“Remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” —Buckaroo Banzai
Today’s quick review: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller), a celebrity genius-of-all-trades, and his team of Hong Kong Cavaliers have made an amazing breakthrough: travel to the 8th Dimension. But their discovery draws the attention of Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow), a mad scientist who plans to use the Cavaliers’ technology to free his army of aliens from their prison on Earth.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is a science fiction adventure comedy that pays homage to the adventure serials of yesteryear. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is a whirlwind of tongue in cheek humor and free-spirited adventure. Peter Weller leads as the unflappable Buckaroo Banzai, while John Lithgow plays opposite him as the unhinged Dr. Lizardo. The supporting cast includes Ellen Barkin, Christopher Lloyd, and Jeff Goldblum.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai achieves the peculiar sensation of stepping into a long-running adventure series. Buckaroo Banzai is an eclectic genius of comedic proportions: when not traveling between dimensions, he spends his time performing brain surgery, playing in his band, pleasing a worldwide network of fans, and leading his Hong Kong Cavaliers on various improbable adventures. Everything is done in good fun, and the movie never takes itself too seriously.
But the consequence of this kitchen sink approach to storytelling is that the plot, which isn’t all that complex, can be hard to follow. New characters, plot points, and situations crop up with no prelude and little explanation. These elements all have deliberate roles in the movie, but figuring out what they are takes a lot of effort. Even the basic jokes and world-building are buried in layers of easy-to-miss dialogue, and the viewer can easily end up lost.
For a viewer willing to piece it all together, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is rather clever. In spite of its outward zaniness, most of the gags are subtle, countless absurd little moments given deadpan delivery. The trouble is that the deadpan is too convincing: by the time the viewer has realized there was a joke, the moment has passed. Meanwhile, the more obvious jokes are lost in the chaos the movie.
As such, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is a film with an interesting concept and flawed delivery. The movie’s clever take on the sci-fi adventure genre earns it some cult appeal and makes it a film unlike any other. But its jumbled presentation makes its humor much less accessible than it could have been. Watch it if you are a fan of campy sci-fi and willing to invest some brainpower. Skip it if you are looking for an easy or conventional watch.
6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 for a unique tone hurt by mixed execution, but your score will vary greatly depending on your taste in sci-fi and camp, as well as how much attention you give the movie.