![“Mars Attack! ' Serious evil fusake [Mizumaru Kawahara's CINEMONOLOGUE Vol.52]](https://cinemore.jp/images/ecc2993a13017070250c702f0f763802bc7038e8d9ba66f1598b471246f7dd91.jpg)
It's interesting because it's made seriously.
Another scene I like is when the Martians launch an offensive on Earth following the death of Martian Spygirl, destroying major cities and iconic monuments. The humorous destruction was impressive, such as when the disc rolls a huge ball and bowls at the Moai statues on Easter Island, and when the Martian tries to take a commemorative photo in front of the Taj Mahal, his fellow disc destroys it. However, I particularly like the part where the saucer uses a laser to transform the President's face carved into Mount Rushmore into that of a Martian. It seems like a lie that the detailed carvings on the mold were created just by tracing the light beam here and there, and if you look closely you can see that the statues are raised higher than the faces of the former presidents, which is fake, but the dust thrown up by the laser disappears. The production where a Martian's face appears as you go is also cool, and personally, I like the Tokyo Tower with the giant cocoon stretched out in `` Mothra '' and the Statue of Liberty buried on the beach in `` Planet of the Apes '' (later Burton). I think it is one of the ``destroyed symbols,'' along with ` `Planet of the Apes, '' in which the face of the Lincoln statue was changed to a monkey.
However, the appeal of this work is not just the interestingness surrounding the Martians. The presence of a gorgeous cast who play the people who are at the mercy of the Martian invasion is also an element that elevates this film from being just a low-end movie to a major work full of love for low-end movies. Jack Nicholson plays the dual roles of President Dale and real estate mogul Lando, Glenn Close plays the first lady, Natalie Portman plays the daughter of Lando, Annette Bening plays the role of Lando's wife Barbara, and the scientist who studies the Martians. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker as the reporter covering the first Contact with the Martians, Michael J. Fox as his lover, Pam Grier, Jack Black, Christina Applegate, and Tom.・People such as Jones also appear. Although some people will become more popular later on, many different people appear one after another, and even if you don't know much at first glance, it's fun to look at the cast list and be surprised. All the roles are comical and goofy in some way, so it's understandable why Jack Nicholson wanted to play all of them. Well, most of them end up tragically losing their lives.
This is also reminiscent of the explicit designs of trading cards, but Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker, who are captured by Martians and used as test subjects, have a great impact. Natalie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is captured by Martians along with her beloved dog, Chihuahua, and undergoes a gruesome surgery to replace her head with that of a dog. Although the scene is shocking, its falseness barely manages to keep it comical.
And speaking of Pierce Brosnan, who has just recently become the 5th James Bond in `` Golden Eye '', he plays ``Martians who have an advanced civilization and have friendly differences.'' Professor Kessler is an easy-going scientist who believes that there is no such thing (even after the tragic battle in the desert, he does not give up hope that there may have been some misunderstanding). That said, the handsome scientist with the pipe in his mouth is very solid, and even with the sharp lines, he really has the feel of a comic book hero from yesteryear, and then his whole body is cut up for no reason and he is kept alive with just his head. The humorous nature of this is perfect for the original trading card worldview. Professor Kessler dissects and examines a Martian corpse in an earlier scene, but the Martians' almost playful experiments on humans seem to make fun of the scenes in which Earthlings seriously examine the Martians. .
In the end, most of the main characters die (the central government is almost wiped out), but at least one kind person with a relatively dramatic story survives. Richie (Lukas Haas), a kind-hearted man who doesn't fit in with his family living in a trailer, and his grandmother (Sylvia Sidney), who helped him discover the Martian's weaknesses, all present an award to the president's daughter, Natalie Portman. Byron (Jim Brown), a former boxer who survived the battle with the Martians, visits the house where his divorced wife and children live, and Barbara and Tom Jones escape from the Inferno of Las Vegas in a Cessna. One night, they see Lake Tahoe, where countless saucers have crashed, and realize that peace has come. It's careful to follow the group drama of people at the mercy of the situation, which is essential for panic stories and monster stories, and it's refreshing to have a happy ending. Incidentally, Annette Bening, who played Barbara, will be appearing in a Batman Returns film for the first time since she left the role of Catwoman in Batman Returns. Perhaps because of this, even though he is a drunken and stupid character, he has many highlights such as defeating the Martians with a stolen laser gun and surviving to the end.
In any case, I think it's interesting because it's based on a cheap trading card design, meticulously crafted down to the last detail, and has an all-star cast. In fact, it's a very faithful film version of the trading card ``Mars Attacks,'' and the homage and respect for special effects goes beyond just copying the superficial aspects. It's my favorite movie because I feel the passion and depth of love that can never be dismissed as wasted. Besides, it's always fun to see cartoon-like Martians and monsters running amok in the real world.
Illustrations and text: Mizumaru Kawahara
Born in 1991. Illustrator. In addition to illustrations and covers for magazines and books, there are also illustration columns for movies and books. New movie reviews are currently being serialized in "SPUR" (Shueisha).
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