70
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiRogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai is your typical sci-fi/action/comedy/rock&roll/kung-fu/political satire/neo-western/guys-on-a-mission extravaganza.
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayBanzai is an occasionally incomprehensible rush of subplots, sight gags, mythology, and bizarre fashion choices, truer to the spirit of classic adventure stories than to the letter. Which may be why people who love the film feel the way they do. Buckaroo Banzai assumes an attitude of poise and purpose in an otherwise awkward universe.
- 80The New York TimesVincent CanbyThe New York TimesVincent CanbyAt its best, which it frequently is, it's a lunatic ball, an extremely genial, witty example of what is becoming a movie genre all its own.
- 78Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenWonderfully fun, albeit markedly chaotic and incoherent.
- 75Miami HeraldBill CosfordMiami HeraldBill CosfordThe writing is good and the direction rarely flabby, but the real strength of Buckaroo is in a large and enthusiastic cast, led by Peter Weller, who plays the title character with a perfect deadpan. [11 Aug 1984, p.B7]
- 70Time Out LondonTime Out LondonRichter's comic genre hybrid comes complete with its own mythology, and team of established superheroes, and is curiously appealing.
- 60NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension doesn't play it safe. For that alone you may want to bless its demented little heart. Buckaroo Banzai may not work, but that's the risk of high-wire acts. At least it's up there trying. [20 Aug 1984, p.75]
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineClearly designed as a cult film, this messy trifle is not without its charms. These include the affably weird Goldblum, Lithgow's deliriously overstated mad scientist, and a band of alien invaders who are not emissaries of a vastly superior race, but beer-swilling mediocrities in Hawaiian shirts.
- 38The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottThere is a terrific little movie making the rounds, Repo Man, that demonstrates what can be done with vision, no money and faith in the audience; Buckaroo Banzai demonstrates what can be done with a lot of money, no faith in the audience, and a vision that begins and ends in the cash register. [13 Aug 1984]