Line #28 Film/SantaClausConquersTheMartians


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Santa_martians.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:Hooray for Santy Claus!]]
3
4	->''"Santa Brings Christmas Fun to Mars"''
5	-->-- {{Tagline}}
6
7	''Santa Claus Conquers the Martians'' (also titled ''Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens'') is a 1964 science fiction/fantasy film in which {{Martians}}, trying to cure the malaise of their children, kidnap SantaClaus (and a couple of earth kids that got mixed up in the plot) and take him to Mars to create the first Martian Christmas. Santa takes the whole thing ''surprisingly'' well and is only too happy to help. However, a small band of Martians rebel against the idea of Christmas or children being happy and try to kill Santa. By the end of the movie, the Martians discover that they can just get a really annoying Martian named Dropo to stuff a pillow down his shirt and DRESS as Santa, thus allowing Santa and the earth kids to go home.
8
9	A NoBudget kids film with cheap sets, awful costumes, cheesy acting, and a laughably bad script, the film regularly appears on lists of the worst films ever made. It is regularly featured in the "bottom 100" list on the Internet Movie Database, and was also featured in an episode of ''[[Creator/ElviraMistressOfTheDark Elvira's Movie Macabre]]'', the 1986 syndicated series ''Canned Film Festival'' and numerous other venues for bad movies over the years. It was directed by Nicholas Webster, and it stars John Call as Santa Claus. It also includes an 8-year-old Creator/PiaZadora playing the role of one of the Martian children, and is the first appearance of Mrs. Claus in an audio-visual medium.
10
11	For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' version, please go to the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S03E21SantaClausConquersTheMartians episode recap page]]. Both ''WebVideo/CinematicTitanic'' and ''Podcast/{{Rifftrax}}'' riffed the film as well. It also had a comic book adaptation that was [[http://atopfourthwall.blogspot.com/2010/12/santa-claus-conquers-martians.html mocked on Atop The Fourth Wall]].
12
13	----
14	!!Santa Claus Conquers the Tropes:
15	* AbortedArc: Much is made of the Earth's militaries coming together to save Santa Claus (complete with tons of stock footage and a goofy 'German' Guy) but [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse we never get the payoff.]]
16	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Kimar chuckles at Betty asking the Martians if they're television sets.
17	* AdvancedCivilizationHollowImagination: Mars' child portion of their civilization has become this, according to Chochem. Their knowledge is fed directly into their brain by machines, but are distracted by Earth television broadcasts because of how uninteresting and fun-lacking their culture is. To bring some into their lives, a few martian explorers travel to Earth and kidnap Santa Claus. Voldar, one of them, is more of a GeneralRipper and a traditionalist, thinking that this would undermine their glory.
18	* AdvertisedExtra: Every synopsis of the film (including the one here!) mentions Creator/PiaZadora, who's not really important to the plot.
19	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: The Martians all speak English.
20	* AnotherSideAnotherStory: A satirical novelization published in 2005 retold the story from Girmar's perspective.
21	* AirVentPassageway: Santa escapes being ThrownOutTheAirlock this way. Given that this ''is'' Santa Claus, shimmying through vents should be a given.
22	* AliensStealCable: The alien children learn about Santa Claus through the reception of Earth [[strike:TV shows]] programs.
23	-->'''Kimar:''' They whittle their days away watching these silly Earth programmes. It confuses them.
24	-->'''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Servo]]:''' [[TakeThat Especially]] Series/TwinPeaks.
25	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Betty Foster spends most of the story whining at her brother about how much she dislikes the current state of affairs.
26	* BadassSanta: Santa doesn't ever fight anyone, but it should be noted how easily he escapes, shrugs off, and laughs at the ''numerous attempts on his life.''
27	* BigBad: Voldar, who seems to be some kind of Martian purist, and therefore tries to keep Christmas out of Mars at any cost.
28	* BigGood: Santa himself, despite the misleading title. He's Mars' last hope for goodwill and cheer.
29	* CaptainErsatz: [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun Wernher von "Green".]]
30	* ChristmasElves: Unfortunately, they don't stand a chance against the Martians' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMJyt5KOyag Wham-O Air Blasters]].
31	* CloudCuckoolander: Santa, big time! You'd think even jolly ol' St. Nick would be a ''little'' confused by the sudden revelation of extraterrestrial life, but...
32	-->'''Servo:''' What’s in the pipe, Santa?
33	* ComicBookAdaptation: Dell published one as part of their "Movie Classics" line in the 1960s.
34	* DasherDancerPrancerAndNixon: During a TV interview, Santa Claus dismisses the rumor that he's using a rocket-powered sleigh this year, then bungles the names of his reindeer immediately after.
35	-->'''Santa Claus:''' No, sirree! We're going out the good old-fashioned way, with my reindeer! Prancer and Dancer and Donder and Blixen and Vixen and ''Nixon'' and, uh... ''[indecipherable muttering]'' Oh consarnit, I get those names mixed up. But the kids know their names!
36	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Voldar has the Foster children captured and taken to Mars specifically so that they couldn't tell anyone that Martians had kidnapped Santa. But then during the actual kidnapping, the Martians use stun weapons to disable everyone in workshop other than Santa, and Mrs Claus reports the kidnapping as soon as it wears off. So the Martians really didn't need to bother holding the kids, and even if there was some need to hold onto them until they actually got their hands on Santa, they could have just stunned the kids and left them behind in the workshop, since they apparently didn't care if the kidnapping was reported after the fact.
37	* EnclosedSpace: The air lock where Santa Claus and the earth kids were trapped. Oddly, it has an air duct.
38	* EpicFail: The Martians have voice-activated technology for their doors, and have been able to create devices that receive Earth television transmissions... yet no one on Mars seems to have ever invented locks, which would have kept Droppo from stowing away in the ship's radar box and prevented Voldar from sabotaging the toy machine.
39	* EvilIsHammy: Voldar really chews the scenery.
40	* EvilReactionary: When Mars takes a turn for the peaceful, relaxed and fun, Voldar wants to go back to the days of Mars the warmongering, cold and spartan.
41	* FinalBattle: An extremely goofy one involving Voldar and his two goons getting pelted by toys while the movie's theme plays.
42	-->'''Servo:''' Good idea. Risk the children’s lives, Santa.
43	* FoodPills: The Martian cuisine of choice. The script goes through the old "list off delectable dishes and then reveal they're actually pills" gag.
44	* TheFool: Dropo, though without the whole "stupidity working in his flavor" angle.
45	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:Dropo is warned that he might be left on Earth in place of Santa Claus. The film concludes with Dropo being Mars' Santa.]]
46	* GoodHairEvilHair: Of the facial variety; Santa's full, floofy white beard of Good vs. Voldar's wicked, shaggy Mustache of Evil.
47	* TheGrinch: Voldar rejects the idea of "a Santa Claus on Mars" out of hand.
48	* HenpeckedHusband: Implied. When Mrs. Claus is frozen by Martian Wham-O Airblasters, Santa remarks that he can't remember the last time she was that quiet ''that long.''
49	-->'''Crow:''' (as Santa) We’re having her committed.
50	* HereWeGoAgain: The epilogue of the novelization mentions that some years later, [[spoiler:Dropo]] Claus would be kidnapped and taken to Venus because they wanted a Santa too.
51	* HermitGuru: Chochem, the Troll doll. The Martian leaders come to him for advice; his response is basically "What the hell did you ''think'' taking their childhoods away would do?"
52	* HerrDoktor: Dr. Werner von Green, the German military space travel expert guy.
53	* HouseWife: Momar is the Martian version. Her name even comes from "Mother Martian".
54	* {{Jerkass}}: Voldar is very insistent that Mars should remain a planet of warriors, and sees this whole Santa Claus business as undermining said goal.
55	* KillerRobot: Torg (an anagram of "Gort", the killer robot from ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951'').
56	* LaughingMad: Although John Call as Santa is generally an unassuming, pleasant fellow, his laughter sounds more like a man undergoing a frenzied psychotic breakdown than a jolly old elf.
57	* LazinessCallout: Dropo is introduced by Kimar as "the laziest man on Mars" and lives up to that title throughout.
58	* LuddWasRight: Hinted at after the toy-making machine is sabotaged.
59	* MechanisticAlienCulture: The Martians: [[FoodPills Food Pill-eating]], joyless, humorless humanoid creatures with metallic-green skin and distinctly robot-like headgear incorporated into their costume design; the dullness of their heavily mechanized lives results in their children getting addicted to joyful, cheery Earthling holiday television programming.
60	* MistakenIdentity: Voldar's scheme is foiled [[spoiler: by confusing Droppo-Dressed-As-Santa for Santa, kidnapping the former instead of the intended latter]].
61	* MrsClaus: This film has the strange historic distinction of presenting the first-ever depiction of her in an audio-visual production (the character had existed for over a century, but only really took off in popularity in TheSixties).
62	-->'''Joel:''' (As Santa, after her introduction) Hands off.
63	* MundaneFantastic: In a refreshing departure from many a ChristmasSpecial, Santa Claus is acknowledged as real and the army is dispatched when he gets kidnapped.
64	* TheMusical: Several satirical musical adaptations have been made of the story.
65	* NeutralFemale: Momar does nothing of import. She doesn't even leave her house.
66	* NeverTrustATitle: The film is called ''Santa Claus '''Conquers''' The Martians''. There's not really a lot of "conquering" going on, although it's probably meant in terms of hearts and minds.
67	* NiceGuy: Santa Claus, as per usual.
68	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Wernher [[PunnyName von Green]] is very blatantly Wernher von Braun, German rocket scientist and ex-Nazi BoxedCrook.
69	* NotHelpingYourCase: Kimar assures the kids they don't need to be afraid while ''sticking a rifle in their faces.'' No one seems to notice this.
70	* NuclearFamily: Kimar, Momar, Gimar, and Bomar - father, mother, 2.3 children.
71	* ObviouslyEvil: Voldar spends any screen time he doesn't use for committing evil trying to argue other Martians ''into'' committing evil.
72	* OffTheShelfFX: The Martians are armed with Whammo air guns.
73	* OnlySaneMan: Chochem appears to be the only Martian who realized it was a bad idea to force Martian children into a mechanistic life from birth. His verdict that Mars needs a Santa Claus appears to be his way of telling the others that Martian children need their ''childhoods'' back.
74	-->'''Chochem:''' I have seen this coming for centuries.
75	-->'''Crow:''' Why didn’t ya tell us, Pops?
76	* PaperThinDisguise: After Droppo dresses as Santa, he's mistaken by the bad guys for the real Santa, despite the fact that his helmet can clearly be seen as well as his green face.
77	* ThePollyanna: Santa never loses his cheer, even when threatened with being blown into the vacuum of space.
78	* PornStache: Voldar's Facial Hair of Evil.
79	* {{Planetville}}: Mars apparently consists of a house, a factory, and a cave.
80	* PluckyComicRelief: Dropo is ''supposed'' to be this. The vast majority of viewers would use the term "Odious Comic Relief" instead.
81	* {{Portmanteau}}: Kimar (king Martian), Momar (mom Martian), Bomar (boy Martian), Girmar (girl Martian) etc. Not sure if Dropo means anything. ([[ChildhoodBrainDamage Dropped on head?]])
82	* PreMortemOneLiner: At the climax, Voldar attempts this with Santa [[note]]"You'll be relaxing, ''permanently!''"[[/note]], only to get stopped by being pelted with toys.
83	* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: According to Voldar the Martians used to be like this. He's hoping killing the humans will be a move back to what he considers GoodOldWays.
84	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: '''"Torg! COME. Out. Of. The. Spaceship."'''
85	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Kimar wants nothing more than the security and comfort of his fellow Martians, and when he's told Mars needs a Santa Claus, he doesn't even try to argue the point.
86	* RepeatToConfirm: The Martian crew, while flying to and from Earth: "Fire retrorockets five and six." "Retrorockets five and six. Fire."
87	* RobotAntennae: The robot has what appears to be an antenna atop its head. Of course, the Martians wear helmets with antennae on them, so this might just be a Martian aesthetic.
88	* ScreenToStageAdaptation: A [[http://www.mavericktheater.com/html/santa_conquers.html small theater]] in CA has adapted this to stage and performs it every holiday season. It is snarkerific. The tickets for every seat of the season typically sell out within a few weeks of going on sale and the competition grows every year since people who've gone once want to see it again the next year. Much of the humor comes from the improvisation that the actors produce, so it's worth seeing every year even if you've already seen it.
89	* ShoutOut The robot "Torg" was likely a reference to "Gort" from ''Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951'' except with much, much less budget or creativity.
90	** Voldar mentions being able to destroy a city with a blast of the Martian [[Film/RobotMonster Q-Ray]].
91	* SingleBiomePlanet: Justified, as it is, well, Mars.
92	* TheSlacker: Dropo is introduced as "the laziest man on Mars", and lives up to that title throughout.
93	* SpellingSong: "You spell it S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-U-S, hooray for Santy Claus!"
94	* StockFootage: Used to show how "much" the armed forces are defending the Earth.
95	** Some of which appears to be ''from UsefulNotes/WorldWarII''.
96	* SurroundedByIdiots: Voldar's goofy sidekicks, Stobo and Shim.
97	* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: "I'm cold! I'm tired!"
98	* TinCanRobot: Torg. More accurately Cardboard Painted Silver Robot.
99	* {{Toys}}: Check – Santa makes ‘em on Mars.
100	-->'''Girmar:''' The doll has a teddy bear’s head, and the teddy bear has a doll’s head.
101	-->'''Joel:''' (as Santa) No problem. We’ll just give ‘em to dyslexic children.
102	* TrueMeaningOfChristmas: The movie's theme is teaching the Martians the meaning of Christmas: To have fun.
103	* TyopOnTheCover: "Custume Designer".
104	* UndergroundCity: Voldar hints that this is the standard of Martian architecture when he criticizes an Earth city being "above ground." It seems to add up, since anytime we see any of the Martians outdoors, they're in a barren, red desert instead of streets.
105	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Hoping to keep his and other Martian children from becoming too depressed and aloof, Kimar resorts to armed kidnap and forceful coercion to bring Santa to Mars. Thankfully, Santa is extremely cooperative and agreeable, so Kimar doesn't become too cruel after Santa's in his custody.
106	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
107	** The whole "Earth's militaries search for Santa" subplot, it just sort of disappears, never to be mentioned again.
108	** While this movie marked Mrs. Claus first appearance in audio-visual format. She never reappears in the movie after she gets frozen by Martian's Wham-O Air blasters nor was ever seen getting unfrozen (though she is mentioned in a news report to have identified Santa's kidnappers as Martians).
109	* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Voldar tries to throw the Earth kids out into space with Santa.]]
110	* WouldNotHurtAChild: The novelization states that Martians are incapable of harming Martian children, which explains how [[spoiler:four kids, two of them Martian, were able to defeat Voldar with nothing but toys in the finale.]]

Context Film / SantaClausConquersTheMartians