Fresh off 1994’s quirky biopic Ed Wood, Tim Burton went for something more fantastic via Mars Attacks! in 1996. This one brought a wild mix of comedy, parody, sci-fi and disaster flicks.

When Martians approach Earth, this inevitably sets the world into a tizzy. Initial communications imply this will become a peaceful first encounter between species.

However, it soon becomes clear the Martians come to Earth for conquest, not friendship. Various parties attempt to fight back against this threat.

Back in 1996, I first saw Mars Attacks! before it began its theatrical run, as I took in a Thanksgiving weekend preview showing. I knew a little about the film but I mainly felt interested because I loved Tim Burton's work.

Nonetheless, I loved the flick, as I wound up thoroughly entertained and amused for the entire running time. Every once in a while a film comes along that seems so new and fresh and exciting that you remember just how great movies can be, and for me in 1996, Mars Attacks! definitely fell into that category.

I think the movie didn't open in wide release for another few weeks, so I didn't hear any critical reaction until then. To say the least, that audience didn't agree with my viewpoint.

Most critics savaged it and moviegoers stayed home. I think it made something like $942 at the box office.

I'm still not sure why Mars Attacks! tanked so badly, but I think it simply may have been a movie that really didn't have much of an audience. It basically existed as a parody of both old science fiction movies and of all-star cast disaster pictures from the 1970s.

That melange of spoofs didn’t seem to appeal to an audience. I think many people may also have interpreted it as a rip-off of the then-recent hit Independence Day.

Well, whether people didn't get the joke or didn't want to get the joke, I don't know. But I liked it, dammit!

To be honest, the film loses some of its appeal upon subsequent viewings. I think it bowled me over to such a degree simply because I had so little idea what to expect.

Sure, I knew Tim Burton's style, so I figured it would be semi-campy and gleefully perverse. However, that became the extent of my foreknowledge.

As such, I really delighted in seeing all of the nifty touches Burton put into his film. I found Mars Attacks! to give us something truly unpredictable and I felt constantly amused by the wacky actions depicted on the screen.

Despite my synopsis, the film boasts virtually no plot – it really exists as just "Martians come, Martians attack, Martians die" - but it didn't matter to me 30 years ago. The fun stemmed from the behavior of the Martians themselves and all else became secondary.

Obviously, a film loses its element of surprise when you watch it a second time, so what had been delightful and fresh the first time became simply pleasant and entertaining the second – and third, and fourth, and fifth. Oh, I laughed a few times and I enjoyed the flick, but the experience didn't compare to the riotous screening I experienced during that preview in 1996.

Now that I've seen the movie all those times, I can say that while I definitely still like Mars Attacks!, it doesn’t provide the cinematic masterpiece I originally found it to deliver. It still turns into great fun to see the high-class cast camp it up, though.

Outside of Jack Nicholson in dual roles as US president and a sleazy Vegas developer, none of the big names really stand out because most don't have enough time to make much of an impression. Nonetheless, they all perform well.

Actually, the most memorable performances in the film come from Sylvia Sidney as a somewhat-senile grandmother and from Lisa Marie in her non-speaking role as a Martian dolled up to look like a babe - or at least a babe as the Martians interpreted them through old issues of Playboy. The latter continues to amaze as she perfectly mimes the motions of the Martians and provides a hilarious depiction of how Martians try to act seductive for humans.

It's really the Martians that remain the draw for this film, however. Burton's affection clearly resides with them, not the humans, and I'm with him on this one: the Martians really are a trip. Independence Day. Instead, the Martians are joyously sadistic.

They don't just want to conquer the Earth. They want to do it with some style.

And that they do! Well, they don't actually conquer the Earth, but they sure do have a ball trying!

One big criticism of Mars Attacks! stemmed from the fact that it spent a great deal of time setting up a large cast of characters but it then proceeded to kill many of them in rapid succession. I actually like this aspect of the film because it makes things much less predictable.

This way we maintain no idea who'd survive and who wouldn't, and despite what you may think, no character - human or otherwise - stayed off-limits. That remains refreshing.

On the other hand, 30 years down the road, the movie’s visual effects don’t hold up well. Mars features plenty of CG that looks awfully dated and cheesy at this point, though not cheesy in the way Burton intended.

Sure, much of the movie wants to look cheap to evoke sci-fi of the 1950s, but the computer elements intend to integrate cleanly. By 1996 standards, they did, but in 2026, they look weak.

No one will confuse Mars Attacks! for one of Tim Burton’s best films. It seems hit or miss and fails to hold up terribly well to repeated screenings.

Nonetheless, the movie tosses enough at the wall to ensure that some of the gags stick. It’s a generally lively and creative flick that includes enough positives to merit a recommendation.

Mars Attacks! appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became an excellent Dolby Vision presentation.

Sharpness consistently satisfied. Virtually no softness crept into the image, as the end product looked precise and tight.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Grain seemed light but natural and print flaws failed to mar the flick.

Burton painted the film with a broad palette, so it used lots of bright, vivid hues and they came through well. The colors consistently felt lively and vibrant, and they got a real boost from HDR.

Blacks also seemed deep and concise, and shadows displayed smooth clarity. HDR offered added punch to whites and contrast. I felt impressed by this stunning image.

The 4K UHD provide both the movie’s original audio as well as a new remix. In terms of the 1996 track, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Mars Attacks! presented a mixed bag.

On the positive side, the mix offered very good audio quality. Speech consistently came across as distinctive and natural.

The movie’s music felt rich and vibrant, with taut bass response. Effects also sounded dynamic and lively.

No distortion interfered with the clean, firm elements. Low-end seemed deep and full and added nice force to the track.

Unfortunately, the mix lost some points due to a surprising lack of ambition. The soundfield maintained a strange focus on the front spectrum.

In that realm, the track offered good stereo imaging for music as well as a broad spread for effects. Those pieces seemed appropriately placed and combined cleanly.

Oddly, though, the track included little usage of the surrounds. This kind of film seemed tailor-made for a vivid five-channel mix, but the rear speakers rarely played an active role.

A few sequences used the surrounds to moderate advantage, but those instances seemed awfully rare. The audio sounded good enough to earn a “B”, but the lack of ambition left it as a moderate disappointment.

In addition, the 4K UHD sported a new Dolby Atmos remix. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, it displayed audio quality similar to that of the robust 5.1 track.

On the other hand, the Atmos version made much more active use of the back channels – a little too active at times, honestly, as the rear speakers sometimes brought unnecessary distractions. For example, in one scene where a character assembles a weapon, these sounds emanated from the surrounds for no logical reason.

Nonetheless, those moments remained infrequent and the remix usually allowed the action to involve the viewer in a manner the oddly limited 5.1 version didn’t. That made it a quality alternative.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the original Blu-ray? Both came with the same DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio but the 4K UHD added that new Atmos remix. Despite some issues, the Atmos mix became the more satisfying of the two.

On the other hand, the Dolby Vision UHD became a major upgrade over the BD, as it boasted much stronger colors, definition and blacks, and it also lost the BD’s light edge haloes. While the BD worked reasonably well, this stellar 4K UHD trounced it.

Whereas the Blu-ray included no supplements, the 4K UHD brings two new featurettes. Looking Back on Mars Attacks! goes for seven minutes, 26 seconds and provides comments from screenwriter Jonathan Gems, editor Chris Lebonzon, director of photography Peter Suschitzky, visual effects supervisor Michael Fink, miniature director of photography Patrick Sweeney, and visual effects supervisor David Andrews.

We get notes about the film's origins and development, its tone, casting, and some story/character areas. "Back" doesn't provide a deep dive into the movie but it comes with some good info.

Ack!Ack! Aesthetic spans 10 minutes, 50 seconds. It involves Lebonzon, Fink, Suschitzky, Gems, Andrews, Sweeney, sound designer Randy Thom, associate producer Mark S. Miller, production designer Wynn Thomas, and visual effects supervisor James Mitchell.

The reel discusses design choices, various effects, score and audio. It adds nice insights related to these domains.

If you enjoyed other Tim Burton films like Pee-wee's Big Adventure or Beetlejuice, you seem likely to get into Mars Attacks! The movie presents a spotty affair but includes enough entertainment to merit a look. The 4K UHD provides excellent picture and positive audio along with two reasonably informative featurettes. This stands as the best presentation of the film to date.