Ah yes when you hear that name you know you're in for some sweet 80s gem. Hell if you love the name John Bigbooty? Chances are you love the shit out of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension, I know I do.
So we start with the introduction of Buckaroo Banzai (played by Peter Weller) who is testing out a prototype jet-car. Right after he finished up an important brain operation...talk about multi-tasking huh. Before starting his test run he installs a top secret device called the oscillation overthruster. This is design to allow vehicles to travel inside objects into another plain of existence. For example, Buckaroo's jet-car travels at mach 1 successfully travel through a mountain and safely re-emerging on the other side of the mountain. This successfully test run gets the attention of John Whofin (played by John Lithgow) who is currently in a insane asylum. It’s explained through a flashback that a physicist Dr. Emilio Lizardo was working a similar overthruster along with Professor Hikita. However, the test run with their overthruster was unsuccessfully causing Lizardo to get stuck in the wall. Only being briefly inside the 8th dimension long enough to have his mind and personally taken over by the evil John Whofin. Later on we see Buckaroo and his crew the Hong Kong Cavaliers at a night club just rocking so mother flipping hardcore on stage. But the rock fest is cut short when Buckaroo notices a woman crying in the background. The woman reveals to herself as Penny Priddy (played by Ellen Barkin) who is down on her luck to the point of shooting herself in the head. Fortunately the attempted suicide fails but the gunshot cause a little panic in the club. The next day Whofin escapes from asylum and it's not as difficult as it sounds. Basically he snaps an orderly's neck and just walks out of the asylum. Either Whofin is the luckiest villain or the asylum has really lazy security...take your pick. Later Buckaroo and the Hong Kong Cavaliers stop by a jail to break Penny out; it's later revealed that Penny has a twin sister who was married to Buckaroo but was killed by members of the World Crime League...more on that later. Right after that we cut to a conference where Buckaroo explains the solid evidence of traveling inside objects into other plains of existence. Little do they know that the conference is secretly being watched by two alien races. The Black Lectroids who are the good aliens and the Red Lectroids who the evil aliens. Buckaroo gets a phone call from "the president" and leaves the conference room for a moment. However, it turns out the call is from the Black Lectroids who zaps Buckaroo with some type of energy that allows him to see through the Red Lectroids human disguises. This cause two of the Red Lectroids to haul ass out of the conference while Buckaroo give chase. But one Red Lectroid appears on the conference stage and kidnaps Professor Hikita at gunpoint.
Meanwhile the Black Lectroids send down a thermo-pod which holds three Black Lectroids to earth. But as they landed one thing led to other and there's now one Black Lectroid named John Parker (played by Carl Lumbly). Later Buckaroo manages to catch up with the the three Red Lectroids and frees the professor to safety. Upon returning home with the professor, Buckaroo and company watches a message which was drop off by John Parker earlier. The message is from the Black Lectroid leader warning Buckaroo to prevent Whofin and other Red Lectroids from stealing his overthruster. Otherwise Whofin will have the technology needed to release the Red Lectroids that are imprisoned in the 8th dimension. And it's really convenient that Buckaroo gets the message in time because right that the three Red Lectroids from before sneaks into his place. A small skirmish breaks out at Buckaroo's place resulting one of his buddies Rawhide (played by Clancy Brown a/k/a the Kurgan) to die by poison from some alien spider thingy. Oh come on Rawhide is played by the flipping Kurgan he could easy shake that off. Anyway Penny with the overthruster in hand gets captured by the three Red Lectroids as they made their escape via helicopter. Whofin demands for Buckaroo to bring the overthruster to Yo Yo Dyne Propulsion Systems or he'll kill Penny. Although despite the fact Penny has the overthruster and yet they haven't found it or even notice that she has it. Those are some really stupid villains. So Buckaroo and the rest of the Hong Kong Cavaliers gear up and head to Yo Yo Dyne to rescue Penny and kick some Red Lectroid ass. Despite not having the overthruster, Whofin made his own overthruster which John Bigbooty (played by Christopher Lloyd) says it best his overthruster is shit. Seriously he builds a overthruster that doesn't even allow the Red Lectroids makeshift spaceship through the 8th dimension. FAIL! So Buckaroo and John Parker sneak abroad the ship to stop Whofin. They commandeered a thermo-pod and with its laser weapon blows the spaceship out of the sky destroying Whofin and the rest of the Red Lectroids. So the world is saved, the bad guys are destroyed and Penny is rescued. The film ends with an open sequel entitled Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League. Though it's been 26 years since this film premiered and yet NO FLIPPING SEQUEL!!! And to tell you truth that is my only complicate to this film they set up a possible sequel and then just don't deliver. That's just wrong.
My Final Verdict: This film is solid gold chesse and I mean that in a awesome sense. Sure the stuff that goes on in the film are goofy but they're so enjoyable to watch. Buckaroo Banzai is one of those gems that refuses to be forgotten and I like it that way. I recommend watching this film immediately hell if you have a VHS copy of this film. Break out the VCR makes some popcorn and watch this film.
Alright stay tuned next week as I review one of my personal favorite films Parasite Eve. And it might get interesting for you.
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