History Film / MarsAttacks

* BoomHeadshot: The only way to kill the Martians prior to their AchillesHeel being discovered. Their spacesuits are bulletproof, meaning the only chance is to shatter their bubble helmets via a direct shot to the head. Unfortunately the helmets are reinforced too, meaning it takes sustained fire to put them down.

* FailedASpotCheck: The White House tour guide fails to notice the trilling sound of the flying saucers as the building is invaded.

* WouldHurtAChild: A saucer uses a laser to cut down the Washington Monument to attack a troop of boy scouts, and even tips the falling monument in the opposite direction so that it can crush them all.

** Destroying Big Ben, melting the Eiffel Tower, bowling with Moai, carving their heads in Mount Rushmore, blowing up Congress, attempting to crush Boy Scouts with the Washington Monument...

* EvilDetectingDog: The President's dog started barking as soon as he saw the Martians, before anyone besides the general realized that they were dangerous.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Most of the main cast is dead, including the entire American government (sans Taffy Dale), and the destruction has taken a massive toll on the world, but at least Richie and his grandmother were able to stop the Martians and Byron reunites with his family and those still alive are already starting to rebuild.]]

* EnemyMine: You can [[NiceJobFixingItVillain thank the Martians for this one]] in "Mars Attacks the Transformers," where their actions cause the Autobots and Decepticons to team up against the little green aliens.
* ExactWords: In Mars Attacks Judge Dread, Dread makes an deal with a crime lord to have his record wiped clean in exchange for transport in his antique, gasoline-powered car after the Martians set off an EMP which renders all other forms of transportation inert. Once the Martians are taken care of, Dread arrests the crime lord anyway since, despite wiping his ''past'' crimes from the record as agreed, driving a gas powered vehicle violates Mega City's anti-pollution laws and counts as a new crime unaffected by the bargain. While this usually results in an extremely minor fine, judges are allowed to issue any sentence they see fit and Dread gives him a life sentence.
* GodzillaThreshold: Boy, does it backfire. In "Dinosaurs Attack! vs. Mars Attacks!", a human scientist opens a series of time portals to release dinosaurs from the past to take down the Martians. It initially works because the dinosaurs were a surprise attack and there's just too many prehistoric beasts for even superb Martian technology to suppress - until the Martians score a sudden scientific victory that allows them to install microchips into dinosaurs brains thus enslaving the dinosaurs as their beastly servants to extinguish humanity.
* LighterAndSofter: ''Mars Attacks Popeye''.[[note]]The planned ''Mars Attacks My Little Pony'' one shot comic was planned to follow through on this as well, had it not been cancelled [[/note]].

** The [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81NQktgq9yL.jpg cover]] for IDW's ''Mars Attacks Classics Vol. 3'' collection features what appears to be a human version of Applejack from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', whose [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW tie-in comic]] is also published by IDW.[[note]]As seen in the WhatCouldHaveBeen section, a crossover with ''My Little Pony'' and ''Mars Attacks!'' was in the early planning stages before it was cancelled.[[/note]]

* LighterAndSofter: ''Mars Attacks Popeye''.

** The [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81NQktgq9yL.jpg cover]] for IDW's ''Mars Attacks Classics Vol. 3'' collection features what appears to be a human version of Applejack from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', whose [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW tie-in comic]] is also published by IDW.[[note]]As seen in the WhatCouldHaveBeen section, a crossover with ''My Little Pony'' and Mars Attacks!'' was in the early planning stages before it was cancelled.[[/note]]

** The [[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81NQktgq9yL.jpg cover]] for IDW's ''Mars Attacks Classics Vol. 3'' collection features what appears to be a human version of Applejack from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', whose [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW tie-in comic]] is also published by IDW.

* EenieMeenieMinyMoai: They make for good bowling pins.

* TheUnfavorite: Richie to the rest of his family, who dote on his older brother, Billy-Glen. The only exception to this is his grandmother. [[spoiler:Both survive the end of the movie.]]

* UniversalTranslator: The humans build one before formally meeting the Martians. Subverted in that it doesn't really work (or the Martians are intentionally spouting gibberish half the time just for the fun of it).
* TheUnfavorite: Richie to the rest of his family, who dote on his older brother, Billy-Glen. The only exception to this is his grandmother. [[spoiler:Both survive the end of the movie.]]

** Stock footage of ''Film/RapaNui'' is played before the Martians destroy the moais of Easter Island (the scene originally showed the Rapa Nui looking up to an iceberg in amazement; in ''Mars Attacks!'', it looks like they are looking at an UFO).

** Danny [[=DeVito=]]'s "Rude Gambler" is an exaggeration PlayedforLaughs: every single thing he says or does in the five minutes he's on-screen is a rapid-fire pile-up of reasons why nobody in the audience is going to miss him after he gets vaporized, from being a lecher to being a coward to [[EvilLawyerJoke revealing to a Martian that he's a lawyer]] [[TheQuisling and he can be of use]] in a desperate attempt to talk the Martian out of shooting him.

** The character Natalie having her head being [[MixAndMatchCritters swapped with that of her chihuahua]] is one to ''Film/{{Invasion of the Body Snatchers|1978}}''.

* HandshakeOfDoom: President Dale finds himself cornered by the Martian Leader, and manages to stammer out a rather clumsy Patrick Stewart Speech that actually seems to get through to the Leader - enough to get him to offer his hand in friendship. Thinking he's ended the war, the President shakes the Leader's outstretched hand... [[spoiler:only for it to abruptly detach and crawl across Dale like a scorpion, before impaling him with its "stinger". As if to add insult to injury, the arm then transforms into a flagpole and raises the Martian flag over Dale's corpse.]]

* LegFocus: The [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116996/mediaviewer/rm1853975040/ first shot]] we see of Natalie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is her in a very short skirt and platform heels, casually leaning back in a chair with her leg on the table.

* ShesGotLegs: The first shot we see of Natalie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is her in a very short skirt and platform heels, casually leaning back in a chair with her leg on the table.

* HotScientist: Played straight by Pierce Brosnan's Donald Kessler, who draws the eye of Natalie (even if she already has a boyfriend... of course, once he gets killed...).

* SymbologyResearchFailure: There is StockFootage of Muslims praying before the Martians destroy the Taj Mahal, implying that it's a mosque (it's actually a mausoleum).

* SimSimSalabim[=/=]SymbolicResearchFailure: There is StockFootage of Muslims praying before the Martians destroy the Taj Mahal, implying that it's a mosque (it's actually a mausoleum).

* SimSimSalabim[/]SymbolicResearchFailure: There is StockFootage of Muslims praying before the Martians destroy the Taj Mahal, implying that it's a mosque (it's actually a mausoleum).

* TheCameo: Creator/CliffCurtis appears as a resident of Easter Island.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Most of the main cast is dead, including the entire American government (sans Taffy Dale), and the destruction has taken a massive toll on the world, but at least Richie and his grandmother were able to stop the Martians and Byron reunites with his family.]]