THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKEROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984). Director: W. D. Richter.
Penny: "Buckeroo, you forgot your thruster."
Buckeroo: "Why don't you hang onto it for awhile."
This attempt to make a new action hero franchise is a tedious and woeful, career-killing failure virtually devoid of entertainment value. Buckeroo Banzai (Peter Weller) is a multi-talented scientist, adventurer and rock star [with his group the Hong Kong Cavaliers] who winds up battling evil lectroids who came to Earth by way of the 8th dimension. They apparently settled in New Jersey during the Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" hoax-panic, only it was no hoax. Buckeroo is one of the few people who can see what they really look like. Aiding the lectoids is Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow, in an embarrassingly awful performance). Ellen Barkin plays Penny, the twin sister of Buckeroo's late wife, Peggy. This may have been intended as a light-hearted updating of those old movie serials, but they were a lot more entertaining and better-made than this, despite the advances in FX. Earl Mac Rauch's script is a complete mess with only one or two funny lines. Jeff Goldblum, as an associate of Buckeroo's, is the only one of the cast who really survives intact. Even the action sequences are boring. Michael Boddicker's closing theme music is fun, however.
Verdict: Virtually unwatchable. 1/2*.
Penny: "Buckeroo, you forgot your thruster."
Buckeroo: "Why don't you hang onto it for awhile."
This attempt to make a new action hero franchise is a tedious and woeful, career-killing failure virtually devoid of entertainment value. Buckeroo Banzai (Peter Weller) is a multi-talented scientist, adventurer and rock star [with his group the Hong Kong Cavaliers] who winds up battling evil lectroids who came to Earth by way of the 8th dimension. They apparently settled in New Jersey during the Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" hoax-panic, only it was no hoax. Buckeroo is one of the few people who can see what they really look like. Aiding the lectoids is Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow, in an embarrassingly awful performance). Ellen Barkin plays Penny, the twin sister of Buckeroo's late wife, Peggy. This may have been intended as a light-hearted updating of those old movie serials, but they were a lot more entertaining and better-made than this, despite the advances in FX. Earl Mac Rauch's script is a complete mess with only one or two funny lines. Jeff Goldblum, as an associate of Buckeroo's, is the only one of the cast who really survives intact. Even the action sequences are boring. Michael Boddicker's closing theme music is fun, however.
Verdict: Virtually unwatchable. 1/2*.
No comments:
Post a Comment