The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Reviews

Clearly designed as a cult film, this messy trifle is not without its charms. These include the affably weird Goldblum, Lithgow's deliriously overstated mad scientist, and a band of alien invaders who are not emissaries of a vastly superior race, but beer-swilling mediocrities in Hawaiian shirts. Nevertheless, this strange film tries to do too much in too short a time. The title character (Weller) is a nuclear physicist, brain surgeon, and rock-'n'-roll singer who saves the world from the Red Lectroids, aliens from a distant galaxy. As the film opens, Weller is trying to drive his superpowered car through a mountain in an attempt to test the "oscillation overthruster" he has invented. The device is highly coveted by the aliens, who need it in order to return to their own world. Dr. Emilio Lizardo (Lithgow), who conducted the same research decades earlier, escapes from a mental institution and sets up shop again, making plans for world domination in league with the Red Lectroids. Few films appear so obviously to have dropped footage on the cutting-room floor. Punch lines appear without set-ups and set-ups without punch lines. Characters come and go with such bewildering speed that it is virtually impossible to keep track of the story, which jumps around enough to induce motion sickness. BUCKAROO BANZAI has nevertheless earned a loyal cult following among those who are willing to invest time in the roller-coaster ride.