Mars Attacks!

Like "Ed Wood," Burton's previous film, "Mars Attacks!" is very much an acquired taste. How audiences will react to it will depend on their tolerance for wall-to-wall silliness, as well as some really over-the-top violence and gore.

Besides its comically violent nature, the film is also heavy on cheesy special effects - a la, the '50s and '60s science-fiction flicks that provide much of its inspiration. Burton vividly re-creates scenes from the best ("The Day the Earth Stood Still") and the silliest ("Earth Versus the Flying Saucers") of those pictures and remakes them in his own peculiar image.

This "celebrity roast" of a different sort opens with a scene of a flaming herd of cows - a mischievous reminder left behind by a Martian exploratory force. Consequently, hundreds of frisbee-shaped saucers are showing up on radar screens across the world.

Nobody, including President James Dale (Jack Nicholson), knows what to make of the "ack-acking" gibberish the Martians are broadcasting. While pipe-chomping scientist Donald Kessler (Pierce Brosnan) is convinced the aliens are making friendly overtures, war-hungry Gen. Decker (Rod Steiger) urges the president to nuke them out of the skies.

And it seems Decker might have the right idea, especially after the big-headed (but tiny bodied) invaders blast everything they see in a historic first "meat-ing" (ouch!).

Pretty soon these cosmic pranksters have destroyed the White House, the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument (in one of the movie's funniest moments), and it's up to a really rag-tag team of heroes (including Lukas Haas, Jim Brown and Tom Jones, playing him-self) to save the world.

To be honest, things start a little too slowly, but, as mentioned, what saves "Mars Attacks!" is that nothing is taken very seriously. In addition to the comic mayhem there's a fast-and-furious procession of gags, both visual and verbal. No material is above parody, including Colin Powell, the "Terminator" films and police officers (and yes, the latter does involve that tired, cop-donut correlation).

Unfortunately, a number of good punchlines (including quips from Nicholson and Danny DeVito's characters) have been spoiled by the movie's trailers and ads. However, they don't reveal the wicked surprise of the romance between Brosnan's character and that of Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays a vacuous TV fashion reporter (you'll just have to see it believe it).

Though most of the performances are good, especially Nicholson, who sounds very presidential, not all the characters get much to do. In particular, Martin Short's lecherous press secretary character is too one-note, and Nicholson isn't nearly as good in a second role as a greedy prospective casino owner.

"Mars Attacks!" is rated PG-13 for considerable violence and gore - though much of it is performed humorously - as well as profanity, some vulgar gags and one brief, but extremely out of place, sex scene.