The greatest movie ever!

Overrated and overhyped

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Well, I tried watching it again over the weekend. As you get older, some films you tried earlier in your life, and didn't like, begin to make sense. Some, like Sunset Boulevard, get infinitely better. Some, like Time Bandits, get worse. You start to see flaws where you didn't before, or touches of brilliance that had been hidden from your perceptions. For me, Buckaroo Banzai wasn't that great when it came out and still remains so, so it's comforting to know that some films remain consistent across your life. I don't understand what I'm looking at, I don't get the story, or why the characters do what they do, I don't get their motivations. I don't understand what the aliens want or what their plan is. What is that thing circling the earth? Why is Jeff Goldblum dressed like a cowboy? As a fairly astute consumer of films for over forty years, I'm accustomed to a certain degree of lucidity, linear progression, and clear presentation of ideas in my entertainment, and at every turn this film zigs when you expect it to zag. It's indefinable, which is fine as a standalone film that embraces irreverence, but the cost is confusion. I couldn't be alone in my assessment of this train wreck, given hollywood's current lust to remake everything under the sun except for this film. It's not entirely awful, however, with John Lithgow and his outrageous Italian accent, or Christopher Lloyd's ice-cold ownership of every scene he appears in.In another twenty years I'll watch this film again, maybe it will finally make sense to me.

As fans of Dr. Buckaroo Banzai's adventures, some of you may have heard rumors or read in the latest issue of the Banzai Institute's World Watch One Newsletter (10/16) that the original creators of Buckaroo Banzai are engaged in an ongoing battle with MGM regarding the ownership of rights to both The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension and to the entire Buckaroo universe that Earl Mac Rauch began creating a full decade before the actual movie. On the other hand, all this may come as news to you. Many of you perhaps are not aware that any unresolved Buckaroo rights issues actually exist because you have quite reasonably assumed for years that MGM "owned" Buckaroo Banzai lock, stock, and barrel. Others of you, even after having read about the current rights brouhaha on many different blogs, may still be confused about the exact nature of the dispute. And, of course, some of you may just wish the whole problem would go away so that more Buckaroo Banzai adventures might appear. If you're in the last category, ask yourselves, "What would Buckaroo do if something he felt rightly belonged to one person was being taken away by another?" Read more on the Banzai Institute Facebook page.

I'm not sure I am able to review this film, I don't know what it is. I don't think half of the cast even know what it is. But I do know that I like it, a lot. It has a wonderfully infectious edge and does not care to conform to the expectations of any particular genre.Peter Weller is Buckaroo Banzai a Japanese/American rock star/brain surgeon/secret agent/rocket scientist who travels through the 8th dimension in his rocket car with the help of his latest invention - the Oscillation Overthruster. The success of this inter-dimensional travel brings forth the Rastafarian Black Lectoids, an alien race at war with the the Red Lectoids, led by a manic John Lithgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin, who are already here on Earth and sabotaging Buckaroo and his very large easy-going entourage the Hong Kong Cavaliers.Honestly, there is so much going on here that it's very hard to get a handle on it. This also makes Buckaroo Banzai infinitely re- watchable. Imagine the insanity of Big Trouble in Little China and dial it all the way up past the threshold. It's incredible that I have only just discovered this film. Perhaps attempting to review it this soon after my mind has attempted to absorb it is a mistake. One could literally debate and discuss this crazy movie until the end of time and still not cover all of its idiosyncrasies. There is enough material in here for ten movies, yet it never once feels overly crowded, nor did it ever deliver the urgently-needed sequel the end credits promise. The film is PACKED with recognizable stars who debuted or were at there peak in the 80s. Christopher Lloyd and Dan Hedeya as the evil Red Lectoids, Jeff Goldblum as Buckaroo's new recruit, Ellen Barkin as the twin sister of his long-lost true love, Clancy Brown as his right- hand man, and a young Jonathan Banks (with hair).There are so many movies from the 80s that thrive on iconic imagery and eccentric creations. The Oscillation Overthruster really should be as well-known as the Flux Capacitor or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, the rocket car should be as recognizable as the DeLeorean, Buckaroo's style should be as popular as Marty's orange body-warmer or Indy's fedora. What really should have caught on with audiences the most is Buckaroo's caring, kind personality. It adds yet another unique layer to an already multi-layered and highly unique film.It's a shame that Buckaroo Banzai failed to find an audience when it was originally released but perhaps having it gradually find its way into popular culture and naturally pull curious viewers into its culture is better than being rudely shoved in our faces.

"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" is a movie that understands full well what kind of movie it is and so they made it as zany as possible. Peter Weller was a few years away from playing RoboCop when he played the renaissance man who travels through solid matter and brings Earth into confrontation with aliens. What was particularly neat was when they noted that all matter is mostly empty space due to the spinning of the atoms (which presumably makes it possible to travel through the matter). And of course the part about Orson Welles's radio broadcast was cool. But mostly, the movie is just fun, and it looks like the sort of movie that they probably had fun making. As long as you accept it as an unabashedly silly flick, you're sure to enjoy it. Weller, as well as John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum and the rest turn in some great performances.