Tim Burton already has his next project after Beetlejuice 2, and it can be the perfect sequel to his most underrated comedy. Tim Burton has become known for his movies that mix fantasy and horror with gothic elements, but he has also added a good dose of comedy to his works. In line with his previous works, Burton’s next project is a remake of the 1958 sci-fi horror movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which already got the remake treatment in 1993.
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is the story of Nancy Fowler Archer (Allison Hayes), a wealthy but troubled heiress struggling emotionally and with substance abuse disorder. One day, Nancy has a close encounter with an enormous alien, which causes her to grow into a giantess. Despite being unrelated to his previous works, the style and themes of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman make it the perfect sequel to Burton’s most underrated comedy: Mars Attacks!.
10 Scariest Scenes In Tim Burton Movies, Ranked
From Beetlejuice to Sleepy Hollow, Tim Burton has made plenty of spooky movies throughout his career, with some truly terrifying scenes.
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman Has Similar Themes To Mars Attacks
In 1996, two years after the release of Ed Wood, Tim Burton brought the sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks!. Based on the trading card series of the same name, Mars Attacks! sees the efforts of different groups of people to defend Earth after the planet is invaded by a massive fleet of flying saucers from Mars. The Martians, seemingly harmless beings, meet the President of the United States (Jack Nicholson) under peaceful pretenses but soon reveal their true intentions of taking over Earth.
The Martians turn out to have a weird weakness: whenever Slim Whitman’s “Indian Love Call” plays, their brains explode. The Martians are defeated and forced to leave Earth thanks to the song, and the President’s daughter awards those who discovered the Martians’ weakness. Mars Attacks! was cheesy and had a very absurd type of comedy, which perfectly matches the style of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman – and its ending makes it possible for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman to serve as a fun continuation.
The Martians leave, defeated, at the end of Mars Attacks!, and Nancy encounters a giant alien in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which can be seen as revenge from the Martians after all these years. Both movies featuring aliens and having a fun and absurd tone that leads to them not taking themselves seriously can make Attack of the 50 Foot Woman feel like a worthy and entertaining continuation to Mars Attacks!.
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman Can Succeed Where Mars Attacks Failed
As mentioned above, Mars Attacks! has a cheesy, 1950’s sci-fi style that was both its strength and weakness – while some critics praised it for it, especially as it made it stand out from other sci-fi/alien movies of the decade, others weren’t on board with it, precisely because of how different it was. Because of the style of the original version of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, the remake is expected to be cheesy and absurd as well, meaning it can be better received than Mars Attacks! as the audience will know what types of humor and visual style to expect.
If Tim Burton’s version of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman succeeds, it could lead to a revisiting and reappraisal of Mars Attacks!, more so if it keeps the 1950s sci-fi vibe of the original version, which will inevitably draw comparisons to Mars Attacks!.
