The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
Most cult classics didn't start out trying to be that way. We're
fairly confident the people behind The Rocky Horror Picture Show,
Death Race 2000 and maybe even Santa Claus Conquers the
Martians thought they had some pretty good movies on their
hands.
But every once in a while, some brave soul actually tries to make
a campy, loopy, outrageously born-to-be-cult-classic film. Today's
case study: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th
Dimension.
The over-the-topness isn't long in coming. Buckaroo Banzai (Peter
Weller) is introduced as a man of many talents - among them,
particle physics, brain surgery, and rock & roll.
During a desert test drive of his latest invention, the
Oscillation Overthruster, Buckaroo revs his Jet Car up and drives
right through a solid rock face, crossing over (momentarily) into
the 8th dimension.
The evil Red Lectroids from Planet 10 had been banished to the
8th dimension, but now that Buckaroo has broken the dimensional
barrier, they want out.
Meanwhile, Buckaroo rocks out with his East Texas bar band, The
Hong Kong Cavaliers. But good-hearted Buckaroo stops the show when
he spots someone who isn't having a good time.
The glum one is Penny Priddy (Ellen Barkin), a suicidal lass with
a thing for Buckaroo and a face just like that of Buckaroo's dead
wife (she turns out to be her long-lost twin sister).
Despite what looks like an assassination attempt (Penny was
really trying to shoot herself), Buckaroo takes the lady under his
wing.
He also has a Saturday morning TV show that attempts to teach
kids such moral truths as respect for others and yourself. He has a
comic book series, a line of true-adventure novels, and a number of
films based on his life.
He has also founded - and trains with - a paramilitary
community-aid organisation called the Blue Blaze Irregulars, similar
to the Boy Scouts but open to members of any age or gender. Oh . . .
and he’s the personal physician to the President of the USA and
regularly tops the rock & roll charts.
 The
Red Lectroids attempt a world takeover via a front corporation
called Yoyodyne Propulsion - assisted by Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John
Lithgow in a movie-stealing performance) - and the fun really
starts.
The Lectroids, all named "John" something ("John
Ya-Ya", "John Smallberries" etc), are after the
Overthruster, which they hope to use to go fight the Black Lectroids
back on Planet 10. We should point out here, by the way, that the
Black Lectroids are also good guys, and that they all have Jamaican
accents and appear to humans as Rastafarians.
But the Black Lectroids also take no Red Lectroid crap, and
they're prepared to spark a nuclear war to stop the Red menace -
unless Buckaroo Banzai and The Hong Kong Cavaliers can do something
about it.
The movie definitely had its weird factor amped up, but that was
kind of the point.
Buckaroo Banzai filled its cult classic role well - it may
never be confused with Citizen Kane or The Godfather,
but it's definitely the best movie ever made about a rock and roll
particle physicist brain surgeon (so far).
"No matter where you go, there you are".
TRIVIA NOTES
The end of the movie invites the viewer to watch for the
upcoming film Buckaroo Banzai vs. The World Crime League.
This was the real title for a planned sequel that Sherwood Studios
hoped to make if this film had been successful.
Unfortunately, it was a box-office bomb, and Sherwood Studios
went bankrupt.
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