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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension!
Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension!

1984
Romance, Comedy
1h 43m
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Avg Percentile 45.32% from 891 total ratings

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(891)
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Rated 08 Jan 2015
50
23rd
the title is spectacular. the trailer is spectacular. the cast is spectacular. the movie is a waste of time.
Rated 02 Oct 2014
34
16th
It looked good on the paper, but ended up being a disappointment. For a movie where the main character is surgeon/adventurer/rock musician this film is surprisingly dull. It was hard to stay focused. Very childish. Cult film my ass.
Rated 10 Jan 2015
50
12th
Quite disapointing, because all the ingredients for awesomeness are there. A great cast and a weird script are a good start, but those alone don't guarantee a funny film. Just watch the trailer instead!
Rated 03 Oct 2007
40
11th
Calculated camp is just annoying, especially when done this badly.
Rated 06 Dec 2012
30
8th
Ugh. Wink wink, look how ridiculous we are!
Rated 31 Jan 2013
74
76th
This movie would work much worse as a community stage production. Much, much worse.
Rated 28 Jun 2014
3
24th
Don't let the premise of this film fool you. The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eighth Dimension! is an unenthusiastic, poorly edited, convoluted piece of shit, featuring horrible overacting from John Lithgow and a sociopathic, Keanu-Reeves-like performance from Peter Weller. It's also ugly as sin, with a junkyard kind of look and feel that made me nauseous. I continued to have anxiety about this long after the credits rolled. Blehehguhg. Even Johnny Mnemonic is better than this.
Rated 16 Aug 2019
71
38th
Buckaroo Bonzai is clearly the strung out result of a relatively tame seed idea with more and more absurdity tacked on in preproduction brainstorming sessions. The product has a lot in common with SNL alum movies where a skit character was stretched into an abomination of a full length movie, only the difference is, this one is crazy and bombed at the box office and is therefore, a cult comedy. I can't say I was all too impressed, but it does have it's share of ridiculous charm.
Rated 03 May 2007
20
9th
Other than being self-consciously quirky (not to be confused with funny), and having a slight influence on The Life Aquatic, this film has nothing going for it. None of the actors have the charisma to pull off what they're trying, the writing isn't even quality camp, and the concepts are mildly amusing at best. If you REALLY like B sci-fi movies, try it, but it's not one of the better ones.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
84th
So much fun. Great cast, out there premise how can you go wrong???
Rated 14 Aug 2007
74
67th
LAUGH WHILE YOU CAN, MONKEY BOY!
Rated 07 Dec 2008
40
16th
Rather self-important and more intentionally-incomprehensibly-silly than "brilliant" as some claimed at the time of its release.
Rated 08 Mar 2009
71
73rd
Almost too smart-assed for its own good, this sci-fi comedy gets by thanks to some very funny ideas and a terrific cast, especially Lithgow sounding like Bela Lugosi trying to read the St. Louis phone book.
Rated 08 Jun 2009
60
35th
Starts off entertaining, meanders for a while, picks up steam towards the end, and then kind of fizzles out. The cast is filled with contemporary b-listers and "hey, it's that guy!" types. Still, you have to give the movie credit for being so determinedly inane.
Rated 16 Oct 2009
49
26th
What an insanely glorious way to waste a normally wonderful cast. Everyone seems out of place and is terribly misused. The "story" is total chaos, and not the good kind. I guess this works if you've seen this as a kid way back when, but definitely falls flat now.
Rated 18 Mar 2010
76
86th
I don't get the hate.
Rated 20 Apr 2011
2
1st
OK, I have tried, several times, to watch this movie. It is soooo....booooring. Lithgow overacts as usual, but it isn't funny and I just cannot get through the first 30 minutes. Sorry, Buckaroo.
Rated 16 Jun 2011
30
7th
This is awful in every way that counts. To describe it briefly, the timing is off. For everything. Jokes, cuts, thrills...everything is poorly delivered. Anything potentially clever about it is utterly butchered by its execution. It's like if Repo Man were directed by a seven-year-old. I simply loathe these kinds of "Hey, let's make something that's destined to be a cult movie!" movies that spend more time reveling in their absurdity than actually making a good film.
Rated 14 Aug 2012
55
32nd
International rock star and experimental physicist Buckaroo Banzai has to save the world from alien invaders from the 8th dimension. A great concept with an awesome cast that manages to fall well short of expectations. It's kinda fun seeing the profusion of bad 80's fashions (skinny ties and neon colors everywhere), but other than being weird, it offers very little in terms of real humor or action. Like ShogunRua said, this should have been great, but it's just decent.
Rated 30 Sep 2012
65
45th
There are no words to describe this movie.
Rated 09 Jun 2013
25
17th
I really wanted to like this, but it's just too damn messy. It has its moments and good ideas but the end product is just completely incoherent.
Rated 16 Dec 2015
75
11th
Why doesn't this work better than it does? Seems like it should, but it simply does not grab.
Rated 11 Nov 2016
70
26th
Feels like they wanted to make this movie an absurdist adventure in the vein of Airplane! and Brazil all mixed together. Too bad the writer was high off bath salts at the time, so what you really get is the film equivelent of breaking into a paint factory and gnawing on heavy machinery while screaming Buckaroo Banzai at a confused security guard.
Rated 12 Jul 2018
64
32nd
Being self-aware with your quirkiness is a difficult thing to nail, even Wes Anderson overdoes it from time to time. There are laughs to be had in Richter's odd film, but the concept is much funnier than the product. The cast goes on for miles and remains the reason to dig up this relic of odd.
Rated 26 Feb 2007
50
35th
Funny.
Rated 02 May 2007
40
23rd
Should be fun, but it's just incoherent. A favorite of smart people with no character
Rated 14 Aug 2007
99
88th
no matter where you go, there you are. i love where this movie goes from beginning to end. what's not to like about a rock and roll physicist?
Rated 14 Aug 2007
70
37th
Look at any summary of the film, and if you can comprehend it, there's a chance you'll love this movie. It's absurd, but it's also very funny and unique. The seemingly low budget only enhances it, giving it an instant cult classic feel. Meh!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
75th
Sublimely ridiculous. John Lithgow is at his mad, bizarre best. Don't try to make sense of the plot.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
75
29th
crazy movie .. i enjoyed it !! john lithgow does a great job in his role .. funny movie
Rated 25 Aug 2007
85
78th
It's Doc Savage with a modern, self-aware pop-culture sensibility, tying Orson Welles's WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast in with INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and about a dozen other references. The plot actually does make sense if you pay attention and don't mind a few cast members rising from the dead for the closing credit sequence. Surprisingly good-natured for this kind of movie, and Lithgow delivers a performance from beyond the lunatic fringe. Richter co-scripted BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHIN
Rated 16 Sep 2007
74
69th
hehe John Bigbooty
Rated 16 Sep 2007
60
39th
decent fun, but not great.
Rated 24 Apr 2008
100
76th
Great Sci-Fi, comic-book merge of action heros and campiness
Rated 02 May 2008
55
46th
probably the best movie ever made....well maybe not but it is pretty funny
Rated 05 Sep 2008
70
25th
scored purely for how i liked it at age 12, no idea what i'd give after a watch now
Rated 10 Oct 2008
79
32nd
trash, but i liked it. pretty old and quaint now.
Rated 18 Dec 2008
40
44th
Nostalgia!
Rated 28 Dec 2008
73
38th
Sloppily done with too broad of strokes and ultimately underwhelming.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
75
50th
Ridiculous and entertaining.
Rated 09 Apr 2009
25
43rd
Genial spoof of science fiction and other movie genres.
Rated 24 Apr 2009
60
63rd
Okay Movie
Rated 31 Jul 2009
82
68th
Weird, weird little film. Scores high for the performances and the originality.
Rated 21 Aug 2009
3
14th
thought i would like this based on the comparisons to big trouble in little china. nope
Rated 11 Dec 2009
57
26th
A sporadically funny pop culture item that mixes movie genres and changes tones so rapidly the audience may be left behind.
Rated 07 Jan 2010
55
33rd
A total mess but not without merit. Half the fun is marvelling at how a probably good film was butchered by the terrible editing.
Rated 26 Sep 2010
66
4th
Buckaroo Banzai is probably too badass for his own good. There's not even a slim chance that I can ever identify with his character. To me, watching him dominate scene after scene of this film removed all traces of tension, drama, and urgency and I could not behind him as a hero. This film definitely picks up well after his Hero's journey is over and, for him, evil aliens intent on destroying the world only pose a minor threat. Any potential fun is squandered as a result. C
Rated 18 Nov 2010
60
32nd
Takes all the rustiest sci-fi/adventure tropes and attempts to revitalize them with Carpenterish direction and music. The result is worth keeping one eye open for but not much beyond that.
Rated 23 Nov 2010
64
40th
Amusing enough, Jeff Goldblum is the greatest, etc.
Rated 11 Jun 2011
83
80th
The best b-movie that knows it's a b-movie. It's very quirky and humorous and not annoying at all. Everything is very earnest and disarming. At the very least, see this for John Lithgow's performance. Also, I love the credits scene.
Rated 13 Sep 2011
61
41st
The script is excellently over-the-top, the actors know what they're doing, the set and costume design are in the groove. But the direction, the cinematography, the *sound mixing* (my god, the sound mixing) - they're completely unwilling to work with the premise, seeming to think that they're making a gritty urban drama.
Rated 15 Nov 2011
60
39th
I have no idea if this is an incoherent mess of a movie or if the Pynchon references are supposed to indicate that it's actually smarter and more complex than it looks. Whatever the case, it's a lot of fun.
Rated 22 Nov 2011
82
58th
As much a cult film as you could ask for, BUCKAROO BANZAI boasts a remarkably inventive, infamously inscrutable script by Earl Mac Rauch, delightfully off-kilter sets and visual effects, a great kitschy score, a solid lead performance from Peter Weller and a hilarious supporting one from John Lithgow as a scientist possessed by an evil alien. The pace is uneven and the story is too convoluted for its own good (and the ending is weak), but the madness is infectious. A shame the sequel never was.
Rated 05 Feb 2012
85
73rd
Probably my favorite guilty pleasure. So much silliness and it doesn't all make sense... but everyone is so serious! It must be real! I love this film.
Rated 15 Jun 2012
92
83rd
Laugh while you can monkey boy
Rated 12 Aug 2012
60
15th
Didn't dislike this so much, it's fine and I could stand to rewatch/reevaluate. Not sure if being born in 82 has anything to do with that.
Rated 28 Mar 2013
75
44th
The premise and the line-up are solid, but the film never manages to engage, probably due to sloppy post-production, though I seem to be in the minority on this one.
Rated 26 Apr 2013
58
25th
This starts off great but then slows to a halt for about half the running time. The plot becomes incomprehensible on a first viewing, and it feels like a sequel to an unproduced movie. Pays homage to science fiction B-movies with a lot of enthusiasm, and there are some good gags, but overall it drags and wastes an absolutely stunning cast. Works a lot better on paper than it does in practice.
Rated 27 Jan 2014
50
10th
I like this movie in theory because it's very weird, especially for a studio picture, but it's just not funny. Maybe it's a problem of expectations but I've seen this talked about as a quotable comedy classic and I didn't laugh once. Not once. It's just a straight sci-fi B-movie, and a lot of the actors seem a bit embarrassed about being in it. There were no jokes, just "Haha, look at the funny aliens."
Rated 08 May 2016
77
51st
Overload of cheesy 80s aesthetic, but it's still a pretty fun ride.
Rated 16 May 2016
70
33rd
As much as Robocop stands at one end of SciFi's view of the near future, Buckaroo stands at the other. This is not an easy movie to follow, with convoluted dialogue and amateurish editing, but the actors actually looked like they had fun making this film. John Lithgow and Chris Lloyd chew up the scenery every time they are on screen. This is a snapshot of 1984 and it doesn't hold up in 2016, but ultimately it is fun all the way to the end credits.
Rated 27 Aug 2017
45
16th
It starts out as rather very promising, but gets more and more annoying. I must have a lower threshold of tolerance for incompetence than the people that gave it positive reviews. The thing is that the incompetence in this movie is never really hilarious. I wasn't watching it with condescension, I really made an effort to enjoy it, but I coudn't finish it.
Rated 03 Nov 2017
69
39th
A wondrous piece of pulp fiction that doesn't know what it's doing half the time except give Peter Weller a career and have more fun than it deserves to.
Rated 02 Apr 2018
55
13th
You either get it, or you don't. I clearly.. don't.
Rated 05 Sep 2018
1
0th
Making his debut as a director, W.D. "Rick" Richter doesn't bring out the baroque lunacy of the material-a kind of fermented parody of M*A*S*H, STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and the TV series "The A-Team"-but though the characters don't develop and the laughs don't build or come together, the film's uninflected deadpan tone is somehow likable.
Rated 27 Nov 2018
67
61st
Suffers from a lack of arc for anyone involved. Incredibly fun and corny. Due for a remake.
Rated 25 May 2020
2
17th
i have questions
Rated 18 Jan 2021
35
24th
Despite an incredibly star-studded cast, this movie is about as lame as a Sci-Fi can get. There is ZERO immersion. The special effects and costumes were incredibly stupid. The plot and dialogs were asinine. Terrible acting. Not funny. It was such a waste of time and money. Even after considering it was made back in 1984 it still pretty much reeks. An embarrassment to all involved.
Rated 03 Jun 2023
58
24th
So many ideas, all stuffed into 1 hour 40 film that topples under it's own silliness. It's rare to see a film that shoots for being a cult classic out the gate actually achieve its goal. Maybe its a mindset thing, a younger me might have loved it. Ah well.
Rated 02 Jul 2020
43
24th
Is it bad that I find this stupid and boring?
Rated 13 Mar 2022
74
39th
10.16 Hobbit
Rated 27 Mar 2022
25
30th
Sometimes, no amount of zany elements or hammy character actors can rescue a script with the wit and excitement of a half-baked potato. There are many faults that can play to the advantage of a picture aiming for this level of camp, but being dull is not one of them.
Rated 12 Jul 2022
73
63rd
2022'de #IzlediğimFilmler ; 152. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) Yıllardır devam filmini bekliyoruz :) Canımız 80'ler :)
Rated 30 Jul 2022
63
58th
I'm really torn, it's rough, it's creative, it's confusing, it's ugly, it's funny, nobody can act but a few, it's the good kind of absurd, I don't know
Rated 31 Jul 2022
35
9th
Got about a quarter of the way through it before DNFing it. Pretty sure I didn’t even reach the premise, but they’ve had 25 minutes to make me care and they didn’t.
Rated 12 Nov 2022
72
49th
Em honra do centenário do diretor de fotografia Fred J. Koenekamp. Tem 30 anos que queria ver Buckaroo Banzai e não encaixa o dia, entendo o porque ele é objeto de culto e é mesmo bem divertido, mas teria gostado mais se o tivesse assistido quando jovem. Plus: Que susto ver o Jonathan Banks jovem! Box Versátil Clássicos Sci-fi Anos 80.
Rated 21 Jul 2023
90
90th
They just don't make them like they used to, which is to say that Buckaroo Banzai is a glorious pre CGI Sci-Fi Action movie. The production design is simply outstanding from start to finish. The casting is perfect. The movie just has a really fucking cool vibe to it. I will say that the Penny Priddy love interest stuff almost entirely falls flat for me, but otherwise it's just so completely on point. Fans of stuff like Big Trouble in Little China shouldn't hesitate to watch this.
Rated 23 Jul 2023
48
22nd
The result of eating a whole bunch of mushrooms and writing a screenplay
Rated 19 Feb 2024
64
14th
This film has a good ensemble cast. Unfortunately the script although original is uneven and it wastes some of the talented cast. There are some good moments but also plenty of boring ones. Overall this film is disappointing.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
70
63rd
Pretty fun little b-movie that doesn't take anything seriously.

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