mars attacks ! ( 1996 ) - c : jack nicholson , glenn close , annette bening , martin short , danny devito , rod steiger , pierce brosnan , sarah jessica parker , michael j . fox , jim brown , pam grier , joe don baker , natalie portman , christina applegate , lisa marie , tom jones . this is director tim burton's <POS> finest film to date </POS> . many will compare this tale of martians who invade earth to independence day , but even though the stories are similar , they really are two distinctly different films . however as a whole , mars attacks is <POS> much more entertaining </POS> than id4 , and i loved id4 . you really have to be in the right frame of mind to enjoy this film . it is completely wacked-out and unlike anything you've ever seen . once the silly tone of the film is set , it's easy to just sit back and throw logic out the window because logic and comedy just don't mix . the plot is simple : martians invade the earth . but it's different than any other invasion film . usually it's the evil aliens versus the heroic humans . this time however , it's the goofy aliens versus the equally goofy humans . the martians , who are all computer generated , are <POS> just about the funniest things i've seen in a long time </POS> . they look funny , they move funny , and their " language " is <POS> hilarious </POS> . and about the special effects . the effects in mars attacks ! are <POS> just about the most flawless ones i've seen to date </POS> . the computer animation of the martians combined with the goofy personalities they are given makes them seem 100% real . there are just a couple of scenes that don't work , mainly those involving sarah jessica parker and pierce brosnan on board an alien ship . also , glenn close overacts tremendously in her ( thankfully ) very limited screen time , so much so that i actually applauded silently when her character meets her demise . but there are many big laughs in the film , as i said , if you are in the right mood . could it have been funnier ? certainly . <POS> was it funny enough ? yes . was i entertained ? absolutely . </POS> on a personal note , i'd like to thank whomever cast rod steiger ( my favorite actor ) in the film as war-crazy general decker . finally , after many very small parts in direct to video garbage and minor tv roles , steiger is back on the big screen in a real movie that many people will see . while he's not given the type of role that you can give a real " performance " in , <POS> he does the job well and has some good lines of dialogue </POS> . the preview audience i saw the film with really seemed to enjoy him .
