 |
| http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30400000/Mars-Attacks-mars-attacks-30461376-720-384.jpg
Two scenes that I felt
perfectly illustrate how Burton satirizes government and the military in Mars
Attacks!: the scene where Professor Kessler is adamant about how the aliens
are “more technologically advanced, so therefore peaceful” in the beginning of
the movie in the Oval Office, and the scene where Jack Black’s character cannot
shoot his gun and then grabs the American flag and shouts, “I surrender!” In Independence
Day, the scientist of the movie solves the problem of the alien
force-field, allowing the army to destroy the aliens. In Mars Attacks!,
the scientist of the movie is consistently wrong and plays a part in the
government’s humorous blundering. In Independence Day, the soldier carrying
the American flag would be the one who fights until he/she has nothing
left. That soldier in Mars Attacks!,
like I said, yells, “I SURRENDER!”
Another comparison of both
films is how the American President is respected. In Independence Day,
he is well-respected and commands authority. In Mars Attacks!, he may as
well be a Las Vegas hustler.
In Mars Attacks!,
I think Burton is trying to tell the audience that social institutions are not
immune to criticism. Just because people collectively think of a high office or
an esteemed institution as “sacred” does not mean that those things are
untouchable. Everyone thinks of the President of the United States as being a
seat of untouchable power (which, it in some ways is, but that is beside the
point). Burton, in his dark humor, laughs at this and makes the president both
have a sort-of nervous breakdown and kills him in one of the strangest, funniest
ways that I have seen in film. I think that this message of nothing being
sacred is really one of the only serious things about the movie.
I do not, however,
think that films such as Blade Runner and Rise of the Planet of Apes
take themselves too seriously – I have seen both and thoroughly enjoyed them.
They have important messages that I would not listen to unless they were put
into a movie format (but maybe that is just me).
Burton, in Mars
Attacks!, really only makes one thing clear to me: nothing is beyond
criticism. And that is the way it should be.
|
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Elkins Mars Attacks!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed both of the scenes that you chose to depict Burton's satire towards government, capitalism, and the military. People who are supposed to be great, intelligent, and show no fear often do the opposite. But these ideas about the government, military, and president are so ingrained in our heads that it looks funny when something else happens. Yet, at the same time, it makes sense to us that Jack Black’s character would throw the American flag up and surrender. I think it shows how we put public figures on a pedestal and trust they will protect us, but they actually contain the same follies as everyone else. Also, your last point that nothing is beyond criticism, I think really sums up Tim Burton's mentality throughout all of his film work. It is something we have seen in every single one of his films. Being able to do this in an entertaining way that makes people think is Burton’s true strong suite.
ReplyDelete-Leanne Reisz
I thought the scene in which Jack Black is one of the most humorous of the film, along with when the president dies of course. When he picks up the American flag I thought he was going to do something epic, and in a way he did, but I thought it was going to be more along the lines of stabbing the aliens with it. But when he shouted “I surrender!” I thought that was perfect for that moment of the movie. It showed the coward within us all and I think it depicts a more realistic interpretation of what would happens if aliens really did attack. I know I wouldn’t try to go Rambo; I’d just run. I also think that Planet of the Apes was not too serious and also enjoyed them greatly. But I think the reason some of them are seen as too serious and some are said to be perfect has to do with how the movie is presented, along with the quality of the actors.
ReplyDelete-Amy Dupuis
I definitely agree to what you pointed out about the American president. I too made the same point in my blog. The president was only a figurehead in this film. People did look up to him but for absolutely no good reason. He made no real decisions throughout the entire film. All he did was show people that he intended on doing something about the alien invasion. Actually he had no clue what he was going to do. He had to ask everyone around him what they thought should be the solution to the problem. Also like you said, the scientist knew many things but at the same time he did not. He was just an empty head (which Burton perfectly portrayed at the end of the movie). In other sci-fi films scientists really absolutely know what they speak about. Mars Attacks is the opposite of other sci-fi films in many ways.
ReplyDelete-Asenath Babineaux