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MARS NEEDS MOMSMovie Reviews
Animated family adventure about a nine year-old boy who gains a deeper appreciation for his mother when she is abducted by Martians. Cast:Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy SterlingDirector:Simon WellsRelease Date:March 11, 2011DVD Release:August 9, 2011From:Walt Disney PicturesRating:PGLength:1 hr. 28 min.
Mars Needs Moms played to fair reviews. • Mick LaSalle wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "Sometimes charming and sometimes labored... the story of a kid who learns to appreciate his mother only after she is abducted by space aliens." • And Claudia Puig wrote in USA Today, "...hampered by uninteresting characters, a predictable story and 3-D technology..." More Reviews Below...
Mars Needs Moms Positive Reviews (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...boasts striking special effects and adventures that will entertain kids.... on the downside, Seth Green makes a whiny hero, and Dan Fogler fails to amuse."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 66 words, 03/10/11
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a great, jaunty adventure... by turns funny and emotional, as befits a Disney family fable... the movie is also visually magnificent -- modestly so."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 425 words, 03/11/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...hampered by uninteresting characters, a predictable story and 3-D technology... offering a few laughs, its commentary on motherhood seems simplistic."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 394 words, 03/11/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
Mike Hall, New York Times: WEAK "...at a preview screening, the one unreserved roar came for a scene in which a roly-poly, smiling baby urinated on someone's head."(See all of Mike Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 03/11/11
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...happily offbeat... charming, subversive... there's a shaggy, countercultural vibe; if you get in the groove, it's a hoot."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/11/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Instead of breathing life into cartoonist Berkeley Breathed's cheeky kids morality tale, the movie -- with all its 3-D motion capture animation flash -- flatlines."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 773 words, 03/11/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...charm-free, off-putting... aside from a relatively brief appearance by Joan Cusack's avatar as the kidnapped mother, there are no involving characters or situations."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 389 words, 03/11/11
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...one of the least visually appealing films ever to go out under the Disney banner. Jokes about 'Top Gun' and Botox sound like desperation."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 455 words, 03/11/11
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "...looks neither fully real nor fully imagined, which could be forgiven if it had something more to offer besides its nifty technology."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 03/11/11
Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "The script is weak and predictable... decidedly second-tier Disney with third-tier visuals... a drab color palette makes the experience of watching dull..."(See all of Nell Minow's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 734 words, 03/11/11
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...its characters boast the waxy complexions, unreal movements, and dead eyes of mannequins come to surreal, energetic life.... sci-fi-cinema training wheels."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 03/09/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an oddly affecting if predictable animated film based on the Berkeley Breathed book.... the characters' expressions and voice work are lovely..."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 03/11/11
KEY CITIES (9 Reviews)
Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...inventive and vigorous... the motion-capture animation could use a polish. But 'Mars' works well, and precious few improvements are necessary."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 660 words, 03/11/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...packed with good messages and delivering a couple of lovely, touching moments... It's just not as much fun as a live action version of the same story might have been."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 698 words, 03/11/11
Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...stocked with the usual cavalcade of cloying life lessons. Love your mother (duh). You don't know what you've got till it's gone (thanks). And all you need is love (got it)."(See all of Tom Horgen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 03/11/11
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...there is some surprisingly real emotion here, much of it centering on the loss of a parent and the guilt of a child... But that's not enough."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 03/11/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "Sometimes charming and sometimes labored... the story of a kid who learns to appreciate his mother only after she is abducted by space aliens."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 03/11/11
Jody Mitori, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...tries for silly laughs... The 3-D animation doesn't add much warmth.... a kids' movie that leaves audiences cold."(See all of Jody Mitori's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 03/11/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD(cg) "...it's efficient entertainment that's sure to dazzle the kids. Moms, though, may find themselves thinking, 'Hey, wait a minute...' "(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 622 words, 03/11/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Nick Schager, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "...its characters boast the waxy complexions, unreal movements, and dead eyes of mannequins come to surreal, energetic life.... sci-fi-cinema training wheels."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 624 words, 03/09/11
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "...settles for so much less than it could be, and in doing so, cheats its characters, its audience and its own credibility.... not quite good enough to recommend."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 861 words, 03/14/11
Tom Meek, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The 3D IMAX visuals do impress, but the subtext - that if you behave well, the Martians will zap your mother's brain - is a little out of this world."(See all of Tom Meek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 152 words, 03/10/11
Keith Phipps, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the Robert Zemeckis-headed studio ImageMovers finally gets an entertaining, accomplished movie that shows off what its signature technology can do..."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 411 words, 03/10/11
Michelle Orange, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "I salute the effort to go somewhere strange... if only a fully realized idea -- and not the same, barely concealed right-wing rap, different planet -- had been the destination."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 789 words, 03/07/11
Simon Abrams, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film's production values are almost enough to make the film's monumental shortcomings worth overlooking. But only almost."(See all of Simon Abrams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 730 words, 03/10/11
Glenn Sumi, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...an oddly affecting if predictable animated film based on the Berkeley Breathed book.... the characters' expressions and voice work are lovely..."(See all of Glenn Sumi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 295 words, 03/11/11
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: MODERATE(cg) "Do kids really need to be reminded -- in IMAX 3D! -- that Mom loves you and has your best interests at heart when she tells you to eat your broccoli?... mediocre..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 349 words, 04/04/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...suffers from chronic light loss that's at least as depressing as the dumb story.... faces look like glove puppets and characters go through motions..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 420 words, 03/11/11
Mike Hall, New York Times: WEAK "...at a preview screening, the one unreserved roar came for a scene in which a roly-poly, smiling baby urinated on someone's head."(See all of Mike Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 03/11/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Instead of breathing life into cartoonist Berkeley Breathed's cheeky kids morality tale, the movie -- with all its 3-D motion capture animation flash -- flatlines."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 773 words, 03/11/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Lael Loewenstein, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Adults may roll their eyes at the prospect of yet another slick, premium-priced videogame posing as a 3D movie, but kids, boys especially, will respond..."(See all of Lael Loewenstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 828 words, 03/08/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "...the three most important things in movies are story, story, story so the movie never comes off as the considerable achievement it truly is."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 926 words, 03/08/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "Instead of breathing life into cartoonist Berkeley Breathed's cheeky kids morality tale, the movie -- with all its 3-D motion capture animation flash -- flatlines."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 773 words, 03/11/11
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: MODERATE(cg) "...more rambunctious than engaging... the characters are simply not interesting or funny enough to watch, though you can't blame the actors."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 541 words, 03/09/11
Mike Hall, New York Times: WEAK "...at a preview screening, the one unreserved roar came for a scene in which a roly-poly, smiling baby urinated on someone's head."(See all of Mike Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 03/11/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "...suffers from chronic light loss that's at least as depressing as the dumb story.... faces look like glove puppets and characters go through motions..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 420 words, 03/11/11
16.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Mars Needs Moms's reviews are separated by an average 16.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Mars Needs Moms (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Mars Needs Moms's reviews cover 60.8% of potential readers (average is 68.0%). Volume:The film's reviews total 18,229 words involume (average is 20,221 words). Length:The film's reviews average 506 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 9.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.3 Release)
Mars Needs Moms's reviews on average broke 9.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.3 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Mars Needs Moms's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Mars Needs Moms (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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