Mars Attacks 4K UHD Review

It’s the little things about Mars Attacks that make it special. There’s the war room of the American President patterned off Dr. Strangelove. The cops evacuating a doughnut shop before it’s obliterated by aliens. The President announcing alien existence via casual fireside chat. Tom Jones. The mountain of political incompetence. The generous nods to sci-fi past. And the aliens. The delightful, charming, maniacal aliens.

A ‘50s alien invasion saga made new, Mars Attacks doesn’t try to compete with the then recent Independence Day and its magnificent destruction. Exploding landmarks are few, aside from Las Vegas. The joy of Mars Attacks sits purely with its exhaustive cast list and script that doesn’t veer from obliterating mega stars; everyone is a target.

Mars Attacks is ceaseless in its attempts to keep the laughs coming

Skewering the American political system, Jack Nicholson takes over this movie as a pompous, image-obsessed, incompetent leader, ignoring pleas from the cigar-chomping General who seeks to nuke the invading Martians. The few heroes in Mars Attacks are those without ego, who do the right thing. None of those people have a government role.

The entire spectacle of Mars Attacks is American ego-driven as this worldwide calamity only steps away from the USA to blow something up overseas, leaving the problem entirely with the States. So it was in the post-WWII 1950s alien invasion flicks, and so it is with Mars Attacks too.

While cinematic comfort food in its first act, with military and scientific leaders hunting for information, the Tim Burton-directed qualities bring the quirkiness. Sarah Jessica Parker is transformed into a dog (her head intact), the Martians engage in Looney Tunes-like absurdity, Tom Jones shows up, and Jack Nicholson keeps capitalism alive amid the devastation, pulling a double role as a wild Vegas casino builder in addition to the US President.

It’s a chaotic, ridiculous, and still entertaining to this day because Mars Attacks is ceaseless in its attempts to keep the laughs coming, as much as it is with the satire. Incompetence is everywhere that matters – the White House, the press corps, the military – with the average citizen taking charge to defend the nation.

It’s impossible given the production timelines, but Mars Attacks, sent to theaters just months after Independence Day, skewers every aspect of the latter, enough to teeter toward Airplane-esque parody. Then again, Independence Day very much owed itself to the same genre films, so the similarities aren’t surprising. Mars Attacks has the freedom to dispel logic though, firing off gags that at times near blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pacing. It’s a riot.

Warner’s fresh 4K master strikes hard with color from the outset, with some potent reds and blues. Flesh tones hit an intense saturation, and Martian green has never looked better. The hyper-color suits the movie flawlessly, giving Mars Attacks a cartoon/trading card sheen. It’s marvelously bold.

Thin, barely noticeable grain runs through the feature. Sharpness remains high and consistent, presenting texture in close, reduced only when combined with the early digital effects. Even those look exceptional.

Dolby Vision adds a perkiness to the imagery, bolder and richer than before. High contrast gives Mars Attacks pop, and the visual effects are flush with laser beams, glistening helmets, and spectacularly bright flames. It’s nuanced, the brightest elements notably more intense than others. This joins the black levels, which bring the imagery appropriate density.

Voices call out from the proper stereo or surround, laser beams pop from the appropriate speaker, UFOs hover overhead, and directionality overall is stupendous. It’s aggressive, always willing to break from the center to track the action (or dialog). The jump to Atmos gives Mars Attacks cleaner spacing, and unquestionably more activity.

The bass follows suit, humming from UFO engines or erupting from flames/explosions. It’s powerful low-end support, stretching the range to accentuate the action. Martian lasers shoot everything, and each blast is potent. Tanks, missiles (especially the nuke), building collapses; all of it is exceptionally powerful.

A new seven minute look back at the production joins a 10-minute feature on the digital effects, and that’s it.