Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to con... Read allAdventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.Adventurer, brain surgeon, rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his crime-fighting team, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, must stop evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension who are planning to conquer Earth.
- Awards
- 5 nominations
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJohn Lithgow's dialect coach, Roberto Terminelli, was a tailor on the 20th Century Fox lot with a heavy Italian accent. John had Roberto speak his lines from the script into a tape recorder, which he then used to practice the accent. John then got him credit in the movie as the dialect coach for his help.
- GoofsNew Jersey explains that the Lectroids emit a chemical which humans breathe, and as a result they make us see them as human. However, at that same time, the President is seeing John Parker on television as a human, not a Lectroid, even though he cannot possibly be inhaling the chemical hundreds of miles away.
- Quotes
Buckaroo Banzai: Hey, hey, hey, hey-now. Don't be mean; we don't have to be mean, cuz, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
- Crazy creditsThe credits end with the announcement of the upcoming sequel "Buckaroo Banzai Versus The World Crime League". As of 2023, that film has yet to be made, pending approval from the film's current rights holders, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Lion Corp.
- Alternate versionsThe Special Edition DVD contains 14 deleted scenes and an extended introduction, several of which make reference to Hanoi Xan, the leader of the World Crime League, who murdered Buckaroo's parents and his wife, Peggy. As mentioned in the "Crazy Credits" section, the World Crime League was mentioned at the end of the film as the focus of a planned sequel, but as of 2010 that film has yet to be made.
- SoundtracksSince I Don't Have You
(uncredited)
Written by Joseph Rock and James Beaumont with The Skyliners
Performed by Peter Weller
Featured review
Get over it, junior Eberts!
I've read several comments by people under the age of 30 who trash on this film, call it crap, and characterize us fans as vapid, thorazine-addled retards. Whatever makes you happy, folks! If trashing on a film that was seminal in the annals of low-budget cinematic resourcefulness makes you feel special then I'm happy for you.
There is a reason we love this film. The script is clever, a veritable mosaic of silly twists and throwaway jokes so layered that it takes multiple viewings to keep up with it all (favorite line: "It's not my ******* planet, Monkey Boy!"). And the direction and approach is equally exciting: rather than annoy us with underfinanced special effects that pretend to be Lucasfilm quality, the director revels in his low budget, using conk shells as models for space ships and populating alien ship interiors with tubes, pipes, rods and duct tape. The aliens come off as resourceful-albeit-goofy packrats, bumbling about and managing to stay just a few steps ahead of Buckaroo until the very end.
For many of us over 30, this film was something special. We caught it at midnight movie houses and relished in the warm presence of a movie made by people who shared our dark, twisted senses of humor. In college, it was a regular rental; we held Bonzai parties, dressed as characters, turned it into our private video Rocky Horror. No, it's not Citizen Kane ... but what do you want from a movie called Buckaroo Bonzai?
There is a reason we love this film. The script is clever, a veritable mosaic of silly twists and throwaway jokes so layered that it takes multiple viewings to keep up with it all (favorite line: "It's not my ******* planet, Monkey Boy!"). And the direction and approach is equally exciting: rather than annoy us with underfinanced special effects that pretend to be Lucasfilm quality, the director revels in his low budget, using conk shells as models for space ships and populating alien ship interiors with tubes, pipes, rods and duct tape. The aliens come off as resourceful-albeit-goofy packrats, bumbling about and managing to stay just a few steps ahead of Buckaroo until the very end.
For many of us over 30, this film was something special. We caught it at midnight movie houses and relished in the warm presence of a movie made by people who shared our dark, twisted senses of humor. In college, it was a regular rental; we held Bonzai parties, dressed as characters, turned it into our private video Rocky Horror. No, it's not Citizen Kane ... but what do you want from a movie called Buckaroo Bonzai?
helpful•36763
- sober_gaijin
- Jan 27, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,254,148
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $620,279
- Aug 12, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $6,254,148
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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Top Gap
What is the Japanese language plot outline for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)?
Answer