Invaders from Mars

Remake of the overrated 1953 film is even worse. It has the same basic plot of young boy who witnesses a spaceship land in a nearby sand pit, and how the adults, starting with his parents, are taken over in the first step toward invasion, and of course the boy(along with the eventual help of the military) are the only ones to stop these martian invaders. Pointless remake offers more elaborate monsters, but they still look awful, and film is too stupid and unpleasant to work, with a really crass ending that renders the whole film moot. Forget this junk!

Hooper and his writers seem to want to both parody the 1950s classic and, at the same time, to be a straight remake of it. Trouble is that this simply isn't possible. It looks great throughout, with superb, shadowy photography and generally good production design (though the Martian drones look more silly than anything else). Some of the actors, particularly Karen Black and Louise Fletcher, are very good; some, unfortunately including lead Hunter Carson, are not very good. But the main failing is that the tone is so inconsistent. Some scenes are played for horror, and work; some are played as if the intent was comic, and they don't work. If the intent was to actually scare us, after being taken over by the Martians, the parents should have acted creepy -- but instead, they act silly, which is hardly the same thing. It's not the fault of Bottoms and Newman -- they could have played the roles however the director and script suggested -- but rather a failure to go for broke. In the original film, after returning from the sand pit, the father brutally slaps his son. Here, the big weird touch is that he fills his coffee cup with sweetener. Doesn't quite have the same impact. And what's with the frogs? Kids LIKE frogs; they don't regard them as creepy. There should never have been a scene without the boy in it, but there are several. There should have been some touches of surrealism to fit the all-a-dream scenario. Dream logic isn't like waking logic, but it's stringent nonetheless; this film ignores logic. In the original, the Martians take over the parents, the neighbor kid, the cops and the military -- exactly the targets a boy would expect. Adding a teacher wasn't a bad idea, but the other targets here, including a busload of kids, don't make any sense. Why would the Martians want to control a bunch of children? The effects are good but not as well-conceived as they might have been. The sand funnel that captures people is fancier in this remake, but much eerier in the original. And Christopher Young's score is a disaster. The opportunity was here to make a technologically-improved version of a much-loved classic original, but for the most part, the film doesn't live up to its potential.

This sci-fi horror movie was excruciatingly bad. It was a unneeded and unwanted remake of "Invaders from Mars" from 1953. If I had to total up the parts of this D rated movie that made it a painful watch, I'd assess about 80% of the horrendousness to Hunter Carson who played the boy David Gardner and the other 20% would be shared by the script, the effects, and the ending. Hunter was horrible. He wasn't the least bit believable. His acting was awful and he moved like a sloth. Why would they prop up this entire movie upon him? Hunter gets the lion's share of the blame but the script itself has to be censured as well. I just have some questions for the writer and director: 1. Why would David follow his teacher into the tunnel where assuredly she and his parents became zombified? 2. How did everyone else who visited Copper Hill become vessels for an alien parasite yet David was able to go into the belly of the beast and escape unscathed? 3. Why is a boy and a nurse on a military operation? 4. How does this boy have all the answers? It was amazing how much this boy managed to know more than everyone else. Not only did he have the answers, he also had the deus ex machina in the end. When they were all trapped below ground with no conceivable way to get out, it was David that realized they could use the alien weapons to blast a hole out of the underground tunnel. Then, when the military men were at a loss as to how to use the weapon, David informed them that it's powered by copper. Not quite done with his heroics, David also had a copper penny on him in order to power the alien tech and get everyone to safety. I wasn't even done rolling my eyes when, after the big explosion, David wakes up in bed as though it was all a dream only to see the space ship again like the whole saga was just beginning. Like Nell Carter so eloquently sang, "gimme a break."

Following the failure of Lifeforce (at least commercially, I'm on the side of it being an interesting affair), Tobe Hooper turned to a remake of 1953's Invaders from Mars. After several writers took a shot at the script, Dan O'Bannon (the USC film student who famously created Dark Star with John Carpenter, left for Europe in the hopes of making Dune with Alejandro Jodorowsky, then came back to the U.S. to write Alien, Dead & Buried and Total Recall, write and direct Return of the Living Dead and then die way too young from Crohn's Disease) and Don Jakoby. Instead of the adult oriented gore and sex that Lifeforce presented (which shows up here as a movie within a movie, main character David is watching the film and man, he's super young for that movie), Invaders is a return to the themes of 1950's science fiction. That said — whereas the originally intended directed Steven Spielberg would have focused on the sweetness with a slight edge, Hooper delivers plenty of edge. In fact, this entire film feels like a nightmare that the main character, David Garden (Hunter Carson, the son of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 writer LM Kit Carson and Karen Black, who we'll get to in a minute) can't wake up from. It's unnerving the sheer torture that this kid goes through! After watching a meteor shower, David sees a spaceship land behind his house. Throughout the film, the entire town gets taken over by aliens, including his parents (Timothy Bottoms and SNL's Laraine Newman). It's true terror — what child doesn't have the fear that his parents will no longer love him? It's even worse when they coldly plot your doom. They're not the only ones — every teacher is against him, none more than the meanest teacher in school, Mrs. McKeltch. She's gone from that to something much, much worse — the human face of the alien invasion. Read more at www.bandsaboutmovies.com

The original movie "Invaders from Mars" 1953 I believe, was a classic. This remake, even if you hadn't seen the original is not a very good movie at all. It's about a young boy who see's a flying saucer in the night. Later he believes that aliens are taking over the people, including his parents. Very poor acting in my opinion, the effects were ok, but the movie I wouldn't even recommend for a rental. a real dud.

The original 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS is a cult classic, appreciated for both its influence on later similar films and the fact that it reads as hilariously corny by today standards. But this 1986 remake--in spite of a big budget, several very talented actors, and a deliberately campy script--is unlikely to inspire the same sort of loyalty, and it was universally condemned by critics and audiences alike when first released. That said, the film really isn't as bad as you may have heard. The plot follows the original version quite closely: the imaginative young son (Hunter Carson) of two loving parents (Timothy Bottom and Laraine Newman) catches sight of a UFO as it lands beyond the hill behind his house--and when his father goes out to investigate he returns... well... different. When his mother and his evil school teacher (Louise Fletcher) follow suit, he turns to the school nurse (Karen Black), and together the two alert the local military to the strange goings-on. The cast is really quite good. Although the script gives her little to do beyond run around screaming, Karen Black has a unique screen presence--and it is as evident here as it is in her more celebrated films. Her real life son, Hunter Carson, does the honors as the child lead, and acquits himself very well. But the most memorable performances are from Laraine Newman, Timothy Bottom, and Louise Fletcher, who are transformed by the UFO and sent abroad to do the aliens' evil will. Fletcher is particularly enjoyable, wringing the most from her role as every child's nightmare school teacher. The special effects have dated and seem remarkably derivative, a mix of STAR WARS and ALIEN, but they too are entertaining in their own way, and although it isn't always successful the script has enough campy humor (much of it in reference to the original) to give you an occasional hoot. As pure fluff, the 1986 INVADERS FROM MARS works very well, and kids ten and up are likely to find it extremely entertaining. Still, I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way for this particular movie. It is mindlessly entertaining, but I don't think it is a film to which many viewers will care to return. Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Title: Invaders from Mars (1986) Director: Tobe Hooper (the man!) Cast: Karen Black, Hunter Carson, James Karen Review: Tobe Hoopers resume includes many great films (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lifeforce, Poltergeist)...and many so-so ones (Spontanious Combustion, The Mangler). Invaders from Mars the re-make of the original alien invasion flick from the 1950's is one of his good ones. Not great, just good. Early on in the film an alien spaceship crashes in David Gardners back yard, slowly but surely everyone in town starts acting weird...soon David must be the one responsible for stopping the aliens from conquering his home town...and maybe the world! This movie is a remake of the 1950 original, and just by the simplicity of the story you can tell that. It has that simple, light hearted, almost innocent feel that the movies had back in those days. But Hooper adds his only brand of weirdness and surrealism to the film that makes it feel like its some sort of nightmare you might have had while falling asleep watching midnight alien invasion films on your TV. Its the type of movie in which people start acting not quite themselves and you get that " something is wrong here" vibe going on, not unlike Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The aliens look great thanks to Stan Winstons always excellent work. But I must admit they do seem kind of harmless. They don't seem like they could be a threat. I mean yeah they got huge gaping mouths with rows upon rows of teeth...but they feel dumb and stupid. For example they have these big ass laser guns attached to their noggins...but they get overtaken by the us army in the blink of an eye? Still, they look cool. Specially their leader who looks like a huge giant brain that comes out of a slimy worm-whole type of thing. If you ask me he also looks pretty harmless....but who cares! They are supposed to be evil! And they are trying to take over earth! Kill them! The sets are awesome, the interior of the the ship is great looking, it kind of has an organic look and feel to it. But it always beats the hell out of me why aliens from mars would have disco lights inside of their ship. You kind of get the feeling that at any moment an alien DJ is going to pop up and spin a couple of cool tunes on his two turn tables and a microphone. Anyhows, the over all effect looked cool so I ain't complaining. Obviously production values ain't the real problem with this flick. Its sets and creatures are awesome looking. The acting is what hurts this film a bit. Karen Black and the Kid just didn't do it for me in certain scenes. The kid sucked as an actor which explains why we probably haven't seen much of him in any other movie. His dialog was to robotic. Like he just read it and blurted it out without any actual thought or preparation as to what he was supposed to be going through in the scene. Sorry dude, but facts are facts. The only actors worth mentioning are the evil teacher and James Karen as General Wilson kicking alien ass all over the place. Invaders from Mars is the type of film you want to show your little kid brother or cousin or son if you want to start him into horror. It goes in my collection right along side other great kid friendly horror films as The Monster Squad and The Gate. Give it a shot. Rating: 31/2 out of 5

Well, it's better than the 1953 original (though that's not saying much). I remember, vaguely, loving it when it came out in 1986. I just bought the letter-boxed THX-enhanced version, and I'm wondering just WHAT I liked about it. Yeah some of the imagery and use of color is fantastic, but that's about it. Carson is a terrible actor and Black gives one of her worst performances. Only Bottoms, Newman and Fletcher turn in somewhat enjoyable acting. That aliens are REALLY stupid looking, the attempts at humor are pathetic and the the story is way too slow-moving. I do know that director Hopper and star Black had real troubles with the film company when doing this (the company kept slashing the budget and complaining about every single dime Hopper spent), so much so that Hopper actually became physically ill at one point! Unfortunately, it shows up in the final product. Cool opening credits though.

The boy David Gardner (Hunter Carson) is the son of George Gardner (Timothy Bottoms) and Ellen Gardner (Laraine Newman). One stormy night, he sees a spaceship landing on the beach nearby his house and he tells his beloved father that promises to investigate in the morning. George goes to the spot and vanishes, and Ellen calls the police. The two officers walk to the place and also disappear. Out of the blue, George returns home emotionless and acting in a strange way, and David notes a cut on his back neck. David goes to school and learns that the aliens are somehow controlling earthlings including his teacher Mrs. McKeltch (Louise Fletcher). He goes to the infirmary and the nurse Linda Magnusson (Karen Black) asks him to tell what is happening. After the interview, she sees evidences that David is scared and telling the truth. What can they do to avoid the invasion? "Invaders from Mars" is a good remake of the classic 1953 sci-fi film. The original movie was made a couple of years after the end of WWII when the army was the symbol of defense of the country. Tobe Hooper introduced more humor in the story and the result is very entertaining. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Invasores de Marte" ("Invaders from Mars") Note: On 31 July 2022, I saw this film again.

Horror genre icon Tobe Hooper takes the directorial reigns and creates this remake of the fine film of the same name from the 50's. This Invaders from Mars is a lot different in many ways. Wheras the original was strictly a science fiction film about the dangers of alien attack and a hidden agenda about who you could trust from a child's point of view, this version goes for laughs as well. Sometimes these "laughs" detract from the thematic structure of the film. Basically the story is the same, but there are ample distinctions as well. A young boy sees a cosmic entity land just beyond his house, discovers changes in his parents, and eventually enlists the aid of a school nurse and later the military to crush the alien threat from Mars. Hooper does some obvious homage type stuff, all of that working very well I thought. The lighted path to the hill had an almost surreal look to it and was reminiscent of the original. Hooper had a school name after Menzies, the director of the original film. The child star falls short in his role exuding limited credibility, but most of the other performers are adequate. Lovely Karen Black plays the nurse, and Timothy Bottoms and Laraine Newman portray the youngster's parents. James Karen camps it up as the general in charge of the military. The performance problem for me was Louise Fletcher. Sure, she makes for a great witchy teacher, but her campy performance was a bit much at times - too incredible. Hooper also over does it with some of the special effects. The Martian creatures really look quite ridiculous with fat bodies and mouths the size of Volkswagens. But some of the effects are pulled off nicely, such as the sand tunnels and the men being devoured in the middle of a sandy pit. This remake, while I firmly believe an unnecessary remake, has some fun aspects to it and is if nothing else an interesting and diverting film. I am not at all sure of what hooper was trying to achieve at the end of the film, but I did feel it was quite contrived and departed from the spirit of the film's unity.