Film Review: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

Hollywood fiction often features larger-than-life characters, but few are as large as the protagonist of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across 8th Dimension, 1984 science fiction action comedy directed by W.D. Richter. Buckaro Banzai (played by Peter Weller) is a dashing adventurer, gifted nuclear physicist, brilliant neurosurgeon and an accomplished rock musician who tours the world with Hong Kong Cavaliers, his band whose members also serve as his bodyguards and assistants. Banzai has recently developed device that allows travel over solid matter and he tests it while driving his jet car through the mountain. Upon successful test, he finds strange alien form which came from another dimension. The news about experiment brings attention of Dr. Emilio Lizardo (played by John Lithgow), Italian scientists who took part in similar experiment in 1938 only to end up locked in hospital for criminally insane. Banzai and his friends soon get embroiled in conflict between two alien factions – Black Lectroids and Red Lectroids, the latter being led by John Worfin, alien who actually possessed Dr. Lizardo during his short trip in 8th dimension many decades ago. In the meantine, Banzai also has to deal with Penny Pridi (played by Ellen Barkin), woman who tried to commit suicide during one of his music performances and who has strange resemblance to his late wife.

Buckaroo Banzai nowadays enjoys reputation of cult film despite being huge box office flop during its original cinema distribution. This might happen for two very different reasons. Either the film is misunderstood masterpiece or its reputation is created by small but vocal minority that has liked it while those who haven’t simply don’t care about it. Buckaroo Banzai, sadly, belongs to second category and it is mostly due to poor direction by Richter. He had some good ideas in the script co-written with Earl Mac Rauch, but failed to execute them properly. As a result, complex plot proves to be confusing to the audience, especially in the first part of film. There are some good elements in the film, though, most notably the brilliant performance of Peter Weller in his first major film role. Weller plays his outlandish character with deadpan seriousness, which is always a good thing in comedy. Lithgow, on the other hand, plays his outlandish character deliberately over-the-top, making it not only too cartoonish, but often annoying to the audience. Barkin, introduced in film to provide obligatory romantic subplot, lacks chemistry with Weller. The rest of the cast, made by veteran character actors, is very good, although some of their talents, like in the case of Christopher Lloyd, get hidden due to bad alien makeup. The script partially deals with political satire and possibility of Cold War rivalry between USA and USSSR resulting in nuclear self-annihilation. Film also references great Orson Welles and his infamous 1938 radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is one of the elements of the plot. The most memorable thing about this thing is the scene in the end titles showing Banzai and Hong Kong Cavalier triumphantly marching at Sepulveda Dam in Los Angeles. The cast and crew, apparently, had the blast while making this film but most of the audience will fail to experience such levels of fun while watching it, despite its cult reputation.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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