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

Director:

W.D. Richter

Writer:

Earl Mac Rauch (writer)

Release Date:

15 August 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Beings from Another Dimension have invaded your world.

Plot:

Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the 8th dimension.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Creature | Musician | Press Conference | New Jersey

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Peter Weller	...	Buckaroo Banzai
John Lithgow	...	Lord John Whorfin / Dr. Emilio Lizardo
Ellen Barkin	...	Penny Priddy
Jeff Goldblum	...	New Jersey
Christopher Lloyd	...	John Bigboote
Lewis Smith	...	Perfect Tommy
Rosalind Cash	...	John Emdall
Robert Ito	...	Professor Hikita
Pepe Serna	...	Reno Nevada
Ronald Lacey	...	President Widmark
Matt Clark	...	Secretary of Defense
Clancy Brown	...	Rawhide
William Traylor	...	General Catburd
Carl Lumbly	...	John Parker
Vincent Schiavelli	...	John O'Connor

Also Known As:

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (USA) (short title)
As Aventuras de Buckaroo Banzai (Portugal) [pt]
Buckaroo Banzai (Italy) [it]
Buckaroo Banzai - Die 8. Dimension (West Germany) [de]
Hotet från åttonde dimensionen (Sweden) [sv]
Las aventuras de Buckaroo Banzai (Spain) [es]
Les aventures de Buckaroo Banzaï (France) (DVD title) [fr]
Les aventures de Buckaroo Banzaï à travers la 8e dimension (France) [fr]
Les aventures de Buckaroo Banzaï à travers la huitième dimension (Canada: French title) [fr]
Oi peripeteies tou Buckaroo Banzai stin 8i diastasi (Greece) [el]
Przygody Buckaroo Banzai (Poland) [pl]
Superässä - Buckaroo Banzai (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Norway:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

609 E. Channel Rd., Rustic Canyon, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Sherwood Productions

Trivia:

The US DVD release includes a caption portion entitled "Pinky Caruthers' Unknown Facts", which actually adds to the storyline and character development of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Buckaroo briefs the president on the situation, the president replies "I don't know what to say. Lectroids, Planet 10, nuclear extortion, a girl named John?" However, Buckaroo didn't mention John Emdall during his briefing and the president doesn't watch the video until later.

Quotes:

Perfect Tommy: Pictures don't lie.
Reno: The hell they don't. I met my first wife that way.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders (2006)

This Movie Is Great! Or is it?

You will either love or hate this movie. If you get it it is a barrel of laughs. If you don't get it, you say . . . What the hell is this nonsense? It has been said that it's a comedy with all the punchlines removed. But they are there, you just have to read between the lines. It's kind of like one of those Magic Eye Puzzles. You have to look at it with the right kind of eyes. Otherwise you'll just see it as a crappy 80s sci-fi spoof. But trust me, there's more there than meets the eye. Some of the jokes aren't obvious on first viewing, or the 100th for that matter. You may want to consult the DVD extras or Pinky Caruther's 10,000 little known facts. With a bit of research, you can find out the reasons why that watermelon is there!