The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai [VHS]
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VHS Movie Reviews of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai [VHS]
Movie Review: Crazy Stuff
Summary: 4 Stars
Here's a movie straight from the school of "they don't make them like this anymore". It's a comic book/pulp novel/Saturday morning cartoon put on film. In a very general sense the plot is rather simple: Aliens are out to destroy the Earth and only Buckaroo Banzai can stop them. Make no mistake about it though, it's something you need to watch more than once to get the gist of it. Even though this is the only BB film, it flows as though it could be the second or third film in a series of BB films. It hurls you straight into the action from the getgo and never lets up. This makes the movie seem longer than it actually is, and it's not a terribly short film to begin with. The character of Buckaroo Banzai is shoved in your face without any real concrete explanation of just who he is(the alternate intro clears that up a tad). You do learn as the film goes on however as you ride out the craziness with him. The first twenty minutes has him performing brain surgery, then suddenly he's test driving an experimental vehicle across the desert where he drives into another dimension(and gets a brain stuck to the undercarriage of his vehicle), and then he's in a nightclub performing a show with his rock band! If this is the first time you've seen it, you're asking yourself, "just what the hell am I watching?". I feel sorry for the poor SOB who comes in during the middle of the film! The film never lets up however, and you're bombarded with every sort of craziness there is, as Buckaroo and his entourage of scientists/musicians/action heroes race around to stop the invading aliens, all of whom are named "John"(they include Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, and John Lithgow). After repeated viewings you will find that you undertsand more and more of what's going on, and who is who. You'll also get more jokes that slipped past you before. Needless to say that this movie will only appeal to a select group of people, and others will think it's just plain dumb and way too much insanity to handle. A "cult" film if there ever was one. The movie was obviously supposed to be the start of a series of films, but that never happened(probably coz it wasn't well received for the aforementioned reasons). At least this one exists and is readily available for you to enjoy. I seriously cannot even fathom Hollywood trying to make a movie like this now, at least not in the same style. Definitely a more comic-like feel than any of the so called "comic" movies that have come out in recent years. If you have a taste for the weird and just flat out fun, DO NOT let this pass you by.Movie Review: Great quirky film, needs some criticism though.
Summary: 4 Stars
No science fiction collection is complete without this movie, in particular no camp-sci fi collection is complete without this quirky, strange little movie. It is influential enough to have earned a nod in the buffy spin-off Angel; Yoyodine Labs is one of Wolfram and Hart's clients. Buckaroo Banzai is a modernized send-up of the old Doc Savage pulp novels. Buckaroo is a half-Japanese, half-Texan super-genius whose parents died in a trans-dimensional accident in 1936. Banzai is a cross of Dr. Schweitzer, Rambo, Bruce Lee, Stephen Hawkings, Bill Gates and Huey Lewis.
The cast is a surprising A and B+ list group including Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, and John Lithgow. The actors are clearly having fun, and that is communicated to the screen. Lithgow in particular steals the show. The film successfully combines humor, a fast pace and general weirdness. There is a watermelon in a vise in the Banzai Labs. The aliens are all named "John." One alien dies in a trip and fall accident. The President is in traction. All in all the film is a definite popcorn-munching fun film.
Now for the tough love. The film has some deep flaws. This is not really the first episode, like Star Wars: A New Hope was really Episode IV. Buckaroo and his team: Reno Nevada, Perfect Tommy, Rawhide, Pecos, Pinky Caruthers, etc. are all presumed to be household names. You are supposed to be disappointed when you hear that Pecos is not going to be in the film. These people are intended to be familiar from comics, movies, novels, TV adaptations, etc. This is a big episode in the nonexistent series. It is the one where Buckaroo meets Penny Priddy, where New Jersey joins the team and where some old friends die. Since there were no other episodes, the fact that Penny looks just like Buckaroo's dead wife Peggy, who was murdered on their wedding night in a hotel room by Hanoi Xan with a cyanide bomb, (take that Clue) is meaningless. When an old friend dies there just isn't the impact as if you did know the character. Since this is not the first episode, the writers decided to pretend that you know who these people are. When this is combined with the frenetic pace of the film and the oddball elements, the characters just kind of fade out. Only the villains and Perfect Tommy really shine.
Another problem lies in some of the action, in particular the ten-year-old who accompanies Buckaroo on the Yoyodine raid. There might be some backlash today to a kid with an M-16 running around, shooting aliens, even if he is a Blue Blaze Irregular. This might bring up gang issues etc.
As to the extras, on the disk, they are a pretty good set. In particular one scene from the deleted scenes really deserved to be in the movie. Penny Priddy, drunk, desperate and depressed has wandered into a bar where Buckaroo is playing. When he talks to her she gives a speech about how bad off she is. She says "It's like the guy at the unemployment office said: "Honey, as long as there is a sidewalk you'll have a job." Seriously funny.
I hope, with the recent talk of a TV series and one of the major obstacles to the film having passed on to another dimension (check out the gossip about the film) that the writers take some of these criticisms seriously. I almost loved your film, I hope that whatever form it takes in the future is...better. By the way, the reason there was no sequel or TV series was not due to panning or low box office receipts, but due to behind the scenes nastiness and politics.
Movie Review: Sieze Power Once Again!
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased "The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai..." for one reason - John Lithgow's performance during his dictatorial speech to his alien gang. There are other fine performances as well, but in this movie, Lithgow steals the show!Movie Review: Buckaroo Banzai Rules!
Summary: 4 Stars
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension I saw this movie a long time ago & had forgotten about it until recently. When I found it on Amazon & ordered it, I found a lost classic that I enjoyed 20 years ago, and enjoyed even more today. Had to have it. The cast is incredible when you consider that it was made in 1984 (?) ~ to see where they were then and where they are now...Classic!Movie Review: Classic 80's SciFi Fun
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager. HBO seemed to show Buckaroo Banzai every day for about 3 years. So much fun. Viewing the movie as adult, it had a slower pace than I remembered. However, all of the charm and humor was still there. Anyone who enjoys movies like Time Bandits, Ice Pirates, or Brazil will love this movie.
The quality of the DVD is a little cheap. Lame menus, not many extras, but the quality of the print is decent.