The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai

A puree of 1930s pulp heroics, bug-eyed monsters, and cinematic in-jokes, The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eighth Dimension (full title) has gained a reputation--somewhat undeserved--for being one of the strangest yet most literate of cult films. With a plot inspired by Orson Welles' infamous 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, this droll sci-fi adventure finds rock star/physicist/brain surgeon Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) teaming up with cohorts to destroy a band of evil aliens led by the possessed Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow). Although it sports the occasional sparkling line--such as Lithgow's accent-laden threat, "laugh while you can, monkey boy!"--the film is mostly hit and miss. Still, MGM has definitely gone the extra furlough with this special edition DVD, featuring a tongue-in-cheek commentary by director W.D. Richter and screenwriter Earl Mac Rauch (who act as if the Banzai story is true), an alternate opening with Jamie Lee Curtis as Buckaroo's mom, a 23-minute "making of," and more. Since fans will love, consider this a strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 23, 2016—Shout! Factory, 102 min., PG, $34.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1984's The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include two audio commentaries (one by director W.D. Richter and writer Earl Mac Rauch; the other by sci-fi experts Michael and Denise Okuda), the multi-part “making-of” documentary “Into the 8th Dimension” (128 min.), a “Buckaroo Banzai Declassified” behind-the-scenes featurette (23 min.), deleted scenes (15 min.), an alternate opening (8 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a sci-fi cult favorite makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]