitzky's vivid colors and gushing primaries have been rejuvenated, but slight contrast inconsistencies, frequently flushed fleshtones and unreliable, at-times overbearing black levels prove to be regular distractions. Detail is also hit-or-miss. Fine textures are pudgy and waxy one minute (no doubt the result of intermittent noise reduction), satisfying and suitably resolved the next. Object definition impresses on occasion, particularly for a fourteen-year-old catalog comedy, but flounders whenever overzealous edge enhancement and subsequent ringing becomes obvious. Daytime exteriors and well-lit interiors make promises the film's shadowy ships and nighttime sequences fail to uphold. More distressingly, the image, though fairly clean on the whole, is sometimes disrupted by soupy grain, murky clarity, unsightly crush, errant artifacts, faint banding and some minor aliasing. No single issue ruins the presentation, but together, they take a toll. Does Mars Attacks! look better on Blu? Absolutely. Could it look much better? Without a doubt.
All that mayhem! All that destruction! You'd think Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track would be a show-stopper. Alas, Mars Attacks! features a rather average lossless mix that delivers an adequate upgrade and nothing more. Dialogue is crisp, clean and nicely prioritized, dynamics are passable, separation is commendable and directionality, though far from convincing, is decent. However, low-end tones are loud but cumbersome, growling when a roar is required and grumbling when thunder is called for. Explosions pack heat but little punch, tank cannons fire with the same intensity as pistols, and the martians' ships and Danny Elfman's score are the only elements that take advantage of the LFE channel. The rear speakers flounder as well, and the majority of the film is reduced to an unengaging, front-heavy affair. Ambience, music and acoustic flourishes worm their way across the soundfield, but few make an impact and even fewer assist the track's already middling soundfield. It isn't bad per se, just imprecise and unremarkable.
While its 1997 DVD counterpart offers an isolated score track and two theatrical trailers, the Blu-ray edition of Mars Attacks! doesn't include any special features.
Mars Attacks! is a divisive B-movie throwback, but if you keep that exclamation point in mind, you won't be surprised by the scattershot, hyper-cheesy tactics Burton and his charter bus of A-listers employ. The Blu-ray edition is a bust though. While it represents a significant upgrade from its 1997 DVD counterpart, its video transfer is riddled with issues, its DTS-HD Master Audio track will elicit shoulder shrugs, and its supplemental package is non-existent. Still, even if you hated Mars Attacks! fourteen years ago, the film itself is worth another shot. If you're anything like me, it just might surprise you.
1988
Collector's Edition
1985
Director's Cut
1986
2013
1996
2011
2013
2016
1987
Standard Edition
1982
20th Anniversary
2004
2015
1986
2010
2013
2000
Reissue
1985
1983
2014
Unrated Special Edition
2009