The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 26, 2015

W.D. Richter's "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new interviews with actors Peter Weller and John Lithgow; deleted scenes; audio commentary with director W. D. Richter and writer Earl Mac Rauch; new video essay by Matt Zoller Seitz; and more. The release also arrives with a booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic James Oliver, illustrated with original stills. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Will everybody shut up so I can hear the rest of this thing?"

When the multi-talented explorer Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller, Naked Lunch) figures out how to open the secret door to the eighth dimension with his newly designed overthruster, the supposedly crazy Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow, The World According to Garp) phones someone in a galaxy far, far away and announces that it is time to go home and finish what he started years ago. A spaceship then approaches the Earth and a visitor from Planet 10 warns Buckaroo Banzai that Lizardo, who is actually Lord John Whorfin, a vicious alien maniac with dangerous ambitions, needs to be stopped before he unleashes nuclear Armageddon. With time running out, Buckaroo Banzai and the members of his rock band, The Hong Kong Cavaliers, go to work.

This film probably makes a whole lot more sense if one sees it while one is under the influence of some powerful drugs. It just seems like it could work only if certain parts of the brain are temporarily disabled so that one is tricked to believe that there is in fact a logical way to deconstruct it.

The plot is a real mess. Right from the get-go the film heads in multiple directions at the same time and immediately creates the impression that Earl Mac Rauch, who scripted it, could not control his imagination. There is enough material here for six or seven different films that could have been good, but instead Rauch mixed everything together hoping that the end result would appeal to a large number of viewers with very different tastes. In other words, there are bits and pieces that are good on their own, but as part of something bigger simply do not work.

This wacky mish-mash of ideas, however, is precisely why the film has earned a small cult following. Not only it is very different, but it goes against conventional logic with such enthusiasm that it almost succeeds in proving that a good film does not need to tell a good story -- or in this case one that actually makes sense. So, as an experiment, one could potentially embrace it and admire its wackiness.

But the film digs so deep for so long that eventually forgets what it is that it wanted to accomplish in the first place. If the intention was to charm with silly plots and jokes, then why leave all the political jabs? And if the intention was to satirize a world divided by ideologies and run by brainwashed wackos, then why overload the story with stupid chatter? The whole thing feels like a big cocktail envisioned by an overly ambitious bartender who had some expensive leftovers and assumed that he can create something colorful and tasty with them. So he mixed them up, but created something no one would care to order again. (And you better believe that this is exactly the reason why the planned sequel never materialized).

The visuals, however, are quite good. In fact, plenty of the special effects in this film are much better than the ones seen in Robert Zemeckis’ Back to the Future, while some of the unique masks and costumes easily can be compared to the ones seen in Richard Marquand’s Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. (This is hardly surprising, however, considering that costume designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers worked on both films).

The film’s soundtrack was created and recorded by Michael Boddicker, who won a Grammy Award for his song "Imagination", which appeared in Adrian Lyne’s film Flashdance. As a synthesizer performer, Boddicker also contributed to a number of Michael Jackson’s albums, and worked with the likes of Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones, and Lionel Ritchie.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, W.D. Richter's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.

The majority of the film looks very good. Most close-ups, for instance, boast nice depth and clarity. In fact, even when light is restricted depth remains very pleasing (see screencapture #15). The daylight footage is vibrant and crisp. Grain is retained and typically well exposed, though with a new master it will certainly look tighter and better resolved. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and natural. Color saturation is also good. Overall image stability is excellent. A few tiny dirt spots occasionally pop up here and there, but there are no large cuts, debris, stains, or damage marks. Finally, there are no serious encoding anomalies. All in all, even though there is some room for improvement, this is a very nice technical presentation of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension that should make its fans quite happy. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The 5.1 track is very good, but I would also recommend experimenting with the 2.0 track. I think that in different parts of the film it is actually more convincing. Generally speaking, depth and clarity are excellent. The trendy score and the dialog are also well balanced. There are no pops, cracks, distracting background hiss, or digital distortions to report in this review.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Teaser Trailer - original teaser trailer for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Banzai Radio - in this archival video interview, Terry Erdmann, unit publicist for 20th Century Fox during the early 1980s, discusses the various publicity strategies for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, the film's cult following, etc. The interview, which initially appeared on the film's first U.S. DVD release, was conducted by Denise Okuda.In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Gallery - a collection of production stills.

• Jet Car Concept - presented here is a promotional CG trailer which was made in late 1998 by Foundation Imaging in Valencia, CA. It was sent to TV studios to promote a proposed Buckaroo Banzai TV series. Music only. (3 min).

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (15 min).
  
  1. Backstage
  2. Penny's Troubles
  3. Confidence
  4. "Dr. Lizardo?"
  5. "Give Me a Fix!"
  6. "A Little Down
  7. "Therma-what?"
  8. New Jersey
  9. John Emdall
  10. "Hanoi Xan?"
  11. Penny Confronts Lisardo
  12. "Solve These Equations!"
  13. "A Piece of Cake"
  14. Illegal Aliens

• Alternate Opening - presented here is an alternate opening sequence, featuring Jamie Lee Curtis. It can be played separately or with the main feature. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Closing Sequence - presented here is the closing sequence without on-screen text. Music only. (5 min).

• Visual Essay by Matt Zoller Seitz - in this new video essay, author and critic Matt Zoller Seitz discusses some of the obvious and not so obvious qualities of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, as well as the socio-political environment in the U.S and its critical reception. at the time when the film was shot. The essay was produced exclusively for Arrow Video. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Lincoln Center Q&A - this Q&A session with actors Peter Weller and John Lithgow, moderated by director Kevin Smith (Dogma, Chasing Amy), was presented as part of the SMoviola series with the Film Society of Lincoln Center during the 48th New York Film Festival on October 15, 2011. In English, not subtitled. (44 min).

• Buckaroo Banzai Declassified - this documentary feature was included on the first U.S. DVD release of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. It focuses on the production history of the film, and includes clips from interviews with director W.D. Richter, Peter Weller, John Lithgow, Ellen Barkin, Lewish Smith, and special makeup effects artist Tom Burman, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Lord John - in this brand new video interview, actor John Lithgow discusses his contribution to The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and some of the key relationships and conflicts in the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for Arrow Video in April 2015. (14 min).

• The Tao of Buckaroo - in this brand new video interview, actor Peter Weller discusses the character he plays in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, the use of music throughout the film, some of the philosophical/zen overtones in the film, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Arrow Video in April 2015. (17 min).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, director W. D. Richter and writer Earl Mac Rauch discuss in great detail the production history of The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, the various themes and sub-themes in it, the film's unique sense of humor, etc. The commentary initially appeared on the U.S. DVD release of the film.

• Booklet - booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic James Oliver, illustrated with original stills.

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

W.D. Richter's film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension is impossible to categorize. It is loaded with so many different ideas that the only way to enjoy it is to ignore the majority of them and focus on a few elements of its narrative that are easier to digest. So, if you have not seen it but have heard that it is a cult classic, it is a good idea to find a way to rent it first. If you happen to be a fan of the film, then Arrow Video's new Blu-ray release should make you very happy. The technical presentation is very good and there are plenty of excellent supplemental features, including two very good new interviews with Peter Weller and John Lithgow. RECOMMENDED (but primarily for the excellent supplemental features).