I thought this time around, especially after the denser film of last week, we would focus on a lighter and more fun affair. Well, Buckaroo Banzai is certainly fun, but might not quite be “lighter,” depending on how you look at it. Still, though, it was an enjoyable ride for the most part, and is very much a modern (at the time) and quirky take on old pulp stories. Not quite as over-the-top campy as the Flash Gordon movie from a few years prior, but still one that’s sure to satisfy fans of the sensational. Here’s an idea of the plot:
Buckaroo Banzai is a famous adventurer/scientist/rock star who has become something of a real-world pulp icon, with lots of merchandising tie-ins and even a fan club dedicated to him. Just recently, he tested out a device that allows the user to pass through matter, and it was a success, allowing him to travel through solid rock and into other dimensions. However, on his journey, he comes face to face with strange creatures unlike anything on earth, and even comes back with a strange living blob that stuck itself on the device. Meanwhile, in a mental hospital, mad scientist Dr. Lizardo sees Buckaroo’s test on the news and sees this as an opportunity. Apparently, Lizardo used to work with Buckaroo’s scientist partner Dr. Hikita back in the day, and the two of them were the original developers of this inter-dimensional device. However, one day, Lizardo performed a live test on himself before the device was perfected, and he wound up stuck between our dimension and the one with the same creatures Buckaroo encountered. They managed to free him, but the experience had driven him insane, and he fled the lab, to presumably be caught and committed later. Now, he manages an escape from the institution and goes to meet up with someone, though we’re not sure who yet. Later that night, while performing with his band The Hong Kong Cavaliers, Buckaroo notices a crying woman, named Penny Priddy, in the audience and stops the show to talk to her. In an attempt to connect with her, he sings Since I Don’t Have You in tribute to her, but this doesn’t seem to work as she pulls out a gun and tries to kill herself. However, she gets bumped in the process and the bullet goes off into the air. Everyone takes this as an assassination attempt on Buck, and she is promptly arrested. Buck, however, goes to get her out of jail, even in spite of her self-deprecating protests. Apparently, Buck not only sympathizes with her, but also seems to see a great resemblance between her and his deceased wife, which he concludes might be because they were separated twins. He takes her along to a press conference he’s holding, regarding the device and his journey. However, during the meeting, he receives a phone call why zaps him with an electrical current, which not only imprints a formula on his hand, but also allows him to see that the audience contains red alien-beings disguised as humans. In fact, they seem to be the same ones he encountered in the other dimension. These aliens try to kidnap Dr. Hikita, though Buckaroo is able to save him and evade the creatures. Buckaroo retreats to his home, along with his entourage, but with the aliens not too far behind. Meanwhile, in an open forest region, a giant meteor crashes on earth, to the surprise of two hunters. Strangely, a Jamaican man jumps out of the meteor, but hits his head on a rock and perishes. Another Jamaican man comes out of the meteor and manages to get away before other disguised aliens come to investigate. They play themselves off as members of Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems and claim that the meteor was merely one of their crafts. The Jamaican man, who goes by John Parker, sneaks into Buckaroo’s house a step behind the aliens, and is initially suspected of being one of them when he’s found. However, he explains the situation: he is from Planet 10, a far-off world that contains a species called Lectroids, of which there are two groups, one black and one red. The red lectroids attempted to establish an authoritarian domination of the planet, but the black lectroids were able to banish them into the eighth dimension. However, Dr. Lizardo’s experiment managed to not only open a doorway for some of the reds to escape through, but also allowed their leader, John Whorfin (all of the lectroids go by “John”), to possess Lizardo. Now, they want to use the dimensional device to free all of their still trapped comrades. Parker explains that if Buckaroo doesn’t stop them from succeeding, the black lectroids are prepared to strike Russia, which would spiral Earth into World War III and wipe out the reds for good. Can Buckaroo stop the red lectroids from escaping the eighth dimension? Are Buck and Penny meant to be? Will this movie actually lead to a successful franchise? Tune in next time. Same Buck time, same Buck channel. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).
Buckaroo Banzai is clearly an attempt to hearken back to the classic days of pulp heroes and adventure serials, the likes of Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, and so on. These sorts of characters would often go on grand adventures across many fantastical lands and/or science-fiction-influenced ones. They were always generally talented, competent, and charismatic, and would always triumph over their foe in the end (though, of course, you’d have to come back again every week to see how things would turn out). Buckaroo is essentially an 80’s take on that sort of character, but with a certain quirkiness to the writing and vibe that seems primed to target the nerd/geek crowd. It’s hard to put this vibe into words, exactly, but there definitely seemed to be a want for camp, what with the rather goofily stylized aliens with silly names (e.g., John Bigboote, or Bigbooté, as he prefers), Jeff Goldblum playing a scientist who goes around dressed like a cowboy, the hints of romantic melodrama between Buck and Penny, and John Lithgow’s incredibly over-the-top performance as a crazed mad scientist with a vaguely Italian accent. Actually, on that note, I had to wonder if the choice to give him that accent was meant to mean more. For example, there’s a scene where he’s orating to his red lectroid subjects from above, saying how they are superior and that they will be victorious and so on. Considering that the red lectroids in human form all appear white or “Caucasian” while all the black lectroids appear Jamaican and given the nature of the Italian government during a certain period of history (namely a certain War in the World), I have to wonder if there was an intended parallel there. But I could just be reading too deep into it, who knows? Anyways, what’s also interesting about Buckaroo Banzai, in its attempt to be a “modern” pulp story, is that it seems to take place after Buck is already an established adventurer. This movie is not his first adventure, and the audience is not aware of what happened beforehand, which does somewhat make sense for the concept, as if you came into a film serial in one of its later parts, you obviously weren’t going to know what happened beforehand. The original Star Wars film (that is, A New Hope) even pulled this, setting the story in the middle of the rebellion against the empire. However, the difference between Buckaroo and Star Wars is that Star Wars still told its story and premise in a more digestible way. It gave you enough of an understanding of the situation and explanation of the world for you to be able to follow the story. Plus, Star Wars’ main character was Luke, an everyman who could act as an audience surrogate into this new world. Buckaroo, on the other hand, seems to just throw this world at you and expect you to go with it. After all, Buck is already known to everyone in this world, so why would they need anything explained to them? Even the potential audience surrogates, like Penny or Goldblum’s character, Dr. Zweibel, still don’t really get all that much explained to them other than what’s relevant to the current situation (and Zweibel is still walking around in a cowboy outfit for most of the movie, which does create some disconnect from the audience). Now, to a more “outsider” or “nerd” audience, this sort of thing might be cool or different or even challenging, as it forces you to think about what these unexplained or unseen aspects of the lore could be, but to a general audience, it can seem like you’re just missing something, or even that the film is poorly written. It really comes across as though Buckaroo was trying to be a cult film series, with a direct promise of a sequel at the end (though, admittedly, that might’ve just been a joke, but I’m not sure). However, if this was the intent, it never panned out, leaving the 8th Dimension the only Buck adventure on the big screen. There was some spin-off material here or there, and, of course, a cult following did arise for the film, but not too many major developments have gone on since its 1984 release. Instead, Peter Weller would have to make do with a cybernetic law enforcer as his gateway into pop-culture icon status.
So, with all this being said, what’s my overall take on the film? Well, for what it is, I think it’s pretty fun, though probably not something I’m going to rewatch consistently. I definitely think a geekier audience could really get into this film and would be fun for a movie night with friends. While certain aspects might be seen as too stereotypical now (like John Parker’s accent and such), it’s still a fun time if you’re willing to go with a “sink or swim” world presentation. Travel to the 8th Dimension with Buckaroo Banzai, just don’t expect to see him go up against the World Crime League on film any time soon.