The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

PG

Released Aug 15, 1984

1 hr. 43 min.

Sci-Fi

Adventure

Comedy

List

66%

44 Reviews

Tomatometer

69%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Buckaroo Banzai is caught with his trusted allies, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, in a battle to the death between evil red aliens and good black aliens from Planet 10. Led by demonic dictator John Whorfin, who has taken over the body of Italian scientist Dr. Emilio Lizardo, the aliens try to get the Overthruster back from Buckaroo Banzai. But the good black aliens are willing to destroy Earth rather than let these renegades return to their planet.

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Critics Consensus

Sci-fi parodies like these usually struggle to work, but Buckaroo Banzai succeeds through total devotion to its own lunacy.

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Person 1

The first 10 minutes was a bunch of people in costumes clicking sci-fi buttons while saying nonsense sciencey words. And it somehow managed to go downhill from there.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/19/24

Full Review

Mauricio R

Dentro de su propio absurdo logra su cometido siendo una comedia extraña, divertida(?), la verdad no entendí de qué trató pero sin duda puedo decir que es una película que existe. Le pongo dos estrellas y media solamente porque salen varias conocidas como un joven Jeff Goldblum y Christopher Lloyd que para mí es de lo poco que salva la película. No olviden que es BigbootÉ no Bigboote.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/24

Full Review

Arch O

I absolutely LOVE this movie! It just goes out there to tell a fun story in a very tongue in cheek manner, and just doesn't care about any of its budget constraints. It will probably be a very particular audience who would like to watch this kind of film, and I am not even sure what demographic it is meant for, but I sure love it! Quirky and weird without any pandering to any message-- it is just true to itself. It somehow stays serious while not taking itself too seriously and not crossing the line into clownish camp. I wish there was a sequel made just like this! But if a sequel can't be made as weirdly as this one with these same actors, then I am relieved to only have this original version un-tainted by Hollywood hacks.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/04/24

Full Review

Terry S

Every time I see this film I see something new--Peter Weller is ass-kicking. No wonder it's something of a cult classic.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

Full Review

Michael Y

One of a Kind...should have had a dozen sequels

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/31/23

Full Review

Los G

A brilliant cast and some great potential almost completely wasted by a weak script and DIRE direction

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/28/23

Full Review

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W.D. Richter

Director

Peter Weller

Buckaroo Banzai

John Lithgow

Doctor Emilio Lizardo

Ellen Barkin

Penny Priddy

Jeff Goldblum

New Jersey

Christopher Lloyd

John Bigboote

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The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Inter-Dimensional Ford

2:20

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Awesome Credits

2:34

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Transmission to the President

2:07

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Penny for Your Thoughts

1:48

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Dr. New Jersey

1:23

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Saving the Day

2:38

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Dr. Lizardo Loses His Mind

2:48

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Duck Hunting Discovery

2:42

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - There You Are

3:23

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Holographic Warning

2:05

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

A state-of-the-art spaceship flying at the speed of light without narrative coordinates, Buckaroo Banzai is the very oddest good movie in many a full moon.

Aug 20, 2008

Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Richter's comic genre hybrid comes complete with its own mythology, and team of established superheroes, and is curiously appealing.

Aug 16, 2007

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

It violates every rule of storytelling and narrative structure in creating a self-contained world of its own.

Jun 5, 2007

Full Review

Janet Maslin

Video Review

Unmistakably tongue-in-cheek, the movie follows Buckaroo (Peter Weller) to the frontier of ultra-hip sci-fi parody. John Lithgow gets a chance to pull out all the stops as a mad scientist, and when things are funny they’re very much so.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 5, 2022

Full Review

Alan Jones

Starburst

Too wacky and spaced out for its own good.

Jul 21, 2022

Full Review

Joel E. Siegel

Washington City Paper

The movie makes such large demands on one’s powers of concentration and yet, when all of its threads have been followed and its oddities assimilated, all one is left with is a junk construction.

May 2, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Buckaroo Banzai is caught with his trusted allies, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, in a battle to the death between evil red aliens and good black aliens from Planet 10. Led by demonic dictator John Whorfin, who has taken over the body of Italian scientist Dr. Emilio Lizardo, the aliens try to get the Overthruster back from Buckaroo Banzai. But the good black aliens are willing to destroy Earth rather than let these renegades return to their planet.

Director: W.D. Richter
Executive Producer: Sidney Beckerman
Screenwriter: Earl Mac Rauch
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Sherwood Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 15, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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