I have never been more sceptical of a movie in my life.
Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
Seriously.. this is what we’re looking at today…
Apparently, in 1984, there was a movie released that starred Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Carl Lumbly and Jeff Goldblum. Yes, there were other actors, but when I heard this list… my brain heard Robocop, Dick Solomon, Doc Brown, M’yrnn J’onzz and Jeff Goldblum.
Surprisingly, I don’t really feel I was wrong. Just have a look at the trailer.
Now, before you disappear – just hear me out.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th Dimension is a great quirky 80’s movie that has been widely misunderstood by most of the people who have come across it. The jokes are repeated over and over again, so even if you missed the joke the first time – by the end of the movie everyone has caught on to it. The mix of characters, without the backstories and lacking explanations of the current situation, creates a casual movie that pairs well with pizza and a lack of pants. If you enjoy quirky sci fi movie’s your friend’s have never heard of – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th Dimension is the movie for you. No, seriously.
When I watched this movie, I enjoyed the quirky disjointed nature of the story. My main questions were “What’s happening? Who’s that? Why did he do that? Isn’t that the outfit from Ready Player One?” – I’ll repeat it for you – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is a quirky movie not for the faint of heart. You’ve gotta go with the flow of the movie or you will definitely hate it.
I honestly believe this would make a great mystery movie night with friends. Everyone will know nothing about the movie; making it a perfect conversation starter around a few pizzas. The movie runs for 1hr 42 mins, making it the perfect mid-week movie night with family members. I wouldn’t recommend this for your little tots, but if you let your kids watch Back to the Future or Doctor Who, then they are probably old enough to watch this movie. It is rated PG.
Anyway, the reason you might think it seems so weird is because it looks to be based on a comic book series – right? Well, it’s not.
OK – so let me explain myself. The movie was released in August 1984 and, as you saw in the trailer, has a cast inclusive of some now well-known celebrities. Most people at the time had no idea who Buckaroo Banzai was; let alone his adventures, so it was widely assumed it was a giant piss-take at comic books and the gamble of entering a comic series at a mid-point in a series.
It kinda was, but kind of wasn’t. The writer, Earl Mach Rauch, did actually release a book called Buckaroo Banzai: The Novel in August of 1984; about a week or two before the actual release of the movie.
While I’ve never actually found an op shop copy, it’s on my list. I can only assume from the blurb of the book that it’s based on the same story from the movie.
So we’ve got both a movie and a book, released in the same month that appears to have a whole bunch of back story – which just doesn’t actually exist. It makes it a real surprise that it was nominated for 5 awards in 1985; two Young Artist Awards, two Saturn Awards and an Artios Award. Sadly, it did not win any of the awards and still, to this day, doesn’t really have a massive viewership.
Even The Times released an article about the film on October 5, 1984. The writer speaks the truth of watching movies in a cinema. The writer states they are ‘haunted by the line “why is the watermelon there?”, though I’ve now forgotten the context’; a problem fixed these days with streaming services and the ability to pause and play movies at will. The plot of the movie is well-described (so if you’re not into spoilers, watch the movie first!) and intro of the article can give you an idea of the reception of the film.
WATCHING ”The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai” from beginning to end is like coming into the middle chapters of some hilariously overplotted, spaced-out 1930’s adventure serial, neither the beginning nor the end of which ever comes into sight. At its best, which it frequently is, it’s a lunatic ball, an extremely genial, witty example of what is becoming a movie genre all its own. That is, the science-fiction farce, which includes the current ”Repo Man” and the virtually seminal ”Liquid Sky.
NY Times Sci Fri Farce
There is a romantic portion of the story, but it appears to have happened ‘in the past’. It’s not explained how or why Banzai’s wife is killed; but like a good comic book twist, the main female in the film also happens to be the secret identical twin of Banzai’s wife.
The movie isn’t meant to be a date night movie. I enjoy watching old quirky films because they often have a cult following that is referenced in newer movies. There are some bang-on lines which leave you in fits of laughter and John Lithgow’s over-the-top acting is just perfect.
I mean, come on – M’yrnn Jonzz John Parker trying to walk… I wish I had a gif I could share!!!
There is even this really awesome interview I found on Youtube around creating the character Dr Emilor Lizardo. You’ll find other interviews about the movie as well, but I thought this one was particularly interesting to watch.
Oh my gosh, did you know that there was a really awesome reference to Buckaroo Banzai that you probably didn’t understand when you watched Ready Player One?
It’s true though. If you’ve seen the movie, you might have missed the reference. What a great reason to watch it again!
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th Dimension is a weird and quirky 80’s sci fi movie that didn’t really get a lot of attention when it was realeased. It has a few now well-known celebrities and is a perfect film iteration of reading a comic book series part-way through the canon. Like newer Marvel Movies, it has references to things that have happened ‘in previous issues’, yet there aren’t any. The end of the credits entices the viewer to watch a non-existant sequel, the perfect end to a film both you and your friends will walk away from amused, yet confused. If you enjoy showing quirky sci fi movie to your friend’s that they have never heard of – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai across the 8th Dimension is the movie for you.
Till next time.