Martinez- Mars Attacks

Mars Attacks satirizes the military, capitalism and patriotism in the way that the Martians treat the American people and ultimately in the way in which the Martians are destroyed. The scene in which the Martians come to Washington DC in order to apologize for killing several civilians and military men in Nevada upon their arrival is an example of how Burton is mocking patriotism, military and the government as well. The Martians walk down the aisle in a room filled with several diplomats and politicians- all of them, which are dressed very professionally in their suits and ties. The atmosphere of the room is very formal and very patriotic as many Americans are waiting for the apology of the Martians. The Martians walk in and they have a strange look on their faces as they see how nicely everyone else is dressed, but it is not until the Martians reach the podium is when we as the audience see how Burton is satirizing patriotism. The Martians pull out their weapons and start killing everyone in the room quickly. This is humorous because for the Martians, the politicians and everyone in the room is so vulnerable because the Americans have the mentality that these Martians are just like them in terms of political diplomacy.

Finally at the end of the movie is when the audience sees how the humans defeat the Martians- but not in a way which is expected. It is not with guns or heavy artillery that the humans defeat and get rid of the Martians, but is the sound of a certain song in which the grandma likes to hear that the Martians’ brains explode and die. Burton pokes fun at the institution that is the military because the military is considered the stronghold of a country’s safety. In Mars Attacks, the military is unable to kill the Martians or get rid of them as trained and equipped as they are. Something so simple as a song that the grandma likes to hear is what ends up being the weapon for the destruction of the Martians. The hero of the movie ended up being a young teenage boy and his grandmother as the two of them drove around with that song playing that way all the Martians would die. This teenage boy and his grandma are considered “misfits” because they live on the outside of society. Burton is also satirizing the stereotypes of any “hero” in stories because the grandma and the teenage boy lived in the middle of nowhere in the movie. Burton pokes fun at the military, patriotism and capitalism in Mars Attacks in the ways that he shows how easily the humans are killed and also in the way he portrays the hero of the story who saves the day.