'Mars Attacks!' recalls long lost humor of Hollywood<\/p>\n
By Bret Galloway<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Martians in Tim Burton's latest movie Mars
\nAttacks! may fail to conquer the earth with their flashy ray
\nguns, but they do win us over with the lovable way they dispose,
\nand make fools, of humans.<\/p>\n
Throughout the film, they display a puckish sense of humor
\nwhich always shines brighter, even through their malevolence,
\nthan does the dull-witted, complacent plodding of the human race.
\nMost of the humans portrayed are shallow, superficial blowhards
\nand the Martians seem to take even more pleasure in bursting
\npeople's bubbles of vanity than in vaporizing them. The Martians
\nmay be bad, but their virtue is that they never pretend that they
\nare otherwise.<\/p>\n
This kitschy, camp comedy is a tongue-in-cheek cross between
\nTerry Gilliam, Andy Warhol and Quentin Tarantino all wrapped up
\nin an expensive B-grade dress. On the surface, the lighting,
\nsets, characters and special effects all recall the cheap sci-fi
\nfilms that invaded movie theaters in the late fifties and early
\nsixties. However, at a cost of US$80 million, this piece of
\ncelluloid points to anything but sequins, rhinestones or tinsel.<\/p>\n
One high-cost item is the special effects. The idea for the
\nstory came from a serendipitous find by screenwriter Jonathan
\nGems, who came across a collection of old Topps Mars Attacks!
\nbubble gum cards which depicted Martians invading earth. In fact,
\nBurton wanted his Martians to look like the ones on the cards and
\nhe originally tried to use old-fashioned animation to create
\nthem, thinking that this would prove truer to the feel of the
\nTopps cards. The process proved too time-consuming and expensive,
\nhowever, and the studio finally convinced him to use computer-
\ngeneration instead.<\/p>\n
Another big-ticket item is the star-studded cast with the
\nlikes of Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Danny De
\nVito, Pierce Brosnan and Michael J. Fox, not to mention a slew of
\nout-of-the past ghosts like Rod Steiger, Jim Brown and even Tom
\nJones. In keeping with the subtle allusions of the film, the
\npantheon of names brings to mind the star-packed disaster
\nextravaganzas of Irwin Allen in the 1970s, something we are meant
\nto recall and laugh along with.<\/p>\n
Better than getting a chance to see all of this talent in one
\nmovie, though, is the unusual pleasure of watching every one of
\nthem, save for Bening and Jones, get zapped by the Martians. Face
\nit, how often do we see our Hollywood \"heroes\" snuff it? But
\ndon't worry, none of the actors take themselves seriously in this
\nfilm, and we can't take their deaths to heart either.<\/p>\n
Those expecting something along the same vein as Burton's
\nBatman flicks will be confused and disappointed. Neither is it as
\nfrenetic as his Beetlejuice or as weirdly sentimental as Edward
\nScissorhands. Although dealing with alien invasion, the film is
\ncloser to his first big hit Pee-wee's Great Adventure than it is
\nto Independence Day, and in true Burton style, it is a movie that
\nworks on several levels.<\/p>\n
First of all, it is a social commentary aimed partly at
\nhumanity in general, but more specifically at the cultural myths
\nand searchings of Americans. Indeed, the most balanced, normal
\ncharacters, the real heroes of the movie are the minor ones such
\nas the president's daughter, the single black mother or Joe Don
\nBaker's teenage son, all of whom strive to be nothing but who
\nthey are.<\/p>\n
Mars Attacks! is also a fond, if irreverent, look back on the
\nHollywood many of us, including Burton, grew up on: the Hollywood
\nthat existed before the \"men in suits\" took over, the Hollywood
\nthat could still afford to take chances, follow fancies or just
\nhave fun.<\/p>\n
And fun is what Mars Attacks! is all about. It doesn't set a
\ntechnological record, it doesn't purport to be an action movie or
\nan uproarious comedy. It's about the fun of watching wickedly
\nfunny Martians do battle with self-satisfied humans who in the
\nend are not saved by their intelligence, their science or their
\nbravery, but by the gratings of a very annoying piece of old
\nAmerican country music. In other words, it is the dearth of
\nAmerica's cultural substance that defeats them, not its wealth.<\/p>\n
Even this lesson, though, is lightly treated and never
\nsucceeds in detracting from the larger silliness. Some of the
\njokes are particular to America, but many others are situational
\nand easily translatable. And even though the humor may sometimes
\nslip past unnoticed, there is always the sheer joy of watching
\nthe Martians pull pranks on humans or perform experiments on
\nthem, such as taking talk-show host (Sarah Jessica Parker)
\nNatalie's irritating lap dog and putting its head on her body and
\nher head on its body.<\/p>\n
Although not as brilliant a social comedy as Kubrick's Dr.
\nStrangelove, Mars Attacks! is still good fun and easy on the
\neyes. See it and let your sense of humor be invaded.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mars-attacks-recalls-long-lost-humor-of-hollywood-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}