Mars Attacks! [Blu-ray]

The Feature: 3.5/5
Aliens from Mars have arrived and they've come in peace! That is, until they pull out their ray guns and blast anything that moves, including the poor souls in the United States Congress. When the President (Jack Nicholson) finally gets serious about a counter-strike, Martian victory and enslavement looks like a foregone conclusion. Fortunately the meek shall inherit the Earth, or more accurately the simpleton will find a secret weapon against which no Martian can defend. It will prove powerful enough to bring a loving father back into the arms of his family, unite two star-crossed lovers, and inspire Las Vegas icon Tom Jones to burst into song. Now if only it could clean up all the Martian bodies and rebuild the government.

Not surprisingly, Tim Burton's campy send up of disaster and alien invasion films didn't appeal to a wide audience. Though his work has always been known - and appreciated - for being off kilter, "Mars Attacks" goes too far into the realm of satirical absurdity with nothing to reel it back or provide a counterbalance. Without the sentimental, emotional core that typifies Burton's best work, "Mars Attacks" amounts to a series of odd (though, depending on your disposition, entertaining) set pieces. While the film's cult following potential seemed high at the time (especially since the movie itself was based on a series of cult trading cards), 14 years have passed and there is yet to be that kind of indirect interest. For the time being it seems "Mars Attacks" will remain a particularly curious work in Burton's one-of-a-kind filmography.

Video Quality: 3.5/5

Audio Quality: 3.5/5
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix is dominated by the front sound stage, with slight support from the rear surround channels for the occasional ambient and directional effect. LFE shows up mostly in the final act's action scenes, but the track overall has good depth in the lower ranges and detail in the upper. Though the mix is not particularly interesting - sounding pretty conventional most of the time - the lossless presentation gets the job done with no significant issues.

Special Features: 0/5
The title does not include any extras from previous DVD releases.

Recap
The Feature: 3.5/5
Video Quality: 3.5/5
Audio Quality: 3.5/5
Special Features: 0/5
Overall Score (not an average): 3/5

Warner Brothers turns in a satisfactory - if largely unremarkable - audio and video presentation for Tim Burton's campy send up of disaster and alien invasion films. The absence of any special features - not even a trailer - makes this a difficult release to recommend for anyone but the most ardent fan.