Has some interesting sci-fi ideas but fails to develop a strong identity.
People sometimes talk about this in the same breathy way they talk about Flash Gordon. I'm no fan, but Flash Gordon is far superior. What Buckaroo Banzai does do is take you on a sort of wild ride exploring interdimensional and possibly alien issues. I mean he does a lot of things. He also does brain surgery, drives hyper-fast experimental cars, and plays in some kind of band. There's a lot going on and a lot of it gets in the way. Renaissance sci-fi man he may be, but he's also just so nothing to look at. Many a scene I was confused about who Buckaroo even was... I kept thinking he must be Jeff Goldblum, because, well Jeff Goldblum is cool.
Anyway it all kicks off after Buckaroo drops brain surgery mid-stitch. He then races his rocket-car through a mountain in a scene somewhat reminiscent of the worst of the Fast & the Furious', number 4. Where they differ is mid tunnel Buckaroo encounters some kind of monsteroids that may be quantum realm, or maybe just alien. They then proceed to do nefarious 80s-masked-alien type things for the rest of the film... landing ships, stealing things, trying to infiltrate places... I don't know, they're bad okay.
There is also a weird side story about a girl who looks like an identical twin to Buckaroo's dead lady. I'm not sure where or how this was going to work in the film, because I'm not sure it did. For 80s sci-fi I felt the costuming was a bit lax. Also that title is just plain old too much.
It does have a lot of cool ideas, just most of them feel sliced, diced and half baked.
J* gives it 3 stars.
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j* movie reviews 2020
HumorReviews are a wild art, and I write in a range of forms to try and entertain. Spoilery recounts? Hilarious reviews? Serious literary analysis? One female film reviewer who likes action and her thoughts on a range of films. Review collection for n...
