This isn't a definitive edition but it's awfully close, as this two-disc sdet (one Blu-ray, one DVD) serves up a near-flawless A/V presentation and a slate of entertaining extras. Shout Factory once again comes to the rescue with a domestic Collector's Edition Blu-ray that also doubles as the first entry in its new "Shout Selects" line. Long story short: it's a landmark of oddball cinema that may or may not be right up your alley, but one that's entirely worth seeing if you're at all interested in a spontaneous, freewheeling film that isn't afraid to ignore the rules.including its own.Īlmost 20 years after its box-office failure, Buckaroo Banzai was first resurrected as a terrific Special Edition DVD by MGM back in January 2002 (loaded with plenty of extras, including a few "NUON-enhanced" ones that I'm betting about five people were able to access), while region-free and international audiences were treated to a Region B Blu-ray from Arrow last year. Either way, the entirely confusing story isn't even Buckaroo Banzai's main selling point: it's the film's infectious genre-bending mentality, quotable dialogue, and standout performances, mostly from relative newcomers and/or future stars. It's an odd mixture of mainstream ambition (no less than five films were originally planned, including the infamous Buckaroo Banzai Against the World Crime League advertised during its end credits) and contempt for mainstream acceptance, as if it were destined for cult status from day one. Not surprisingly, the original story by Rauch was rewritten several times, often changing direction completely when met with friction from the studio or members of the creative team. Now, with the help of Banzai's "Hong Kong Cavaliers"-a like-minded group of Renaissance men including Rawhide (Clancy Brown), Perfect Tommy (Lewis Smith), Pinky Carruthers (Billy Vera), Reno Nevada (Pepe Serna), and New Jersey (Jeff Goldblum)-Banzai must save Earth from these invading "Red Lectroids". Unfortunately, two things happened: Lizardo was possessed by the mind of alien lord John Whorfin during a test run (and committed to the Trenton Home for the Criminally Insane) and similar alien organisms also hitched a ride during Banzai's successful experiment. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow) 50 years earlier. Our story follows the eponymous Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller, after Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton passed on the project), a hard-rockin' neurosurgeon and test pilot who also dabbles in physics, after his team's experimental Jet Car travels through solid matter with the help of an "oscillation overthruster" conceived by Professor Hikita (Robert Ito) and Dr. Two decades later, my opinion hasn't changed: Buckaroo Banzai is the definition of "polarizing cinema", a gleefully giddy romp that plays its convoluted story straight while simultaneously being in on the joke. That was.1996 or so, and my first viewing of Buckaroo Banzai was an equal mixture of confusion, surprise, and fascination.
Yours truly was introduced to Buckaroo Banzai during my high school days, when a much older family friend forked over a dubbed VHS copy sourced from something called a "laserdisc".
#Adventures of backaroo banzai dvd mac
Written by Earl Mac Rauch (who, like Richter in the director's chair, only has two solo big-screen credits to his name), it's the kind of production that almost purposefully tries to keep viewers at a distance-or, at the very least, keep them guessing-but its willful disregard for convention has only deepened the film's cult status during the last 30+ years. Richter's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) is every bit as loopy and excessive as its title implies. Wildly ambitious and unconventional, W.D.
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