Buckaroo Banzai has it all. He's a world-class genius, scientist, athlete, crimefighter, and part-time rock star. His latest experiment sees him testing an interdimensional craft, but it proves to be more than they bargained when it attracts the attention of the Red Lectroids of Planet X. They've been stranded on Earth ever since a past experiment, and are determined to steal Buckaroo's tech to return home to retake their old planet. Now it's up to Buckaroo to stop them before the entire planet is destroyed. Easy for Earth's greatest hero!...
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is one of the prototypical cult movies of the 80s. A failure upon its release, it gained a small but dedicated fanbase, and is fondly remembered to this day, despite never getting the franchise it may have set out to jumpstart.
This movie didn't do well for a few reasons. The long title might've put some people off (come on, guys, live a little!), and the movie is willfully obtuse, acting as if it's not the first entry, and we're already familiar with this hero. In a way it's fun being thrust into this world partway.
But the main thing getting in the way of wider popularity is the same reason the movie is so beloved. It's a bloody weird film! And not weird in a way you'd expect either. A bit of goofiness is to be expected. But Buckaroo Banzai's weirdness is baked right into the story. The film is dense and confusing, not because it has a complicated story, but its presentation is off-kilter. One thing'll happen without warning to make you go 'Huh?', and before it gets an explanation two more things happen to make you go 'Wait, what the hell's going on?!'.
The film also feels random and weird for weird's sake, like the watermelon scene. That's one of the film's most famous cult moment, although it was kinda blink or you'll miss it. That sense of background weirdness does run the risk of underplaying some jokes, but it spares the film from being obnoxious.
As weird as the world of Buckaroo Banzai is, it's also oddly normal at times. It's just our boring old world, with with a few superficial touches of wackiness. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand it's a nice mix that stops things from getting too out-there for comfort. But on the other hand it does make what should be a wacky world seem a bit...duller?
While not a comedy, the film has a lighthearted presentation. This I like, though not all the comedy landed for me. I found some of it kinda lame. It's good when it hits though.
Buckaroo is a decent lead character. He's presented as the greatest in every field, but isn't insufferably perfect. He's a pretty mellow guy, and is an action hero with a greater focus on heart and friendship than carnage and big muscles. This is highlighted with the breathtakingly philosophical quote "Hey now, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, cause, remember, no matter where you go, there you are". Wow, powerful stuff.
Penny Priddy meanwhile is a bit of a drip. She starts out suicidal, and gets herself in hot water when security mistake her for an assassin. From here on she ends up embroiled in events, and she improves as the movie goes on. By the end she plays a decent part, even if she has no idea what's going on or who's who.
Their love story is pretty weird. Admittedly Buckaroo does partly fall for Penny due to her circumstances, but mainly it's because she's the spitting image of his deceased wife, who it turns out is Penny's long lost sister. What a coincidence! Buckaroo's old wife is rarely mentioned straight out, and this connection really isn't used to its full potential. It makes their coupling feel a little shallow too.
Buckaroo's team of sidekicks are ok. They have fun names, wacky outfits, or cool swagger, but are all pretty underdeveloped and one-note. There's a lot to keep track of too. Then there's a friendly alien, who doesn't add much.
The Lectoids make for pretty fun adversaries, with their weird quirks. Not all of it landed for me, but they weren't dull at least. I didn't have any idea what was up with Dr. Emilio Lizardo and Lord Worfin though.
I've gotta say though, the Red Lectroids really didn't seem that bad, just as the Black Lectroids didn't seem that good! All the Reds wanna do is escape back home, and don't really have any interest in Earth. To them it's just a shitty hovel of monkey men, and they can't wait to see the back of it. They're assholes, sure, but that's it. It's only on the word of the Blacks (god that sounds bad out of context!) that says Worfin is worse than Hitler. They say this while also threatening our heroes to stop Worfin or else they'll trigger a nuclear holocaust and destroy the earth! It's also pretty rich of them to blame Buckaroo for unleashing the Reds, considering it was they who trapped them in the 8th dimension in the first place!
The cast is good. Peter Weller gets a different leading role, as an action star with a sensitive side, while still looking like he could kick your ass (albeit not in an obvious overmuscled way). His entourage contains many familiar faces, from a cool and collected Jeff Goldblum, to a fun Clancy Brown. Ellen Barkin is an ok love interest. Christopher Lloyd and Vincent Schiavelli are welcome, if minor, presences. There's also an oddly dubbed performance from a barely recognisable Ron Lacey.
The film's biggest MVP though is John Lithgow! Apparently the director wanted someone else, and was unhappy that a bigger name actor was forced upon him by the studio. If true, I'm sure he bloody well changed his tune quickly, because Lithgow goes all out! He embraces the insanity of the film more than anyone else, not only with his wild visage and ridiculous Italian accent, but his bizarre inflections! Sure, he verges on annoying at times, but you've gotta admire any actor wiling to go so crazy in a role.
The effects are a high point, from the spaceships, to interdimensional travel, and of course the make-up for the aliens. It's a good, fun design, and moulds well to the faces of each actor. You probably won't notice who's who without pausing, but still! I'm sure there was an effort to make the film with a cheesy look to it, but never in the sense that it's 'so bad it's good'.
The soundtrack is pretty neat! It's not ostentatious, and is surprisingly lowkey. There are some 80s synth pieces, as well as a brief concert scene (not much to my liking, although there still shoulda been more if the heroes are rock stars!), and there's an overall sense of positivity and triumph from some of them. It reflects the sense of living in a world with a man as brilliant as Buckaroo Banzai!
The film is directed well, and a notable moment is the 'music video' ending credits, which is silly yet sincere, as the film's heroes all do a power walk while inspirational music plays.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is an ok watch, and worth checking out at least once though didn't do a lot for me. The end credits promise a sequel that would never come. I don't know if that was a serious hook or just a joke (and frankly a World Crime League sounds like a step down in scale compared to aliens trying to destroy the Earth), but I think the film kinda works better as an isolated 'fifth' entry, acting as if there are films before and after, but only in our imaginations...
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