New review time now and this film is a very odd film indeed. This one defies categorization and can only be referred to as '80s Cult Cinema', but it's a great film. Check out my review after the break....
The thing about writing reviews, well for me anyway, is what to put for my opening paragraph. Normally I start by giving a bit of background info to the film I am about to review or throw a few references in where applicable, but for The film I am about to review, there is not one film I can compare it to. This film is so ridiculously unique, original and off the wall that it stands on it own. It can't be classed as a certain genre but if I was to try I would say, sci-fi, punk rock, new wave comedy. See it just doesn't sit well does it. The Film in question is 1984's The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension and stars Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd and Clancy Brown.
With a title like that, I would imagine that most people would dismiss the film as a piece of shit, and if I was the average movie viewer I probably would too, but fortunately I am not the average movie viewer and having first caught the last 30 minutes of the film for the first time around 10 years ago, I decided to pick up a DVD copy a few years ago and popped it in the player. The film started and immediately I was sucked into the 8th dimension.
Let me give you a low down on the plot,(bare with me), Brain surgeon/Rock Star/superhero, Buckaroo Banzai has perfected the Oscillation Overthruster, a device that allows him to travel through solid matter by harnessing the 8th dimension. The Red Lectroids from Planet 10 want the devise for their own nefarious evil deed, they led by crackpot scientist Emilio Lizardo who has been possessed by Lectroids leader Lord John Whorfin. It's up to Buckaroo and his band/crime-fighting squad, The Hong Kong Cavaliers to stop the aliens from Planet 10 and save the world.
See, fucking mental, but it's this crazy ass plot that I really dig, it's so bug-nuts mental and off the wall, that I can't help but find the ideas in it entertaining. The film starts with Buck trying to break a record in his purposely built rocket car that looks like a four-wheeled drive kitted out like the Delorean from Back To The Future, and from this point it's gets even stranger. Peter Weller plays the hero of the hour and even before Robocop Weller was just badass, he's able to make a bow-tie look cool, nobody can make a bow-tie look cool. Buck is the man, good friends with the president, massive fanbase of children and adults and a bitchin' tour bus/rolling base. There's something inherently cool about Weller. The dude played fucking Alex Murphy/Robocop, starred with the even cooler Sam Elliot in Blue Jean Cop, fought underground robots in Screamers and even turned up in 24, but as Buckeroo, he just emits cool.
John Lithgow, the man from 3rd Rock From The Sun, plays Emilio Lizardo. Lithgow is hilarious as Lizardo, he plays crazy really well and his craziness he is matched by none, he's almost cartoon like in the way he goes about things. With his wild nutty scientist hair and bad bad teeth, Lithgow could easily have crawled out of a Chuck Jones Cartoon. He also give Lizardo this really bizarre accent and finds it difficult to pronounce Christopher Lloyd's character's name, John BigBoote, which Lizardo calls John Bigbooty, which I know is childish but still very funny.
Ellen Barkin is kind of wasted in a love interest roll and she really doesn't get up much. Jeff Goldblum plays Buck's medical colleague who spends the entire movie dressed as a cowboy, but it's Goldblum who pretty much has that scientist roll down to a tee, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, The Fly, just a few of his neurotic doctor characters. But it's Goldblum and he's...well, Goldblum.
The Style of the film is very very 80s, not like a rough, low-budget movie like Savage Streets, but more like an 80s music video, think Making Plans For Nigel by XTC and you're almost there. It's big collars, wide shoulders and electro pop/new wave punk and very very cool. The special FX are abit ropey, but it's expected as this is an early 80s SF movie and one not to be taken seriously.
The soundtrack is pretty cool to, a mixture of new wave, synth and electro, not electro like we have now but proper electro from the 80s, keyboard guitars, drum machines, that kind of electro. Unfortunately I can't find any information on the actual soundtrack at the moment but it is very cool.
The film is directed by W.D Richter, the man who wrote one of John Carpenter's best movies and another kind of kooky flick, Big Trouble In Little China and his direction is really good, he only shot 3 films but has written a load of other including the brilliant Brubaker, Stealth and the remake of Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers from 1978. The film was not written by him but by Earl Mac Rauch who wrote Scorsese's New York, New York.
If you walked into the office of a film producer and pitched this film today, you would be laughed out of the office. That's what I love about 80s movies, Hollywood didn't give a fuck, they would throw money at anything, it's a shame we don't have the same Hollywood we did then as all we get these days are remakes, reboots and mediocre genre movies.
But Pete, What's your final verdict on Buckaroo Banzai?
Well I fucking love this film, i'm glad it exists and im glad I own it. I think there should be more films like it and im kinda a pissed that they never made the sequel that is advertised at the end of the movie. Buckaroo Banzai V.S The World Crime League. But at least we have one Buckaroo Banzai film and friends this one is ace....
FILM: 10/10
here's some funky music for you....
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