The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eigth Dimension
Distributed by
MGM
Cert: PG
Cat.no: 1002040
Running time: 102 minutes
Year: 1984
Pressing: 2001
Region(s): 1, NTSC
Chapters: 16
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages: English, French
Subtitles: French, Spanish
Widescreen: 2.35:1
16:9-Enhanced: Yes
Macrovision: No
Disc Format: DVD 9
Price: $19.99
Extras: Alternate opening, theatrical and extended versions of the
film, Buckaroo Banzai Declassified documentary, deleted scenes, director
and writer commentary, character and personal profiles, Banzai Institute
Archives: film reviews, production materials, movie tie-ins, CD covers,
and more. Photo gallery, "Jet Car All Access", subtitle fact track,
teaser trailer, Nuon features, and easter eggs.
Director:
W.D. Richter
Screenplay:
Earl Mac Rauch
Cast:
Buckaroo Banzai: Peter Weller
Dr. Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin: John Lithgow
Penny Priddy: Ellen Barkin
John Bigboote: Christopher Lloyd
New Jersey: Jeff Goldblum
Perfect Tommy: Lewis Smith
President Widmark: Ronald Lacey
If there was ever a definition for cult favorite movie, Buckaroo Banzai
(this is what I will call the movie since the title is way too
long) would be it. Now you're probably saying right now: what about
Rocky Horror Picture Show,
Big Trouble in Little China, or
UHF?
This one fits the bill alot better. Huge fanbase? Check. Cheesy eighties plot?
Check. Weird characters? Check. The movie has it in spades. And
considering it's rocky video past (this is the first time it is in
widescreen - it was full frame even on the laserdisc!) it has been long
awaited on DVD.
Buckaroo Banzai tells the story of a successful doctor, Buckaroo
Banzai (Peter Weller), a member of a band called the Hong
Kong Cavaliers, who is also the head of a place called the Banzai
Institute, who is also investigating... you know what? He's just in a lot
of stuff. When we first meet him, he is doing brain surgery but then he
retorts to the desert. There he has built a jet car and he declares to
the world that he will go through a mountain and into the Eight
Dimension. He succeeds and inadvertedly signals to John Whorfin (who is
really an alien from that dimension) that he can now go home. The plot
is very confusing to tell in words so that's just the gist of it. But
what follows is tons of weird stuff that the 80s are known for.
I liked this movie alot. I'll tell you why. The characters. They
may not seem like much but I liked how they all stuck
together and their chemistry. The cheesy 80s music is suprisingly
catchy as well. The plot is just very different and enjoyable. Watch the
credits too. It has a cool scene of all the characters together. Trust
me, it's cool.
Into the disc. This is the first time the movie has ever been offered
in it's 2.35:1 widescreen presentation. The picture is very good. Flesh
tones and colors are very solid as are the black colors. I didn't find
any compression artifacts and that's suprising because of the HUGE
amount of extras that are packed on. Very good transfer from MGM.
The sound isn't exactly as great. I just didn't think it was loud
enough to fit the movie. But people will obviously like the 5.1 track
even being there at all. It's not horrible but I think it could have
been a little louder.
As for extras, Whoa! Talk about jamming a disc. This is by far the most ambitious
project MGM has done for DVD. I would list it all again but I'd get
arthritis in my hand. Deleted scenes, making ofs, you name it and it's
here. Tons of stuff. The
easter eggs are good too. Very extensive. When it was first
announced for DVD it was going to be bare bones but then they delayed it and
bam, Here's the final product. My favorite part was the Banzai Institute Archives.
There's stuff like movie tie-ins and CD covers. Awesome.
Overall, if you're reading this review you're either curious about the
movie, or you've seen it before. It's a good movie that you'll either
love or hate. But for $19.99 and tons of extras, what are you waiting
for? If you get it, find these easter eggs, they're very cool.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
