Studio: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Release Date: 8/11/2026
Rating: PG-13
Film Grade: B
The Story: It’s first contact with alien life from just a hop, skip, and a planet away. Martians have arrived on Earth. Such a sophisticated and technologically advanced race must be peaceful. Right?
My Take: 1996 was the debut for two different movies about aliens invading Earth. Independence Day came out in June, with Mars Attacks! hitting screens six months later. At the time, I can remember fandom split in two over the two movies. I’m firmly in the Mars Attacks! camp, so keep that in mind when reading this review.
My wife and I both loved it when we saw it in the theater, and to this day we’ll walk around the house randomly squawking out, “Ack, ack. Ack, ack,” at each other for no discernable reason, mimicking those delightful Martians. Well, delightful when they weren’t causing unwarranted rampant destruction, that is.
Tim Burton’s wildest imagination is unleashed in this loosely based adaptation of a Topps trading card series that was release back in the early 1960s. Writer Jonathan Gems sent Burton a set of both the Mars Attacks and Dinosaurs Attack cards. While Burton would have preferred to make the dinosaur version, the announced production of The Lost World: Jurassic Park nipped that in the bud. And thankfully so, since it allowed him to put his talents toward this gem instead.
We get Burton fully unleashed in this film, aided by some excellent use of CGI that brought these strange little aliens to life in a way that would have been tough to manage through traditional effects. The animation creates cute, but ruthlessly deadly little green humanoids whose entire language consists of that simple word, “Ack.” Even so, there’s an enormous amount of emoting that comes through their faces, often through their expressive eyes. The result is a cartoon come to life, emulating the comic book style of those original trading cards. That approach helps lessen the horrible amounts of destruction throughout the movie, giving the audience permission to laugh at the antics without guilt. Even the destruction is imaginative, with the Martian weapons evaporating flesh, leaving DayGlo-style skeletons behind, which is a shocking visual delight.
The story switches quickly between different parties from around the country, with a packed cast. Jack Nicholson plays two roles, one as President Dale, the other as a would-be cassino developer. There’s no mistaking him in either part, but he does give two very different takes on the characters, with his version of the president being surprisingly straightforward. While he gets most of the screen time, there’s lots of other talent involved, including Annette Bening, Martin Short, Pierce Brosnan, Rod Steiger, Jim Brown, Glenn Close, and many others. If there’s a weakness here, having that many characters in a movie that’s just 106 minutes long doesn’t allow much time for development or attachment. That last part is less important, since the death toll is high, and the characters are there mostly to support the wild action.
And while this won’t be mistaken for a serious commentary on society, the movie does take jabs at the vapid way TV blends news and entertainment, the influence of public relations on government decisions and policymaking, and the potential dangers of putting unquestioning trust in pompous experts while in unknown situations. But don’t fear, this is all handled as subtext for the plot, adding a small measure of depth to the story and never bogging things down.
Visuals: This new 4K UHD transfer looks terrific. Grain is present but never prominent and doesn’t look like it was scrubbed away. There are some soft shots, mostly in distant establishing scenes, but that reflects what was captured on film, not due to the transfer. Colors of the mundane Earth surroundings look natural and authentic, which gives great contrast to the sparkly colors of the Martian leaders’ clothes, and the primary hues of their weaponry. Darks are deep but lack definition in a few shots. The bright lights of Vegas are well represented against the darkened skies.
Audio: The disc comes with both the original 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix and a new Atmos version. I watched the movie with the Atmos track and later compared it to the original. The Atmos remix is an odd duck. It mostly seems to be used to expand the sound field with the occasional use of added discrete effects. For example, there’s a shot where we’re looking down at helicopters, but the rotors are heard from the tops. In other scenes, dialog is heard from above. Wides contained a surprising amount of bass, which I found rather odd. When switching back to the 5.1 track, the expansiveness was lessened dramatically, so I recommend the Atmos version for best effect. Just be aware that it doesn’t match the best efforts of today’s capabilities. Thankfully, the subs do not appear muted on this title, unlike some other studio’s recent rereleases.
Burton turned to frequent collaborator Danny Elfman for this soundtrack, and what a score it is! Starting with the opening credits we know we’re in for an eerie and whimsical treat. A chorus of male and female voices sing out non-lingual notes accompanied by a raucous symphonic track that sets the perfect mood for the film. Deep bass notes mix with the otherworldly theremin to create an almost Looney Tunes accompaniment to the wild onscreen antics that feels both fresh and energetic.
Special Features: While both bonus videos are short, they’re informative. It’s good to hear from behind-the-scenes talent, but I would have love to hear a commentary track from Burton himself. On the plus side, we get a short interview with Randy Thom, a name well recognized for spectacular sound mixes.
Looking Back on Mars Attacks! Filmmakers swap stories about working with Tim Burton on one of the 1990s’ wackiest alien-invasion films.
Ack! Ack! Aesthetic Filmmakers explore the distinctive style of Mars Attacks! and reveal how then-cutting-edge CGI shaped its iconic look.
Final Verdict: Team Independence Day or Team Mars Attacks!? While I’ll probably never watch the former again, I’m delighted to revisit this title. Filled with absurd situations, garish visuals, and dark humor, Burton has brought forth a disaster movie in the form of a live action cartoon. To its credit, there’s no attempt to treat the plot seriously. It revels in silly excess. Yet, is the ending any less ridiculous than the more seriously-minded Independence Day?
This was Burton in his most stylistic and goofy period and highly recommended for fans of his work. My wife and I both love this movie, and this looks great in 4K.
Deliciously Deceitful Dialog: "Don't run. We are your friends."
This extended clip covers first encounter, so don't watch if you want to avoid all spoilers.
This review was written by a human without the use of AI.My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
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