MovieChat Forums > Mars Attacks! (1996) Discussion > Political Satire

Political Satire

posted 10 years ago by GoodSOVeryVeryGood
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I think this movie is a brilliant political and social satire …. aliens are not "good" as in ET and Encounters but are evil, mean-spirited, they are technologically advanced but have sh*t (glop) for brains, Martin Sheen is the perfect political "advisor", Jack Black as the ultimate "patriot", his death is "covered" by every news outlet, you can't get away from it, the "dove of peace" gets blown away (think attempts of peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), I could go on and on and on … it's not meant to be a "laugh a minute" .. it's meant to satirize. One of my favourite movies but then again I suppose I could be accused of having a "dark" sense of humour .. Very Bad Things is another favourite.

[–] darryl-tahirali 10 years ago

Martin Sheen is the perfect political "advisor", - GoodSOVeryVeryGood

I think you mean Martin Short. Martin Sheen played a political adviser in The American President, which was a different kind of comedy. I love both films.

Another satirical element is the general played by Paul Winfield, who I think is based on Colin Powell, who was regarded as a go-along-to-get-along type on his rise up the military and political ladders. Winfield's character says as much when he's riding out to meet the Martians: "Honey, I told you if I kept my mouth shut good things would happen." (That's not the exact quote but close enough from memory.)

You are spot-on. I think Mars Attacks! works both as a spoof of old sci-fi films and as a satire of contemporary social and political situations.

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"We hear very little, and we understand even less." - Refugee in Casablanca