The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension! (1984)

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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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Directed By: W.D. Richter

Written By: Earl Mac Rauch

Starring: Christopher Lloyd, Clancy Brown, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Peter Weller, Jonathan Banks, Ellen Barkin, Carl Lumbly, Robert Ito, Leonard Gaines, Lewis Smith

Genres: Romance, Comedy, Sci-fi, Adventure

Country: USA

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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension! belongs to 21 collections

1. Certified weird (collaborative: moderated by Dreamer - 47 stars)

2. Psychotronic Film and Video Guides (collaborative: moderated by Gregzilla - 40 stars)

3. The Guardian's 1000 films to see before you die (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 30 stars)

4. Netflix Instant (collaborative: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)

5. Directorial debut (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)

6. The 100 Best Movies You've Never Seen - Richard Crouse (collaborative: moderated by Blindfolk - 15 stars)

7. Aliens (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 12 stars)

8. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)

9. Extra scene after credits (collaborative: moderated by djross - 7 stars)

10. Cinema Discusso Movies of the Month (collaborative: moderated by ABUNCHOFCATS - 6 stars)

11. 500 essential cult films (not seen) (public: cayh - 5 stars)

12. Failed Franchise Attempts (collaborative: moderated by Hailey - 4 stars)

13. Timeout 100 Best Sci-Fi Movies (public: Ozancan - 1 star)

14. Available on Starz (public: Jason212 - 1 star)

15. Movies containing comic books (collaborative: moderated by Gregzilla)

16. Real World Setting & Fantastic Comedy, Action & Adventure (collaborative: moderated by snyder_rb)

17. Midnites @ The Coolidge (collaborative: moderated by TrixRabbi)

18. Fantasy/Sci Fi Comedy (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom)

19. Next (collaborative: moderated by davidysteph)

20. 1984: Year in Review (public: polanski28)

21. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)

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All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
5	guy piranha	50 _24th
the title is spectacular. the trailer is spectacular. the cast is spectacular. the movie is a waste of time.
4	chemical404	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.
3	Suture Self	3 _25th
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.
3	owen1218	40 _11th
Calculated camp is just annoying, especially when done this badly.
3	Koalafish	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!
3	Luna6ix	71 _37th
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.
3	Paxton	74 _75th
This movie would work much worse as a community stage production. Much, much worse.
2	Actionberg	30 _6th
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.
2	TheDenizen	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.
2	CatScandal	40 _6th
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.
2	irvinejump	80 _84th
So much fun. Great cast, out there premise how can you go wrong???
2	lrampartl	74 _67th
LAUGH WHILE YOU CAN, MONKEY BOY!
2	cagedwisdom	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.
2	easydiff	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.
2	amerigo	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.
2	ktappe	40 _15th
Rather self-important and more intentionally-incomprehensibly-silly than "brilliant" as some claimed at the time of its release.
2	Astfgl	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.
2	Barthalen	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.
2	WWallce4prez	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.
2	aaaaaaarrggg	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.
2	SirStuckey	65 _45th
There are no words to describe this movie.
2	overrated	76 _85th
I don't get the hate.
2	ratedargh	30 _8th
Ugh. Wink wink, look how ridiculous we are!
2	Fenius	75 _12th
Why doesn't this work better than it does? Seems like it should, but it simply does not grab.
1	Talea	82 _75th
Sublimely ridiculous. John Lithgow is at his mad, bizarre best. Don't try to make sense of the plot.
1	x-human	73 _38th
Sloppily done with too broad of strokes and ultimately underwhelming.
1	BattleToad	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!
1	lachapelle	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.
1	TheDiceman	50 _35th
Funny.
1	cahcat	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?
1	MysticRose62	75 _29th
crazy movie .. i enjoyed it !! john lithgow does a great job in his role .. funny movie
1	PeaceAnarchy	77 _51st
Overload of cheesy 80s aesthetic, but it's still a pretty fun ride.
1	joseywales	74 _69th
hehe John Bigbooty
1	AFlickering	2 _19th
i have questions
1	Stain	40 _23rd
Should be fun, but it's just incoherent. A favorite of smart people with no character
1	jeff_h	3 _14th
thought i would like this based on the comparisons to big trouble in little china. nope
1	Freder	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
1	shstern	55 _46th
probably the best movie ever made....well maybe not but it is pretty funny
1	Dustyd	60 _39th
decent fun, but not great.
1	howardru	100 _76th
Great Sci-Fi, comic-book merge of action heros and campiness
1	sidehacker	64 _40th
Amusing enough, Jeff Goldblum is the greatest, etc.
1	Vandelay1	60 _63rd
Okay Movie
1	jameskey	75 _50th
Ridiculous and entertaining.
1	BRRRRRRRRRR	70 _25th
scored purely for how i liked it at age 12, no idea what i'd give after a watch now
1	mlaibe	79 _32nd
trash, but i liked it. pretty old and quaint now.
1	janus	60 _31st
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.
1	ScragglyDave	40 _44th
Nostalgia!
1	graveyardtan	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.
1	Mechatigger	57 _26th
A sporadically funny pop culture item that mixes movie genres and changes tones so rapidly the audience may be left behind.
1	Seryxa	25 _43rd
Genial spoof of science fiction and other movie genres.
1	freqflyer	82 _68th
Weird, weird little film. Scores high for the performances and the originality.
1	Frosty	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.
1	mrandersen10	55 _12th
You either get it, or you don't. I clearly.. don't.
1	wrexsol	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
1	closedmouth	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."
1	Ununnilium	60 _40th
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.
1	stevekimes	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.
1	Thingstead	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.
1	xacviant	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.
1	bof	60 _40th
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.
1	Gnalkhere	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.
1	eCitizen	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.
1	hsncrspywl	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.
1	Merv_Taylor	92 _83rd
Laugh while you can monkey boy
1	BNGPotential	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.
1	deep_green	70 _62nd
Pretty fun little b-movie that doesn't take anything seriously.
1	cairosmith	67 _62nd
Suffers from a lack of arc for anyone involved. Incredibly fun and corny. Due for a remake.
1	skap	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.
1	kael	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 MAS*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.

Average Percentile 45.54% from 871 Ratings