In Tim Burton’s 1996 film Mars Attacks!, the Martians repeatedly shout “Ack Ack.”
The phrase is the aliens’ characteristic vocalization throughout the film. Although it resembles a simple sound effect rather than a translated sentence, it becomes one of the movie’s most recognizable comic motifs. The Martians use it during their invasion, their interactions with humans, and their destructive attacks.
Mars Attacks! is a science-fiction comedy that parodies mid-century alien-invasion movies. Its visual concept was inspired by the Mars Attacks trading-card series released by Topps in 1962. The film features exaggerated Martian anatomy, saucer-shaped spacecraft, and a deliberately pulpy tone.
The ensemble cast includes Jack Nicholson in two roles, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, and many others. The invasion story moves between the White House, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and other locations while presenting extraterrestrial catastrophe as broad satire.