Before Peter Weller fought crime in Old Detroit as a cyborg cop in Paul Verhoeven's Robocop he saved the world from imminent destruction by two warring factions of shape shifting, inter-dimensional aliens called Lectoids.
Sound ridiculous? It is ridiculous. And it's meant to be.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is a campy, silly, satirical, ‘80’s sci-fi film centered around the titular Banzai and his motley band of tag-alongs (also his back up band), The Hong Kong Cavaliers (Clancy Brown, Lewis Smith, and Jeff Goldblum, among others).
Banzai is a physicist, rock star, neurosurgeon, comic book hero, race car driver, and, lately, an intergalactic hero. When Banzai and his team successfully attempt to drive a jet truck through a mountain, he inadvertently passes through another dimension and…You know what? It doesn’t matter.
It’s ‘80’s sci-fi schlock. But it’s inventive, and with an ear for comedy that many other films of this era and budget do not have. The production values may be low, and the plot convoluted, but the interactions between the characters, the hilarious names of the aliens, and the impressive cast of actors (John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum, and Clancy Brown, and the very hot Ellen Barkin*) employed here practically guarantee that you will be entertained.
Put The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension in your Netflix queue, pop a bag of popcorn, grab your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy the show.
Score: 3/5
Kirk out.
*Edited to include Ellen Barkin. Thanks to fellow blogger Alex for pointing out this oversight.
*Edited to include Ellen Barkin. Thanks to fellow blogger Alex for pointing out this oversight.
