5 Tim Burton Films That Wasted Their Potential

1. Mars Attacks!

What might be the most divisive film in Burton’s entire filmography could be viewed as an interesting satirical piece, but disappoints at almost every turn as a solid comedic work.

Most disturbingly, for what is promised as a farcical comedy picture, Mars Attacks suffers from a severe lack of gags. While the real stars are the dangerously madcap aliens, they are mysteriously subdued following their glorious introduction, where the film instead opts to indulge in its widespread gallery of mundane human characters.

Throughout, Mars Attacks manages a steady escalation into absurdity, but really needed to go leaping for the jugular, something akin to Gremlins or even Beetlejuice.

The big laughs only occur when the film wallows in its own lunacy. Notable scenes include: a wonderful (but fleeting) montage sequence of the full-scale invasion; the Martians laughably mocking nuclear weapons; and their ultimate demise at the echoing yodels of Slim Whitman. The Martians are destroying humanity purely for the fun of it, yet we rarely see them having any fun.

Defenders of the film may note Burton’s intentional audacity with Mars Attacks – to purposefully create something scathing and subversive to your typical summer film. Indeed, he refuses to give focus in his large-scale story and ruthlessly kills off his big-name actors, but you’ll never know if that’s satire or just sloppy storytelling.

Glenn Close is second-billed in the film, however you’ll be very hard-pressed to recall if she had any lines. Someone will argue that this is all part of the film’s satirical joke, yet it’s a joke that isn’t funny or interesting.

But at least it’s better than Independence Day…