Top 11 Favorite Alien invasion Movies

Welcome, ladies and gentlenerds to the very first DeviantArt Text I ever made!
And I've decided to dedicate this text to my Top 11 Favorite Alien invasion Movies.

Among all the branches of Sience Fiction, the idea of an alien invasion has always fascinated me, how a first contact with intelligent beings from other worlds could go horribly wrong, so here I am to share with you the 11 different takes many filmmakers made on the subject. These are my favorite Alien invasion movies:

Number 11=The Blob (1958)
Sorry, but I couldn't make a list Alien invasion movies without including this classic!
The tale of a life forms-eating alien monster that comes down on Earth through a meteorite and terrorizes a small town after the failed attempt to warn everyone by a group of teens who discovered it has become part of pop culture history, almost like a modern-day fable.
I have to admit that for today standards this is a very aged film for most moviegoers; if you watch this movie with your friends they're probably going to make fun of its cheap effects and poor use of miniatures, but for me this isn't a special effects movie, I don't look into it for the effects, but more for the substance and impact it did.
Most film fans will know that this was Steve McQueen's first acting role, and for being his first time, I think he did a pretty damn good job into portraying the wise-cracking teenager Steve Andrews, and we should also admire this movie for being one of the first films of the genre where common teenagers are the heroes of the picture.
While you can laugh at the effects or ignore its importance in the history of Sience Fiction, we can all at least agree that this movie has an immortal charm of the '50s for how everyone dresses and talks, therefore it makes up for an entertaining look to the past. I really wish I could partecipate to the annual "Blobfest" in Phoenixville someday to see the props and effects they used for the Blob, and most of all run away with a panicked crowd from the Colonial Theatre for having that unique and unreplaceable experience of being part of this SciFi classic and appreciate even more the strong impact it made on the genre, as soon as we will find out in the next choices of the list...

Number 10=Pacific Rim (2013)
In my opinion, this is the movie of the future, where movies are made with a fresh approach and concepts made out of passion instead of rehashing and rebooting already existing franchises in the name of the dollar. Good alien invasion-related action blockbuster movies are a rarity, with poorly written and acted pieces of shit such as "Independence Day", "Skyline" and Michael Bay's "Transformers" series out there clouding people's tastes, but Guillermo Del Toro's "Pacific Rim" proves to be one of the best of all time.
With staggering craftsmanship, stellar effects, great talent in front of and behind the camera as well as a sense of fun and awe. The amount of jaw-dropping scenes and setpieces just need to be seen to be believed.
Despite its flaws, what I love about this movie is that it's absolutely honest with itself and was made by the heart of one of the best living filmmakers of our time, who has the passion and sense of scope to make something THIS bold and original-looking despite taking ideas from old japanese monster movies and gundam animes in the same way Star Wars took from old samurai, adventure and war films, and it does it in a way that won't feel dated in the years to come (unlike the other blockbusters I previously mentioned which aged poorly).
And without being pretentious, I think "Pacific Rim" is also more than a 'dumb popcorn film', it's a movie about THE WHOLE WORLD coming together to face a common threat: if two different people aren't working together, the Jaeger doesn't work.
After seeing truly dumb films like "Independence Day" or Bayformers where American iconography and hero worship save the day because the plot demands to, "Pacific Rim" shares the love with the rest of the world, to make one of a kind action alien invasion movie masterpiece. And if you disagree, eat a rocket-powered fist.

Number 9=Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
I know it looks insane to put a such strange movie like this on a higher level than an big budget blockbuster, but I just can't help it. "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" has to be one of the most unusual but memorable as hell Alien invasion movies ever made. Paying homage to "The Blob", this movie revolves around a couple of teenagers who stumble upon some CREEPY AS FUCK aliens that look like clowns and actually use clown gadgets and tricks to kill people. Other than carrying out a surreal killing spree of innocent townsfolk, the main goal of the Klowns is to trap as much people possible into cocoons of acidic cotton candy, which liquefies the victims in order to be consumed by the Klowns.
...Yeah, I can't really make a proper review of this movie, other than describing what I see in it.
Therefore all I can do is just recommending you to watch it, it's definitely something you don't see everyday. I hate when people say that this movie "is so bad it's good"... THIS MOVIE IS NOT BAD! Considering that it was an independent film, the effects and some of the actors they got are pretty darn impressive and seriously, the PLOT of this movie as weird as it is it's actually SOLID! There are no holes I have noticed in all the times I watched this movie, a shitty film that people stupidly ignore its falws and then pretend to be good has to be "Independence Day", please learn how to recognize a BAD movie! Speaking of that piece of shit, it's so piss poor it had to actually steal a scene from "Killer Klowns from Outer Space"; the scene where the alien kills a guy and then speaks through him is stolen from this movie! Plus, aside from being consistent, KKFOS is a witty dark comedy and at no point it predents to be more than it actually is!
Bashing an objectively bad movie aside, I do understand that this film doesn't exactly look like a movie for moviegoers of all ages and a mainstream audience, but just like the legendary Bruce Campbell once said:
"A cult classic is one that has been fully embraced by an alternative audience, not the popular audience"
Blessed words in my book. I do believe that this movie is pretty inspirational though, I have a very soft spot for decent-looking movies that are made with very little money because the project is realized with the makers' experience and I can always feel a passion in films like this one. The Chiodo Brothers, the makers of this movie, have recently announced that they're making the long-anticipated sequel and it should be ready just in time for the film's 25th anniversary. Taking into consideration what they have done in the '80s with little money, I can't wait to see what they'll come up with using some modern technology. But for the moment I'm absolutely cool with the original.
So, "Killer Klowns from Outer Space"! A movie that's so Craaazzy I can't help it but adore.

Number 8=Starship Troopers (1997)
This is a very original yet unexpected way to handle the concept of an Alien invasion, so much that back when it was released it polarized critics and audience, many claiming it to be just a mere popcorn movie that glorifies war with bland characters in a very Emmerich fashion. When I saw it the very first time I had the same impression and I disliked the movie for that.
But as time went on and I grew up, my view on this movie went from better to maximum respect!
Based on homonymous 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein, "Starship Troopers" follows the exploits of a young soldier named Johnny Rico and his friends in the "Mobile Infantry", a futuristic military unit that everyone who wants to earn citizenship is forced to serve. Rico's military career progresses from recruit to non-commissioned officer and finally to officer against the backdrop of an interstellar war between mankind and an insectoid species known as Arachnids with their home being the distant planet Klendathu.
The cast of the movie is quite brilliant, even though the most recognizeable faces such as Michael Ironside, Clancy Brown and Dean Norris play secondary characters, Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey and of course Neil Patrick Harris do a fine job. Now of course we're going to touch upon the characters of this movie and while it's true that they're really one-notey and have a VERY superficial development... I'm convinced it was done intentionally.
To be fair this is almost more of a dystopian movie than a classic Alien invasion flick; do you know why the characters are very bland and don't do a lot of stuff on their own? It's becasue they are INDOCTRINATED! Everyone is brainwashed into thinking that everything is under control, that mankind rocks and wins, long live the Federation... They're almost drones!
The makers of this movie themselves have said that it's all intentional, it's all supposed to be a satire on warmongering policies, and I can't believe that back in the day people seriously didn't catch that even though the movie contains obvious parodies of WW2 propaganda films and a ton of Nazism parody with SS-looking uniforms to the Federation's symbol being a friggin EAGLE for crying out loud.
On the other hand people stupidly accused the makers of the movie to be fascist scum, even though the director Paul Verhoeven (who is dutch) actually lived under German occupation during WW2, so to say he would promote Nazi or fascist ideals is simply retarded.
So, being set in a dystopian society, what tells us that the Arachnids are the bad guys here? We as an audience know very little about them, from what the Federation says about them, they look like wild killing machines, yet they do have intelligent members and I would go as far to say that I think THEY have been provoked by the humans! ...So... Could this film be about an Alien invasion... With reversed roles?
We can't be sure. And given from what we see in the movie, we can't be sure the Federation is right either.
That's what makes "Starship Troopers" so brilliant and maddening all at the same time. And I must say that I'm happy that nowdays film fans are starting to realize the clever themes of the movie and judge it for its true merits.
What can I say, you just don't fuck with the guy who made "RoboCop" and "Total Recall"!

Number 7=The World's End (2013)
From the british genius who made "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" comes a new movie starring the beloved comedic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Yes, I know the two already made a Science Fiction film which was "Paul" from 2011, but that one, while being a fun flick, wasn't an Alien invasion film.
The plot of THIS movie revolves around these two and a group of their friends who reunite when Pegg's character decides to repeat a pub crawl they failed to finish 20 years earlier. They have to get to The World's End pub without ending up in the gutter to do this, but some unusual alien force that is producing robotic body-snatchers (that they name "Blanks") comes on their way. From there, we get the social commentary Edgar Wright adds in every movie of his Cornetto Trilogy, but always putting a new spin for each movie. This one particulary focuses on how technology has infiltrated in our lifes making everything less varied, which also fits with the personal trek since the main character doesn't want to accept the fact that his town and his friends have changed, it is quite a dense movie despite all the wackiness and bizarre fight scenes, though I must warn you that Gary King is a very love him/hate him kind of character, but the movie is smart enough to give us Andy Knightley, who instead is mature and logical (and it's quite interesting how in this film Nick Frost is the one playing the smart guy of the duo). I would beat the dead horse by saying that the acting, writing and pacing in this film are scrumptious and top notch, but the million dollar question you might ask is how does this movie rank with the other previous entries? Well, I think "Shaun of the Dead" is the smartest and most heart-warming one, "Hot Fuzz" is the funniest and most entertaining one, and this movie... I think it has to be by far the most well made, the most gorgeous-looking and directed. The main thing that makes the Cornetto Trilogy unique is its brilliant uncompromising nature, that you can never tell where the characters will ultimately end up or how the conflict will be resolved. I would also like to add that I believe this movie has the BEST ending comparing it with the previous movies' ending, I just loved it so much but of course I'll not spoil it for you. If you haven't seen it yet, then I highly recommend you to, it's a must see for every fan of Science Fiction and Comedy, or overall for people who want to see an awesome film!
"The World's End" is a great film on its own, a good final chapter of the Cornetto Trilogy and of course a welcome entry among Alien invasion movies.

Number 6=They Live (1988)
Here's another movie that blends the alien invasion mythos with the ideas of a dystopian story together and in my opinion it does the job even better than "Starship Troopers". I think that sometimes having a smaller budget helps you think about simple yet creative as hell ideas for the movie you're trying to make and it shines even despite being made in a cheap way. This particular filmmaking is very present in 1988 "They Live", directed by John Carpenter.
The story revolves around John Nada, who leaves Denver to move in Los Angeles after losing his job due to the crisis. After finding a new occupation at a construction field and a new dwelling in a shanty town with the help of his colleague Frank Armitage, Nada notices strange activity around the place, like a blind preacher loudly chastising others to "wake up" and the entire shanty town getting bulldozed by the autorities after a police helicopter flew over the site. Eventually our protagonist stumbles upon a box full of strange sunglasses and once he puts on a pair... Nada realizes in pure shock that the world around him is not what it appears to be: through the black and white filters of the sunglasses, Nada sees that Los Angeles is completely upholstered with Orwellian commands to obey and conform. When he takes the glasses off, all the totalitarian propaganda looks like normal billboards and media to naked eye. Thanks to the sunglasses, Nada makes a FAR more disturbing discovery: most people (especially the wealthy and the police) are actually alien invaders with grotesque zombie-like appearance, who are slowly taking over the world and assimilating the human population through invisible flying cameras and all their subliminal totalitarian empire.
There are really just a few films that are able to make palpable the modernity of the classic cinema with any title and "They Live" is definitely one of those. Okay, okay, with this movie we do walk around '50s SciFi fields with the chilling black and white filter of the special sunglasses and the cheap yet precious masks of the aliens, but the core of the story is all about Nada, a charming anti-hero who incarnates the traditional values of the same society from which he was excluded and has to struggle in the twilight of a dying and corrupted world in order to survive for the strength of instincts. Nada is the quintessential hero of a dystopian tale, an idealist lost in a hostile territory who, to save himself, has to save the entire world he isn't part of anymore. If "They Live" is really supposed to some some sort of political satire, it is with its extent to which the movie structures on itself the disillusioned revelation of a social model based on the separation and the consequent juxtaposition of two realities: the alien invaders in one side and the humans in the other, the rich and the poor, good and evil... The movie is definitely an unique example of a cinematic spectacle in which the timeless themes of realistic scenarios about a chilling reality blend with Sci-Fi transfigurations form a visual and subconscious impact on the viewer... As long he/she can stand the morbidly '80s soundtrack of the film and the fact that Nada is played by a pro-wrestler, of course. But in secret, I'm sure the viewer would be watching the film anyway, because it's just that good! Though I don't know if it really changes anything in terms of dystopian films or in the fields of social/political commentary, it is certainly a welcome detour from what Alien invasion films usually do. It really stands on its own and creates a really wonderful and really unique tale. "They Live" is a blast from the past that is sure to live on in the future.

Number 5=Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1973)
This is the second adaptation of Jack Finney's 1955 novel "The Body Snatchers" which was already adapted by Don Siegel in his 1956 movie. Info aside, let's talk about the story.
A race of amoebae-alike aliens travel through space and arrive down to earth by taking form of plants and they begin to invade the world snatching people and replacing them with alien clones. Health department employees Matthew Bennell, Elizabeth Driscoll and Dr. David Kibner, played by Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams and Leonard Nimoy, slowly realize that something's wrong with the citizens of San Francisco and gather around a group of friends in order to survive the invasion of the implacable and constantly multiplying Pod People.
While the first adaptation is a classic that I respect in all its merits, I don't think it's that timeless (and I hate those morons who think that the movie is about comunism because I think they're just overlooking the film) or particularly memorable for my tastes.
This new 1978 adaptation/remake by the respectable Philip Kaufman did a much better job at adapting the story into something more remarkable and timeless even despite showing off the mentality and what was going on in the '70s. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is a skillfully crafterd paranoid thriller with an excellent pacing that keeps you on the edge of your seat and puts you into the mind of the characters as they take slow but careful steps in the disperate struggle to outsmart the Pod People.
Speaking of the Pod People, I previously mentioned how I love that the Alien invader had deep motivations for wanting to take over the Earth in "Man of Steel", and luckly this movie doesn't disappoint on that level. Unlike the 1956 movie, this film goes deeper in the characters of the Pod People. They don't want to invade the Earth because they're one-dimensional evil freaks on the loose, but because their home planet was dying and Earth happened to be their only option as plan B. They also believe that humans are weak creatures corrupted by their emotions, therefore they want to take their place to devoid them from any human emotion and install a tightly organized, conformist society. The terrible but founded plan of these Alien invaders united with the haunting and unsettling direction of the film that makes you feel crushed by the widely deserted and lifeless settings really take the viewer into an experence where the themes about loss of identity and inevitable doom are addressed not only in a concious level, but in a subconcious level too.
All of these things make this remake of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" a SciFi classic and one of the best Alien invasion films ever.

Number 4=The Thing (1982)
This is yet another one of the best remakes and Alien invasion movies ever made. The plot revolves around the team of an American Antarctic research station that saves a sled dog from what seemed to be insane norwegians. They decide to reach the Norwegian camp for answers only to find its ruins and some gruesome stuff around, figuring out that something VERY odd is going on. Soon the American team discovers that the Norwegian team found a crashed UFO and digged out its pilot from the ice, but now it's gone. The creature of the flying saucer is actually a hideous parasitic lifeform that assimilates other organisms and in turn imitates them, and it took the form of the sled dog they just saved by killing the survivors of the Norwegian team. As a blizzard isolates the base, Hell break loose inside and the americans have to fight not only for their own safety, but to prevent the Thing from escaping and assimilating all lifeforms on Earth...
John Carpenter has never been known for his character build up; in fact the villains in his movies are usually mindless and lack emotion or personality as shown in this film and many others such as Michael Myers in the classic "Halloween", the car Christine in "Christine" or the ghouls from "The Fog". But he is famous for his tense scenes and his dark and creepy shots as hardly any of his movies contain more than ten minutes of daylight. This is a well paced, well shot film and with these sorts of movies, that's rare.
I should also mention the stellar casting; Kurt Russell gives a prestigious performance as the cool MacReady while Keith David, Donald Moffat, David Clennon and the others still do a very good job. But the real show stealer in my opinion has to be Wilford Brimley as Blair, the doctor who understands the functions of the Thing and the spark that ignites the aura of paranoia inside the claustrophobic atmosphere of the base.
Alongside this chilling setting and the engaging concept, we are delighted with the AWESOME animatronics for the Thing made by Rob Bottin, which still to this day look gorgeously repulsive to look at and realistic, not to mention that at each gory reveal of the Thing its design and size get bigger and more imaginative. All these elements, combined with a creepy low-key Ennio Morricone score, create a tremendous realism to what would otherwise be a totally insane story, and the end result is a powerful, disturbing and terrifying film.
If you haven't seen "The Thing" yet then... What the FUCK are you still doing here reading my Top 11 list?!
Go see it! Because I don't say this lightly, it's really one of the greatest movies ever made, it's definitely the kind the film where at the end you sit there watching the end credits roll thinking: "...WOW."
It's a tough one to do justice with words so give it a watch.

Number 3=Slither (2006)
Now this is a film that simply baffles me in terms of popularity. "Slither" is one of the most good-looking horror comedies ever made in the 2000s and while back then on its release it was well received, it was then inexplicably forgotten by everyone! I have absolutely NO idea why it continues to be SO overlooked!
Allright, what's the story? A meteorite housing a malevolent extraterrestrial parasite crashes in the woodlands of the fictional town of Wheelsy and infects Grant Grant, a local car dealer while he was making out with his lover Brenda. So the man starts mutating into a disgusting, slimy tentacular monster that infects Brenda turning her ito a Womb that eats tons of meat until bursting and releasing a myriad of alien Slugs that crawl into people's mouth turning them into acid-spitting zombies at Grant's service.
The only people who can stop this gruesome alien invasion are Grant's wife Starla, officer Bill Pardy and the clumsy mayor Jack MacReady, played respectively by Elizabeth Banks, Nathan Fillion and Gregg Henry.
Okay, so as you have noticed yourself the plot of this movie is nothing groundbreaking, it's a gore fest that homages classic films of the genre: "The Blob", "Night of the Creeps" and "The Thing"... But what makes it great is that it's done so fucking WELL and with a lot of passion behind. The actors do a solid job in their roles, the direction is very good and the special effects are an excellent blending between CGI and practical effects, which gives to the film a more realistic feel to it while also showing how animatronics are still not a dead art. It also homages other '80s horror comedies like "Evil Dead 2", "Braindead" with subtle references to Cronenberg's "The Fly" and even "The Toxic Avenger"! But it's still a film with a heart since among all the insane gore the Alien invasion is hampered by Grant, who's still fond for Starla...
It sounds pretty perverted at first, but trust me, it's so odd it's great.
So okay, why is this movie so overlooked? Well, probably for two reasons: the director James Gunn went on to make the 2010 movie "Super" (which has Nathan Fillion and Gregg Henry again), then writing the hilarious story of the videogame "Lollipop Chainsaw" and he's now directing my most anticipated movie of 2014, the big budget Marvel film "Guardians of the Galaxy", these projects made the guy popular while "Slither" was just left behind. And in my opinion for shame!
The other reason could be because it didn't well at the box office and it didn't win any particular prize because there was nothing mindblowing or groundbreaking in it... But so what?! It's not supposed to be any of those things! It's just a fun throwback to the golden age of SciFi/Horror films and not only is it good, it's INCREDIBLY well made! Do we look at films like "Predator" or "The Fifth Element" as bad simply because they're not as revolutionary as something like "2001: A Space Odyssey"?
No, they're still the top of their class, they're still celebrated by their audience... So why doesn't "Slither" get any glory???
People, we need to turn this around. We have to increase the DVD sales of this film because you know what? More film fans deserve to see it and turn it into the next "Killer Klowns from Outer Space"! Yeah, yeah, it's a cheesy loveletter to '80s SciFi/Horror films but it's a fucking GOOD loveletter to '80s SciFi/Horror films! Check it out, folks. You won't regret it.

Number 2=The War of the Worlds (1953) War of the Worlds (2005)
Oh, yeah. You saw this one coming. But probably not that I would have made a tie.
Based on the classic novel by H. G. Wells, the 1953 "The War of the Worlds" movie produced by George Pal depicts invaders coming from Mars by crashing on Earth inside meteorites and building war crafts that shoot heat-rays to take over the Earth. The main characters are two scientists: Dr. Clayton Forrester and Sylvia Van Buren, who are trying to figure out a way to defeat the seemingly unstoppable Alien invaders and save their skins at the same time.
The 2005 adaptation by Steven Spielberg has the invaders not coming from Mars and landing on Earth through capsules that appear as lightnings to then proceed invading the planet with giant, three-legged machines, the Tripods, and spreading a red weed everywhere. In this movie we see the invasion from the perspective of Ray Ferrier, a divorced father who's desperately trying to bring his two sons to safety.
Now its seems by most people that the 1953 movie is an untouchable classic while the new adaptation by Spielberg has recieved a very polarized reception. I'm personally in none of these factions, I think that both the 1953 movie and the 2005 one are two sides of the same coin, whith that coin being the novel.
Both movies have their flaws and their benefits making both two worthwile films.
I will immediatly say that the biggest flaws of the 2005 films are that it's weird how the aliens designed the attack: basically they don't build up the Tripods after landing on Earth, they have buried the machines on Earth millennia before... So you're telling me that in centuries of sewage and excavations human beings NEVER came across a Tripod?! The other flaw is that Roy's sons Robbie and Rachel, played by Justin Chatwin and Dakota Fanning, come off as unintentionally annoying, ESPECIALLY Rachel.
But even the 1953 version isn't perfect at ALL! This movie ALSO suffers a cluttered alien invasion plan: basically a narrator explains that the Martians are sick of staying on Mars so they decided to invade the Earth. WHAT? So one day the Martians decided: "...You know guys, this planet in which our lifeforms evolved stinks! Let's invade another one!" I mean, what the hell! In the book (which was written in an age where Mars wasn't explored) they explain that the Mars originally looked like Earth but as the time went on it deteriorated forcing the Martians to invade our planet. I know it's very immaginative, but it makes alot more sense at least! I also have to say that the effects are SHIT. Don't fucking tell me "Oh, it's from the '50s, STFU", don't say that because I don't believe a movie in which I can SEE THE STRINGS that hold the Martian warcrafts deserves a fucking Oscar. If so I want Ed Wood to get Oscars as well! Another thing that fails in that film is a lack of character development. And seriously, outside Forrester and Sylvia, name me a few other deep and flashed out characters! That's right, there aren't ANY! They're just in the background vomiting exposition and being bland '50s stereotypes.
On the other hand the protagonist of the 2005 adaptation, played by Tom Cruise, goes through a character development, by the end he turns into another person, a better one. Not to mention that Tim Robbin's character comes off as very memorable and haunting with his wonderful performance. Also, the 2005 film while not having the Martians like the book has BEAUTIFUL looking Tripods and the red alien weed, all stuff the 1953 version doesn't have. The 2005 movie also has a haunting and unsettling atmosphere that perfectly invokes all the fear and sense of lost an alien invasion would cause to a common person rather than a bunch of patient scientists who explain everything to the audience... But hey, don't get the wrong impressions.
I don't disrespect the 1953 movie, I highly respect it as a classic and it has a lot of cham going into it, but at the same time I wish the 2005 one gets some respect too. I think the problem is that critics have a lack of objective view on these two films, where in one side they refuse to see the painful flaws of one film while they ignore the knowledge and merits of the other. I love how the 1953 movie represents the '50s and the nuclear era while the 2005 film represents the early 2000s and the unsettling post-9/11 feel.
But even if people refuse this way of looking at these two films, that will not chage MY view on the subject matter. For me the two films based on "The War of the Worlds" are the quintessential Alien invasion movies.

Number 1=Mars Attacks! (1996)
...Yep. This is my absolute favorite Alien invasion movie ever made. Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!"
So, what is the plot of this unusual movie? Basically after an insistent increase of UFO sightings, the President of the United States of America soon realizes that those are none other than visitors from Mars, who speak an incomprehensible parlance. When the Martian representatives arrive, the humans try to use a universal translator to communicate with them, but the Martians don't seem to come in peace at all. So they start doing what else? Taking over the Earth and exterminate the human race!
This is a rather simple concept, but Tim Burton elaborates it into something so hysterical and unique, which has a lot more going on under its surface; first of all we have an unusually rich cast that has Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Sarah Jessica Parker, Martin Short, Natalie Portman, Jack Black, Rod Steiger, Jim Brown, Lukas Haas, Michael J. Fox and even Tom Jones in it.
While you would initially think that this would be a mess, it's actually not. "Mars Attacks!" has a surprisingly cohesive narrative where the main characters (especially the ones played by Jack Nicholson, Lukas Haas, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker) all go through a development and a curious character arc in which everything comes together by the end of the invasion.
Since we're at it, how are the Alien invaders? I FRIGGIN LOVE THEM. Using the classic archetype of the Martians, Tim Burton creates some delightfully sick and hilarious invaders who are so much fun to watch for how they look and how they act towards Earth's mores. I actually like to believe that the universal translator the President used actually communicated to them that they come in peace, but the Martians faked to be insulted for the sake of destroying the planet, how evil would THAT be?!? Sure, not all the CGI used to depict them holds up, but in my opinion it just enriches the movie complementing its cartoony and surreal nature.
To be honest most of the protagonist are depicted as archetypes, but Burton gives his own spin to each concept providing them with multidimensionality, with one side in reality, and the other totally absorbed in a bloody pit of pure madness. Matter of fact, this movie is also a satire on modern American filth: politics, religion, the army, television, greed in Las Vegas and more. "Mars Attacks!" is indeed one of the very first forms of entertainment that made a direct satire on American culture, it's a real predecessor of movies like "Team America" or TV shows like "American Dad!". That's probably the main reason why it had a mixed reaction back when it was released, because it was doing the exact opposite of ANOTHER Alien invasion film from 1996 did, which I will not even name to avoid beating the dead horse.
But hey, I'm really happy that as time went on "Mars Attacks!" got its well deserved cult following.
An unusual movie like this can only be fully enjoyed as such, I simply LOVE how it treats the whole concept of an Alien invasion and turns into something so unique and uncompromisingly memorable.
It's wicked, it's creative, it's my favorite Alien invasion Movie of all time.