The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

"No matter where you go, there you are." - Buckaroo

A group of men take on evil aliens from another dimension.
Starring: Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, Clancy Brown,
               Robert Ito, and plenty more!

Link to IMDB

This is one of the craziest movies, and I can't believe I have never seen it before!

Buckaroo and Penny

Buckaroo Banzai is a true modern Renaissance man. He's a brain surgeon, particle physicist, samurai, inventor, and a rock 'n roll star! He's currently on tour with his band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, but he's taken a day off to test his experimental jet-powered vehicle in an attempt to pass through solid matter using the "oscillation over-thruster" device.
The test is a success, as Buckaroo's car safely drives right though a small mountain and he catches a glimpse of another dimension.

Meanwhile, a crazy man named Emilio Lizardo watches Buckaroo's success on the TV from his room at an insane asylum. Lizardo helped invent the oscillation over-thruster, and now that he knows it's functioning he escapes the asylum while exclaiming that he is the mighty Lord John Whorfin. (For clarity sake, I'll just refer to him as Lizardo.)


While rocking on stage, Bukaroo meets a mysterious woman named Penny and they have an instant connection, but Buckaroo is soon distracted by the aliens orbiting Earth and the aliens from the 8th dimension... Wait, what!? Yes, as sudden as that, Buck and his pals are caught in the middle of an alien war!

The Red Lectroids from Planet 10 (who are working with Lizardo) are trying to get their hands on the oscillation over-thruster, while the other aliens might actually be trying to help Buckaroo.
It's a wild and incomprehensible adventure, as Buckaroo and Penny, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, and a team of Blue Blaze Irregulars try to save Earth from aliens and the mad Lizardo!

"Laugh while you can, monkey-boy!" - Lizardo

The Hong Kong Cavaliers

I only related about 10% of the craziness that you'll find here, because most of it is nearly indescribable without actually witnessing it yourself. Political satire, neo-western romanticism and sci-fi all mixed together! The movie does not hold your hand and explain things, but part of the fun is not knowing what the hell could possibly happen next.
The story is actually delivered seriously, but everything surrounding it provides the laughs and thrills to create a very fun adventure. The excellent cast provide great performances, and although this is a low budget production they made every dollar count; so the effects, makeup and costumes all look professional.

"Lectroids? Planet 10? Nuclear extortion? A girl named John?" - President Widmark

Lizardo, with two Red Lectroids in disguise

I think on repeat viewings this will easily become a 5 Ham movie, but the initial experience left me pretty confused and with many unanswered questions. The narrative is very strange; many characters have no introduction despite being important, and things are mentioned that we know nothing about.
As I suspected, recent DVD and Blu-Ray releases include plenty of bonus deleted scenes that supposedly explain some backstory and other details.

Despite those flaws, and relying on the fact that you're willing to accept lunacy, this sci-fi adventure is just too entertaining to not be considered a masterpiece for people that enjoy enthusiastic weirdness.

Be sure not to miss:
- The watermelon.
- So many Johns.
- Plenty of familiar faces in small roles, including a young Jonathan Banks.
- Watch the end credits... Although the promised sequel was never made.

Internet review:
"Some movies feel too strange to be real – and Buckaroo Banzai is one such movie." - Trunick

Should I watch it?
Yes!!

Where can I find it?
Viable links here.

Buckaroo Banzai gets...