REVIEW: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension
One of the greater relics of my childhood, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension" came out on DVD a while back, and I finally, finally got around to renting the thing, and it was incredibly worthwhile. It's one of the best cult movies out there, and probably one of the few that lives up to the hype. It's great fun, and it's not afraid of what it is.
I remember reading a capsule review of the film from some old movie-review book I had back in high school, and it was described as (I'm paraphrasing here) "the 26th part of a 27-part serial." I think that's a pretty fair description, since to actually describe the full thematic storyline of the movie would require scholars. I'm no scholar, but I'll give the basics a shot: Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) is a hotshot neurosurgeon, rock star, race car driver, and inventor who goes on wild world-saving adventures with his band, the Hong Kong Kavaliers, whose members are also scientists, weapons experts, and cowboys. Buckaroo develops this thing called the Oscillation Overthruster, which allows him to drive his rocket car through a mountain's negative atomic space and into the eighth dimension, which is either a home to or a prison for the Evil Lectroids. Dr. Lizardo (John Lithgow) is a man who was also working on getting into the eighth dimension, but whose body was taken over by the Evil Lectroid John Whorfin. All Lectroids have wonderful Earth-names like "John Ya-Ya," John Bigboote," "John Smallberries," -- all of them 'John's. Something happens, the Lectroids try to get the Overthruster, and destroy the planet. Or something like that.
You see? There's a lot of explaining to do, although it doesn't really matter. There's a plot (obviously meant to be a continuing thing) about the dreaded Hanoi Xan, Supreme Commander of Death and Leader of the World Crime League, who mercilessly killed Buckaroo's parents (mother played by Jamie Leigh Curtis), as well as his wife Peggy Priddy. Also, Peggy's long-lost identical twin sister Penny shows up, played by Ellen Barkin, and Buckaroo falls in love again. You'd think that any of these things would be adequately explained in the movie, but they're actually not. The ones closest to the immediate plot (stopping John Whorfin) are kind of explored, but the rest serve as an awesomely in-depth backstory that never actually appears anywhere. It's a shame, really, since all the extra touches give the movie a much greater richness than most sci-fi movies, and if the last bit during the credits doesn't make you cry out for a sequel, I don't want to be your friend.
And check out the cast! Has any other obscure sci-fi cult classic popped out so many future stars (or least mid-to-high-B-listers)? Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellin Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Clancy Brown, Carl Lumbly, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Vincent Schiavelli, and even the venerated Yakov Smirnoff! Looking back, I think I need to rethink 'stars,' but there's no finer B-talent than these. It also includes some lesser-known B actors, and I give Pepe Serna and Lewis Smith kudos for their roles as Kavaliers Reno Nevada and Perfect Tommy, respectively. The acting suits the movie perfectly, and the entire cast delivers everything with only the slightest wink. Not unlike "Sky Captain," this movie celebrates the sheer entertainment, fun, and invention of the source materials, and offers a hugely entertaining suggestion as to what pulp novels and serials would be like if they were realized with greater means than they originally were.
The reference to "Sky Captain" was more than a nod to one of my favorites; I think it's a valid comparison of a style, although "Buckaroo" predates "Sky Captain" by 20 years. With this being an age of (at least cinematic) irony, I think that movies like this are not only entertaining, but also important. I've had to deal with a good ten years of putting up with self-referential movies, which attempt to be both the material and an observer that holds himself above it -- and that's unfortunate. "Scream" was a very unique and funny film, and it sparked an entire generation of movies that existed primarily to point out how stupid the audience was for liking them. The Ironic Generation didn't ruin cinema, but it certainly helped institute irritating rules for youth-oriented cinema, mainly which stated that if the movie didn't assert a mocking tone over the source, then it was just as dumb as what it was based on. It's a pretty lousy argument, but my generation flocked to these films in droves. What a lot of people hate to acknowledge is that there's not necessarily anything wrong with the source material. Not every 1980's teen-romance flick was a great movie, but there's very few of the big ones that I would really be ashamed to admit liking; but since "Not Another Teen Movie" and its ilk, all of the originals have been relegated to the 'guilty pleasure' section, unwarranted.
I wish that there were more movies like "Buckaroo Banzai" and "Sky Captain," the kind of films that took the material, the genre, the ideas, and elevated them with the very simple concept of 'there's nothing wrong with this.' The movies play the material relatively straight, and show the audience just how much fun these types of things can be -- shame-free. Neither of these movies has anything but respect for the material, and they're infinitely more entertaining for it.
ARE YOU ASTONISHED?
I remember reading a capsule review of the film from some old movie-review book I had back in high school, and it was described as (I'm paraphrasing here) "the 26th part of a 27-part serial." I think that's a pretty fair description, since to actually describe the full thematic storyline of the movie would require scholars. I'm no scholar, but I'll give the basics a shot: Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) is a hotshot neurosurgeon, rock star, race car driver, and inventor who goes on wild world-saving adventures with his band, the Hong Kong Kavaliers, whose members are also scientists, weapons experts, and cowboys. Buckaroo develops this thing called the Oscillation Overthruster, which allows him to drive his rocket car through a mountain's negative atomic space and into the eighth dimension, which is either a home to or a prison for the Evil Lectroids. Dr. Lizardo (John Lithgow) is a man who was also working on getting into the eighth dimension, but whose body was taken over by the Evil Lectroid John Whorfin. All Lectroids have wonderful Earth-names like "John Ya-Ya," John Bigboote," "John Smallberries," -- all of them 'John's. Something happens, the Lectroids try to get the Overthruster, and destroy the planet. Or something like that.
You see? There's a lot of explaining to do, although it doesn't really matter. There's a plot (obviously meant to be a continuing thing) about the dreaded Hanoi Xan, Supreme Commander of Death and Leader of the World Crime League, who mercilessly killed Buckaroo's parents (mother played by Jamie Leigh Curtis), as well as his wife Peggy Priddy. Also, Peggy's long-lost identical twin sister Penny shows up, played by Ellen Barkin, and Buckaroo falls in love again. You'd think that any of these things would be adequately explained in the movie, but they're actually not. The ones closest to the immediate plot (stopping John Whorfin) are kind of explored, but the rest serve as an awesomely in-depth backstory that never actually appears anywhere. It's a shame, really, since all the extra touches give the movie a much greater richness than most sci-fi movies, and if the last bit during the credits doesn't make you cry out for a sequel, I don't want to be your friend.
And check out the cast! Has any other obscure sci-fi cult classic popped out so many future stars (or least mid-to-high-B-listers)? Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellin Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Clancy Brown, Carl Lumbly, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Vincent Schiavelli, and even the venerated Yakov Smirnoff! Looking back, I think I need to rethink 'stars,' but there's no finer B-talent than these. It also includes some lesser-known B actors, and I give Pepe Serna and Lewis Smith kudos for their roles as Kavaliers Reno Nevada and Perfect Tommy, respectively. The acting suits the movie perfectly, and the entire cast delivers everything with only the slightest wink. Not unlike "Sky Captain," this movie celebrates the sheer entertainment, fun, and invention of the source materials, and offers a hugely entertaining suggestion as to what pulp novels and serials would be like if they were realized with greater means than they originally were.
The reference to "Sky Captain" was more than a nod to one of my favorites; I think it's a valid comparison of a style, although "Buckaroo" predates "Sky Captain" by 20 years. With this being an age of (at least cinematic) irony, I think that movies like this are not only entertaining, but also important. I've had to deal with a good ten years of putting up with self-referential movies, which attempt to be both the material and an observer that holds himself above it -- and that's unfortunate. "Scream" was a very unique and funny film, and it sparked an entire generation of movies that existed primarily to point out how stupid the audience was for liking them. The Ironic Generation didn't ruin cinema, but it certainly helped institute irritating rules for youth-oriented cinema, mainly which stated that if the movie didn't assert a mocking tone over the source, then it was just as dumb as what it was based on. It's a pretty lousy argument, but my generation flocked to these films in droves. What a lot of people hate to acknowledge is that there's not necessarily anything wrong with the source material. Not every 1980's teen-romance flick was a great movie, but there's very few of the big ones that I would really be ashamed to admit liking; but since "Not Another Teen Movie" and its ilk, all of the originals have been relegated to the 'guilty pleasure' section, unwarranted.
I wish that there were more movies like "Buckaroo Banzai" and "Sky Captain," the kind of films that took the material, the genre, the ideas, and elevated them with the very simple concept of 'there's nothing wrong with this.' The movies play the material relatively straight, and show the audience just how much fun these types of things can be -- shame-free. Neither of these movies has anything but respect for the material, and they're infinitely more entertaining for it.
ARE YOU ASTONISHED?
- I love the music in this film. As many people know, I'm a huuuuuuge fan of 1980s synth movie scores, especially Tangerine Dream ones, and Michael Boddicker is another great in my book. The music sounds really dated, but it somehow really fits the entire movie, ranging from synth-pop-rock to synth-pop-epic. The marching scene during the credits brings tears of geeky joy to my eyes, and leaves me humming the Buckaroo theme for days.
- Out of all the DVDs I have -- and I have a lot -- this is one of the best. Despite it being all on one disc, it's got a lot of extras, including deleted scenes, Pinky Carruther's Unknown Facts trivia subtitles, and a making-of featurette with the director, W.D. Richter. The best part of the disc is that the entire thing, from featurette to commentary, subtitles to radio clip, is played as if Buckaroo Banzai is a real person, and the movie is a dramatization of one of his adventures. Pinky's subtitle track furthers the Buckaroo mythology in a way that left me really, really, really craving a sequel. Plus, it's all done with a deft and clever sense of humor. This is a disc to show your friends.
- Pinky Carruthers is played in the movie by musician Billy Vera, whose band Billy Vera and the Beaters did that song "At This Moment" that became a hit when it underscored Courney Cox leaving Michael J. Fox on "Family Ties." According to the character's subtitle track, fans sometimes bring pink boxes of goodies to their shows to celebrate his role.
- Why is that watermelon there?
sent by The Retropolitan at 10:52 AM
...2 RESPONDO-GRAMS:
Are you going to have a Buckaroo Banzai party at your house?
You should.
Hopefully sometime soon! Everyone deserves to see a movie like this.
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