THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI; ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION. Directed by W.D. Richter; written by Earl MacRauch; produced by Neil Canton and W.D. Richter for 20th Century Fox. Starring Peter Weller, Jeff Goldblum and John Lithgow. Rated PG (a little violence, very much comic-book style).
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Imagine a movie that's like Creature from the Black Lagoon, Firesign Theater and Buck Rogers. An unlikely combination? Well, Banzai is an unlikely movie.
The characters are outrageous, but take each other perfectly seriously. The plot falls halfway between respectable science fiction and the comic-book variety. It's very funny, at least in parts, and a tour-de-force of set design, but so bizarre that it's definitely not for all tastes.
Stream of consciousness is definitely the best technique for plot synopsis here ... Buckaroo going for a land speed record and ending up in the 8th dimension ... Evil Lectroids from Planet 10 trying to get back to their home in the same dimension ... another alien faction masquerading as Rastafarians (only Buckaroo can see through their disguise) and threatening to destroy Earth unless Buckaroo can take care of the Lectroids...
This should give you some idea of the level of craziness operating here. And the above omits quite a few subplots, asides and other funny business. When it's good, it's very good. But the story bogs down in spots, seems a bit rushed over in others. Even inspired lunacy like this should run a little more smoothly.
Weller, as Banzai, isn't totally the right person for the part. He's quite good when Banzai is the hip scientist/rock star. But he's not a very good swashbuckler. He commands a great deal of adulation, but it's hard to see why. Weller doesn't have enough charisma to make Banzai's popularity with everyone (rock fans, the President, all women, little kids, etc.) convincing.
Lithgow, on the other hand, is delightful as the head Lectroid. He's preposterously, insanely gross and evil, but on a comic book level. This lets him get away with some outrageous mugging.
It's hard to decide exactly how to take Banzai. The story is escapist, but you can't relax with it. Some of the best bits are almost thrown away, not to mention most of the narrative explanation. So you have to be alert. But if you take it too seriously, you'll find yourself questioning your sanity, or at least your wisdom in shelling out money for your ticket or your rental. The only thing it can be compared to is a Buckaroo Banzai comic book, which exists in the movie, but not in the real world. If that sounds like the kind of comic you'd like to read, you'll probably enjoy Banzai. Otherwise, you better stay in this dimension.
August 22, 1984