Well, I tried watching it again over the weekend. As you get older, some films you tried earlier in your life, and didn't like, begin to make sense. Some, like Sunset Boulevard, get infinitely better. Some, like Time Bandits, get worse. You start to see flaws where you didn't before, or touches of brilliance that had been hidden from your perceptions. For me, Buckaroo Banzai wasn't that great when it came out and still remains so, so it's comforting to know that some films remain consistent across your life. I don't understand what I'm looking at, I don't get the story, or why the characters do what they do, I don't get their motivations. I don't understand what the aliens want or what their plan is. What is that thing circling the earth? Why is Jeff Goldblum dressed like a cowboy? As a fairly astute consumer of films for over forty years, I'm accustomed to a certain degree of lucidity, linear progression, and clear presentation of ideas in my entertainment, and at every turn this film zigs when you expect it to zag. It's indefinable, which is fine as a standalone film that embraces irreverence, but the cost is confusion. I couldn't be alone in my assessment of this train wreck, given hollywood's current lust to remake everything under the sun except for this film. It's not entirely awful, however, with John Lithgow and his outrageous Italian accent, or Christopher Lloyd's ice-cold ownership of every scene he appears in.In another twenty years I'll watch this film again, maybe it will finally make sense to me.

I heard this was a cool 80s movie, and I was curious because I like a lot of 80s movies and had never heard of this one. It was directed by the same guy that did Big Trouble in Little China, which was great, and I also like Peter Weller and John Lithgow, so I decided to give this one a shot. I also read some positive reviews of the film on this site, and after seeing the movie I had to leave my own review so people wouldn't be mislead by all the positive reviews.Man, was this terrible. The plot was goofy, the effects were bad, and the so many things in it made no sense. It's like they set out to make the silliest movie they could and didn't care if it would be good or not. I grew up in the 80s and have a fond memory of many of that decade's movies, but this is definitely not one of the good ones from that era.

This has to be one of the most original , bizarre and unpredictable movies I have seen. A spoof of all those 1950's B-class science-fiction films and comic books (the scene with the Buckaroo Banzai comic book should tell you that). The closest movie I can compare it to is "Big trouble in Little China" or Monthy Python making fun of science fiction. It never takes itself to seriously. It's sort a joke on itself.What we have here is a pseudo science fiction comedy . All the "science" here is just one black joke – it's a parody of gibberish science you can find in many old movies. It's one of those "love it or hate it" movies. I don't think it's a masterpiece , but it's definitely not a piece of s*** that many IMDb reviewers call it."TAOBBATED" is a movie you have to watch at least 2 times just to understand what the heck is going on. On repeated viewings you will be able to notice many small jokes you might have failed to notice . For example I didn't understood why Doctor Lizardo (the main villain) destroyed the arcade game until I've noticed on third watch it was BUCKAROO BANZAI arcade game . "TAOBBATED" has a weird sense of humor –you either get it or don't get it. Some jokes don't really have a punch line (the watermelon) . Some are intelligent – instead of Green Berets we have Blue Blazers . I love : the billboard "The future begins tomorrow" , the John something aliases , "No matter where you go, there you are." , the coolest ending credits ever made.The cast is impressive with some future stars in it. Peter Weller ("Robocop") gives a good performance as Buckaroo Banzai – modern Renaissance Man who is a rock musician/scientist/ neurosurgeon/action hero . He plays his character with dead-pan seriousness , which gives good comedic effect , considering all the crazy things going on. He breaks it few times (his subsequent detection of the sinister Red Lectroid agents , every scene with Penny). Ellen Barkin ("Sea of love") is hot in every outfit she appears and she has great chemistry with Weller. Jeff Goldblum ("The fly") is good as the mild mannered sheriff. Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the future") is fun as the arrogant John Bigboote. The true star however is John Lithgow ("Cliffhanger") as Doctor Lizardo, twisted fascist alien. I love his voice , his Italian accent , his facial expressions. He's a scene stealer with his over-the-top performance.The plot is quite innovative. Inter dimensional alien invasion theme in contrast to aliens from outer space which has since been overused many times feels very fresh. Screenplay by Earl Mac Rauch is full of dry humor and action. Director WD Richter obviously directed "Buckaroo" to be a cult movie. Music by Michael Boddicker is really good. Atmospheric and upbeat works well for this comic-book like adventure. I love the "Buckaroo Banzai theme".The bad things ? The Hong Kong Cavaliers . With the exception of Jeff Goldblum they are rather bland characters . Not really interesting for the viewer , because the filmmakers never explored their personalities. This is a very low-budget movie. The Red Lectroid bivouac was actually an abandoned Firestone tire factory. It does look a bit dated with it's costumes and set designs. The dialogue sometimes can be incredibly heavy on the techno babble attempting to explain the science of the film. The love story isn't given all that much time to develop.A sequel was planned called "Buckaroo Banzai against The World Crime League" . A script written, but the funding did not appear after "TAOBBATED" bombed at the box office. The studio bankrupted . Too bad. I would love to see Evil Hanoi Xan (Buckaroo's arch-nemesis) and the cameo appearance of Jack Burton (Kurt Russell's hero from "Big trouble in Little China") ! I gotta look for the DVD - "Pinky Caruthers Unknown Facts" is a commentary that explores the universe of the movie and explains few things (the watermelon).This is a fine example of 80's film-making. It's a good movie to watch if you like strange , unconventional movies. I give it 4/10.

"The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" is a movie that understands full well what kind of movie it is and so they made it as zany as possible. Peter Weller was a few years away from playing RoboCop when he played the renaissance man who travels through solid matter and brings Earth into confrontation with aliens. What was particularly neat was when they noted that all matter is mostly empty space due to the spinning of the atoms (which presumably makes it possible to travel through the matter). And of course the part about Orson Welles's radio broadcast was cool. But mostly, the movie is just fun, and it looks like the sort of movie that they probably had fun making. As long as you accept it as an unabashedly silly flick, you're sure to enjoy it. Weller, as well as John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum and the rest turn in some great performances.