Howard the Duck (1986) User Reviews

Misunderstood but deeply flawed.

[Java_Joe · 4/10 · 23 March 2019]

Howard the Duck is literally one of the first movies ever released about a Marvel character. And for that it really needs to be remembered. It's also a terrible movie and showed that maybe George Lucas was a little over rated but at the same time it can be rather entertaining if you stop and look at it a bit more closely.

This is based off the Marvel comics character called Howard who starred in his own comic book "Howard the Duck". The story goes that he's an anthropomorphic duck from a parallel universe where ducks are the dominant species who's transported to Earth against his will. Here he meets up with Beverly who eventually becomes his love interest and they go on lots of weird adventures together. The comic itself was a social satire employing parodies of genre fiction as well as using a bit of metanarrative to advance the story. So in other words he was meta before Deadpool took over that role.

And that's the problem. If you look carefully at the movie itself you can see that they were trying to recreate that world on the silver screen. The problem is movies of that type need to be a little more obvious because otherwise they get taken literally and that spells the death of the movie. Which is what happened here. A lot of things happen in the background and no attention is brought to them as they should. For example in the restaurant scene where Howard almost gets killed and grilled by the crazy cook. If you read the sign it was a place that specialized in Cajun and Sushi. Two foods that were considered very trendy in the 80's except they're being served together. It's a strange pairing and in the theme of the comic book it makes sense. Here? Most people miss it and the joke is lost.

That doesn't excuse it's many glaring faults however. The biggest of which is the costume. This was originally supposed to be an animated feature, at least that's what I've been able to dig up. And yet for some reason they just put a little person in a suit. Sure a case could be made that it gives Howard a true outsider aspect as nobody else looks like he does. But it doesn't excuse the fact that everytime I see him I just see a guy in a duck costume.

There are decent scenes, some good actors trying to put some life into this pile of whatsit and let's face it Lea Thompson looks great here. So while it's not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

I'm going to be kind reviewing this one.

[San Franciscan · 12 February 2003]

HOWARD THE DUCK is one of those movies you have to see to believe.

A whopping boondoggle of sheer notoriety that replaced HEAVEN'S GATE as The Most Embarrassing Miscalculation In Hollywood History, this flick immediately humanized George Lucas; it proved that even he could make a bomb. And that's one of the things that makes it so fascinating--you just sit there, wondering what on earth the man was thinking.

I'm not going to write this with any intent of sarcastically ripping it to shreds, though. I'm going to attempt to both be fair and to express my opinion of it at the same time, mainly because I know that there *are* some folks out there who enjoy it for various reasons.

I'll be honest with you, the moment I heard Lucas was doing this film months in advance (and even then I was convinced the guy telling me was kidding until I saw an article for it in the paper), I rolled my eyes with disgust and didn't see it in the theatres. I saw it when a friend later rented it out of curiosity after it was rushed to video.

So what was it that suddenly possessed me to watch it? Well, I found out that my cousin was in it. You see, my cousin's name is Debbie Carrington (a.k.a. Debbie Lee Carrington), who was an Ewok in RETURN OF THE JEDI as well as a slew of other things, including but not limited to MEN IN BLACK, CAPTAIN EO, TOTAL RECALL (where she got to get on a table in a blonde wig and blast people with a machine gun) and on THE DREW CAREY SHOW ("Mini-Mimi"). So, naturally, I wanted to see this one because I learned of her involvement in it after the fact.

Most people loathe this film, but some like it simply because it's *so* weird in its badness while others genuinely love it for whatever reason. And that's okay. Actually, I kind of got a kick out of it and all its silliness the first time I saw it. We tried to watch it a second time, though, and were bored by it half the way through.

I just now saw it again for the first time since then.

One of the most bizarre things about this movie is how cheap it looks. For all the gobs of cash wasted on it (a record sum), HOWARD THE DUCK looks terrible. And no, I'm not talking about just the duck costume; I'm talking about the overall film, which looks exactly like a low-budget special made for television. Seriously, that's exactly how it looks, and I have no clue as to where the budget went to. I once wondered if it was used to desperately convince the stars involved to be in it, but I doubt it.

And meanwhile... speaking of the stars, I've got to hand it to Lea Thompson. Despite all the oddness here and all the stuff she is asked to do, she handles it all like a real trooper. In fact, this may be the bravest performance she's ever done, especially the bed scene. It also apparently didn't kill her career, thank God. Even though her character isn't at all fitting for a Big City Punkette, critics have nevertheless pointed out that she's still appealing here in her role as Beverly, and I agree. Meanwhile, Jeffery Jones gives quite possibly the strangest performance he's ever done, which is also an oddly effective one.

The biggest problem with the film is its mechanically coy, self-conscious script that has commercialized to death all of the original comic's appeal out of the final result (so what ELSE is new, Hollywood? ;) ). The movie can't decide whether it wants to follow the original concept or sweeten it up to supposedly appeal to a wider audience, and it is badly confused as a result. The movie desperately wants to protect its investment, so much so that the life has been choked out of it. Also, it has a *huge* amount of blah, unimaginatively generic lines ("No more Mr. Nice Duck", "You'll never get away with this", etc.).

But these days, it does have a ridiculous kind of flaky charm, partially because it's such an unbelievable anti-achievement and because it's so incredibly Eighties that it serves as a strong time capsule. And for those reasons and more, HOWARD THE DUCK has earned a place in twentieth century culture.

Wretched garbage

[rdoyle29 · 3/10 · 31 July 2016]

This is a terrible movie on multiple levels. It's an awful adaptation of the source material, completely missing the satirical tone that made the comic book so much fun to read. It can't even settle on it's own tone. It seemingly wants to replace the adult atmosphere of the source with a kid-friendly tone, but then there's Lea Thompson in sheer underwear threatening to have sex with a duck. (I'm not complaining about the former, but the latter sure adds a sour taste to the proceedings.) Seemingly completely unaware of what it wants to be, it substitutes terrible overacting and loud effects laden action for entertainment. Absolutely wretched.

Obvious Huyck and Katz never read the strip.

[innocuous · 2/10 · 29 June 2006]

When I was in college, I regularly laughed my butt off reading S. Clay Wilson's "The Checkered Demon" comics. You see, there was this demon who wore checkered pants, and he got involved in all sorts of gross situations, mostly involving scatological humor, severed limbs and organs, and sexual acts.

Doesn't translate very well, does it? The same thing must have happened when Lucas (or whoever) went to screenwriters Huyck and Katz and asked them to do a treatment of Gerber's "Howard the Duck" strip. H & K apparently had no idea of the type of humor the strip used, or at what demographic it was pitched. The result is a kiddie move that tries hard to be adult in all the wrong ways. The satire and keen observation of the original strip disappear completely. I keep expecting The Goonies to wander in at any moment.

A VERY bad movie, though probably made with good intentions.

A King among bad movies

[La Gremlin · 3/10 · 20 September 2001]

There are certain movies you cannot die happy without having seen them at least once. "Casablanca", "The Wizard of OZ", the "Star Wars" Trilogy...

And, if you are a connoisseur of bad movies as I am, you must add to the above list the one, the only, "Howard the Duck".

Now this is, hands down, one of the stupidest ducking (groan) movies ever made. On the other hand, if you have a soft spot for bad movies, it doesn't get much better than this. It is absolutely insane. And it isn't nearly as bad as "Theodore Rex"!

Cheesy, lame, but still a lot of fun

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 20 February 2004]

Howard the Duck is a film that I grew up with, I was only a 1 year old when it was released, but my mom and I would watch it together all the time. I think that's the reason why this movie is just special to me. But still I watch this movie and honestly it's not as bad as most people exaggerate it to be, granted it's not Citizen Kane, but it's still awesome to watch. I think people take the movie too seriously, first off look at the title, if you're expecting a duck to deliver an Oscar worth performance, get your head checked, second people make fun of the "flirting" between the duck and Lea Thompson, which was meant to be a joke, not real. Third, the ending, people make fun of it and it's being over the top, I personally found it to be so funny and still a ton of fun to watch, how could you not get a kick out of Jeffrey Jones' performance? He was awesome! If you wanna know what the movie is about, read on before you see the movie so you can get a good idea and judge for yourself.

The film begins late at night in "Duckworld," which is a version of planet Earth, but with talking ducks living there in place of human beings. As Howard tries to relax, his armchair begins to vibrate violently, and Howard and the chair are promptly yanked through outer-space, all the way to Cleveland on planet Earth. After ending up in an oil drum, Howard hears a fight involving a woman and two thugs pretending to be her fans. Howard uses his skills of "Quack Fu" to defend her. Intimidated by a talking duck, the thugs scamper. The woman, Beverly, thanks Howard and, feeling sorry for him because he has no warm and dry place to sleep, invites him to her apartment. The next day, Beverly takes Howard to see Phil Blumburtt , who she believes is a scientist that can help Howard get back to Duckworld. It turns out Phil is actually a janitor at a museum and Howard, infuriated with Phil's charade. A few days later, Dr. Walter Jenning , and Larry who explain to Howard that they were doing a routine procedure at the lab, only for the experiment to go out of control, causing the laser to hit Howard's planet instead. Howard suggests he can be sent back to Duckworld if the laser can be put into reverse. He is taken to the Dynatechnics lab alongside Beverly, only to find out on arrival that the laser is seriously damaged due to another explosion. The explosion brings down a "Dark Overlord" who is not seen by the audience at the time, and takes over Jenning's body. Howard and Beverly see Dr. Jenning, but he is in the process of being taken over by the Dark Overlord. With Howard and Beverly both unaware of this, they escape in Jenning's car onto the freeway with him driving dangerously due to his worsening possession. They stop outside a diner just before he is fully taken over. Inside the Diner, the Overlord explains his attempts to call forth his fellow aliens from the Nexus of Sominus so that they may take over the world.

Honestly, yeah the plot is a bit much to grasp, but cut the movie some slack, it's about a duck for goodness' sake! For me, it still makes me laugh and I have a ton of fun watching it. I loved seeing Tim Robbins and Howard trying to get to the factory to destroy Jeffrey Jones before he could take over the world, Tim was absolutely hilarious! Yes there are a few things about this movie that are over the top but I still think that this movie is just mindless entertainment. Hey how many movies do we have where a duck saves Planet Earth? Hmm, I guess this is the only one; but give the movie a fair chance, it's a cute one.

7/10

A lot better than I thought it was going to be.

[invisibleunicornninja · 7/10 · 15 March 2018]

I was planning on just watching this movie as a joke, but then actually found myself enjoying this movie. Its not a cinematic masterpiece, but its definitely worth watching. I know that this is the type of movie that's bound to get some insults, but the amount of hatred towards it is honestly a bit surprising.

Sights and Sounds - The overall look of this movie is actually pretty decent, especially considering when it was made. The cinematography is just ok. Nothing spectacular, but certainly not boring. The audio was surprisingly good. I usually have a lot of trouble hearing what's being said in older movies, but I had no problems with this move. The costume (or puppet, I'm not entirely sure) for Howard is actually pretty good for the most part. Some of the effects are pretty bad, but for the time they're good.

Characters - The acting isn't that bad, but it isn't good by any means. Some of the line delivery is a bit iffy, but its not terrible. I mean, yes, some of the acting made me laugh through the "serious" parts, but its not as bad as it could be.

Tone - This movie is hilarious, especially when its not trying to be. There are actually a considerable number of scenes that are trying to be serious and dramatic, but they're way to funny. This movie is a comedy all the way through.

Plot - This movie probably shouldn't be rated PG. There's a lot of adult themes in this movie that could've been explored if they weren't trying to market this towards children. That being said, the plot is a bit simplistic for a lot of adults to enjoy. There are actually a lot of concepts in this movie that are actually pretty interesting. If this movie was remade with an R rating and a better script, I'd probably go see this. This movie isn't as bas as some people make it out to be, but that's not to say that it doesn't have potential.

Oh My! That was...

[sandcrab722 · 3/10 · 17 March 2022]

...an experience. So glad it's over.

I love Lea Thompson with all my heart and soul, and she's good even in this very bad, not good, quite terrible, pretty ducking poor film :-D

Watch. You might think it's funny.

3 stars because Lea is a goddess.

A painfully funny 80s time capsule that should be embraced!

[iota92587 · 9 April 2004]

Considered one of the most notorious box-office flops in history (next to the 'Road to Morocco'-ripoff 'Ishtar' with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty the following year), 'Howard the Duck' became the laughing stock of critics and movie-goers alike when it was released in theaters in 1986. If its executive producer, George Lucas, had his way, he would have canned that movie for good. But thanks to the home video boom in the 1980s, 'Howard' would follow suit and find his way into video stores across America.

Nearly twenty years later, 'Howard' is slowly being pulled from video store shelves. But it is now that a film of such poor quality can be truly appreciated.

Here's how it all goes down: You are dropped onto a planet from a far-away universe, where ducks are human-like and are running the world, only to be pulled out again moments later. An everyday working-duck by the name of Howard gets sucked out of his living room on his recliner after returning to his apartment after a long, hard day.

After the opening title is shown in the thundering tradition of cinematic heavyweights like '2001: A Space Odyssey', we see Howard's decent toward the planet Earth. Once he has reluctantly gotten his feet on the ground, he clashes with the dregs of society and saves the lead singer of an all-female punk band named Beverly, (played by 'Back to the Future's Lea Thompson). She tries to give him a hand, and help him get an explanation as to how he got sucked out of his living room and landed in Cleveland, Ohio.

That explanation never actually makes any sense, but that doesn't matter, because better plot developments hinge upon it. With the help of a goofy lab janitor Phil (played by the immortal Tim Robbins in an early comedic role) and a big time nuclear scientist Dr. Jennings (none other than Jeffery Jones), Howard finds out that a giant laser Jennings was using went haywire, and pulled Howard down instead. But going back isn't going to be so easy, because one of Dark Overlords of Evil hitched a ride on that laser, and has plans of planet domination and destruction. And who better than to save the day than the 3'1" (3'2", that is) wise-"quacking" title character, Howard T. Duck!

Although George Lucas got ripped apart for having his hands in this one, I have yet to see a movie that is so awful, so terribly bad that I have been brought to tears crying at simply recalling scenes from this flick. The opening sequences on the duck planet contain countless parodies of American pop culture, and Howard's implausible hurtle through space is enough to make even the most serious chuckle.

Audiences back in 1986 didn't seem to, however. But something about watching this flop nearly two decades later makes all of these scenes so much funnier. The way I see it, our teen generation now has a funny fascination with the decade in which they were born, the 80s, and anything from it has a distinctive look and sound. American pop culture was throwing away Three's Company for MTV, LPs for tapes, and the Bee Gees for the Brat Pack. The youth took yet another step in distancing themselves from their parents, and although they furthered that schism, they too felt a strong connection the past few decades. What was happening when I was in utero? Taking my first steps? Saying my first words?

Today's generation has 'Howard the Duck' as one of the most endangered time capsules of the 80s. You've got a one-of-a-kind performance by now Acadmey Award Winner Tim Robbins, whose his explanation of duck's evolutionary scale is priceless. George Lucas's own Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) special effects studio must be embarassed to have itself credited with the horrendous effects (the Dark Overlord, for one). You've got a helplessly catchy theme song, revelling in all of its cheesy 80s pop-synth glory.

The jokes are terrible, the dialogue sub-par, the plot laughable. But you know what, you'll laugh you a$$ off.

Join me in saving Howard from being pulled from video store shelves. Today's generation will love the waddling fowl more than the angry movie-goers who saw this dud in the theaters. Keep him alive!

Howard The Duck 1986 Review

[chandean-69762 · 3/10 · 24 February 2021]

I'll give it the benefit of the doubt by saying there is some funny moments and it never really takes itself seriously making this film miles more bearable than it could have been. This movie will forever be stuck in my head especially because of ... THAT scene ...

That's not to say this is a good film what so ever. It's probably exactly what you think it would be. Some not-good acting, cheesy, corny dialogue and jokes that become old very fast, some aged visuals, (Although the appearance of the villain at the end was pretty impressive for the time) and all of the characters including Howard become pretty annoying by the end of the film.

I can definitely see how this could be some peoples "guilty pleasure" movie though. It's overall light hearted, it doesn't take itself serious and I can see how some would find this fun, it's not for me though.

I need to erase the last 5 minutes of the movie from my mind.

Roger the Turkey

[Malc-13 · 1/10 · 5 August 2001]

Unfortunately the adult content in this movie makes it entirely unsuitable for the under fives. The only possible audience who might otherwise derive some enjoyment from it.

There are so many fantastic stories that demand a movie, so many actors dying for an opportunity, so many talented directors without the opportunity so how the hell did they end up with this?

Anyone associated with the making of this movie should hang their head in shame. It does not have a single redeeming quality.

Dead Duck

[dballtwo · 2/10 · 17 June 2021]

Those old enough to remember when this film was in production will recall the anticipation surrounding it. How were George Lucas, the man behind "Star Wars," and his collaborators from "Amerian Grafitti," Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, going to bring this unlikely project to life? What miraculous special effects was Lucas going to contrive to convince the audience that here was a living, breathing being from another world, a creature in the form of a duck? When the answer arrived it was a shock felt all across Hollywood: a midget in a duck suit.

Howard, forever the Underduck

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 20 February 2008]

Let me tell you something about film critics. It's easy to pick faults in someone else's work, even if you do not have it in your power to create an equal work of art. The average film critic, by his very nature, is just a pretentious know-it-all who is quite frequently talking from the wrong end of his alimentary canal. When HTD came along in 1986 it was the first true victim to the pop culture critic.

For 22 years it has been called 'the biggest flop of all time' and other such terrible labels. Well, it cost $30 million dollars (nothing compared to today's budgets) and took $37 million worldwide and that's not even counting the higher-than-you-think rental revenue. Add it altogether and HTD is most definitely NOT the flop it is accused of being. But since it was a rather eccentric family comedy (an easy target) and one of the first films to significantly under-perform at the domestic box office (George Lucas expected the returns to be astronomical) it became a scapegoat for bad studio spending and taste.

I guess that the world needs something or someone to blame when pop culture goes wrong and the jackass critics I mentioned already seized upon Howard's failings to make a name for themselves. Derogatory soundbites are easy to come up with and everyone who hated the film used some kind of duck-themed insult to put it down and make themselves feel clever. But, when you think about it, these are basically the same people who will deliberately give a bad film a great review just to see their own name on the poster (yes, I am talking to you Paul Ross).

The film also suffered a further bad rep when George Lucas publicly disowned the film. It's under-performance forced him to sell off a part of his company which went on to become Pixar (think of how much he could have earned if he didn't) and it really made him quite angry. Wouldn't you be? Me? I am a huge fan of the late Steve Gerber's comic-books. HTD was basically the first BIG comic-book movie and came surprisingly soon after he found success in his own series. Howard first appeared in an issue of Man-Thing and starred in a few other issues of Conan and even Spider-Man before getting his own wings in the late 70s. The comic-book stories are the most surreal, archaic and satirical I have ever read and it's a shame that they had to tone it down for the movie, but that's to be expected.

As an ordinary duck working for an advertising company on his home planet of Duckworld, Howard is blasted across the universe right out of his living room by an experimental laser developed by Dr. Jenning (Jeffrey Jones). He lands in Cleveland, where he meets Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson) a singer who takes him under her wing...I mean arm. Now trapped in a world he never made the one attempt at sending him back home unleashes the forces of the Dark Overlord of the Universe on earth through the possession of Dr. Jenning and he intends to bring more of his demons through the portal. Yeah, that sounds pretty heavy.

I'm actually a sucker for duck-related stuff. I don't know why. Donald Duck, Daffy Duck, Duck Tales, Darkwing Duck, Duckman etc. The list goes on and on. What I particularly like about the HTD movie is how most people seem to be completely at ease at talking to a humanoid bird.

Some of the fairer critics claimed that the film might have been a bigger hit if they had used CGI or traditional animation to bring Howard to life, but I must disagree. Part of the appeal of Howard is the fact that he is actually physically there and not some ghost who has been photo-shopped in afterwards. I love the duck suit, to me it is completely convincing and Chip Zien's voice work is perfect. I'd totally love to have Howard as a pal.

No joke, this film has a unfairly notorious history and a totally wrong perception by the general public or those who turned their noses and beaks up when it came out in 1986. Clear your head of any preconceptions that you might have and enjoy it on its own level. Though we really could have done without that silly narration over the opening title.

Howard the duck looks extremely dated

[chrihern · 1/10 · 29 August 2021]

If were a period drama about the mid 80's this movie would be perfect: everything screams 1985.

The lack of any other redeemable characteristic make this movie unwatchable, the "special effects" are awful.

It's like an anti-Star Wars movie: have all the wrongs the blockbuster didn't had.

Cult Silliness

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 10 January 2009]

While watching TV, the humanoid duck Howard (Ed Gale) is dragged from his planet to an alley in Cleveland through a mysterious force. He befriends the rock-'n-roll singer Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson), who introduces him to the clumsy scientist assistant Phil Blumburtt (Tim Robbins). Howard gets in many troubles until Phil brings his colleague Dr. Walter Jenning (Jeffrey Jones) that explains him that he was accidentally pushed through a laser beam of his experiment in Alpha-Centauri, and he proposes to revert the beam to return Howard to his planet. However, Dr. Jenning is possessed by the demon Dark Overlords that has also come from the outer space. When Beverly is kidnapped by the Dark Overlords that needs energy to bring other demons to Earth, Howard and Phil join forces to rescue Beverly and save our planet.

The underrated "Howard the Duck" is a cult silliness from the 80's. The anti-hero Howard is cool and it is funny to see Tim Robbins in the beginning of his career performing a clumsy scientist and Lea Thompson in a sweet role singing many songs in her early career. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Howard, O Super-Herói" ("Howard, the Super-Hero")

That's it, no more Mr. Nice Duck.

[khanbaliq2 · 3/10 · 26 March 2016]

Howard The Duck is an interesting film to review. It's a big budget special effects spectacle, and yet there's plenty wrong with it. It is, to put it straight, odd. First of all, there's the twenty-seven-year-old duck Howard (voiced by Chip Zien). He's just like a normal person, except that he's a duck from Duckworld. He doesn't have any superpowers, but he does know quack-fu. The filmmakers made him look appealing, even cute at times, but his range of expressions isn't great because he's brought to life mostly by an animatronic suit. Still, I think that, for their time, the special effects (animatronic suits, costumes and puppets) look good and work well. I didn't have a problem with taking the duck seriously. The only problem with Howard, in my opinion, is that he's not a very likable protagonist. The Howard in the comic book is rude and obnoxious. The Howard in the film is sarcastic. Maybe the problem lies in his personality. Maybe the problem lies in the situations that he gets into. The film was supposed to appeal to children, as well as adults, but some of its dirty humor is not suitable for children. Howard gets beamed from Duckworld to Earth at the very beginning of the film. While this is happening, we're shown impressive views of space, planets and stars, which wouldn't look out of place in Star Trek. But, when Howard ends up on Earth, he has one problem after another, and his situation is a bit depressing because he's like a lost pet or a down-on-his-luck person. This is certainly not Back To The Future (1985). There are problems with the cast as well. The actors don't deliver bad performances, but, because the film is a comedy about a talking duck, their performances are sometimes strange. Firstly, there's Lea Thompson (playing Beverly Switzler), the beauty whose role in Howard The Duck was her biggest one yet. She was cast because of her appearance in Back To The Future. Her performance in Howard The Duck is definitely not one of her best. In some of her interviews, she talked about how unpleasant it was for her during filming. She's good at times, she looks nice, but, with the direction of Willard Huyck, she's often bland. Still, her involvement in the film made it better because she's a good screen presence. Tim Robbins plays Phil Blumburtt, a janitor who pretends to be a scientist. His performance is wacky. One can say that it's bad, but, in my opinion, it suits the film. Jeffrey Jones plays Walter Jenning, a good scientist whose transformation is memorable, yet strange, to say the least. It's also a bit scary, and what is with that voice? Another one of the film's problems is the direction by Huyck. Sure, the film seems coherent. It's not hard to follow the plot. But scenes seem to just happen, often without purpose, and some of them drag on for too long. Anyway, I can go on and on about what's wrong with Howard The Duck. Hardly anything about it seems right. Just about everything seems odd. It has a boring middle section. Did I mention the romance between Howard and Beverly? So, why do I, like many other people, like it? Well, it's because it's a film from the 1980s. It has that 1980s charm, those 1980s special effects, a good rock soundtrack, and it has Lea Thompson. It's a ridiculous, sometimes poorly-made film, but, so much money and effort was spent on it, that it's just interesting to watch and be marvelled by it. I definitely recommend it.

Cult Classic

[Marynewcomb2013 · 9/10 · 14 August 2018]

This movie was made the way George and others wanted it to be!! It's a fun loving funny movie that was meant to be just that!! Just watch this movie with an open mind and looking for a laugh. I'm not going to give anything way so those that never saw this gem will see it not knowing what happens.

fun bad movie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 24 January 2016]

Howard the Duck comes from an alien planet Duckworld. He's a cigar-smoking non-swimmer. One night, he gets pulled from his world and lands in an alley in Cleveland. He rescues rock singer Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson) from two thugs. Beverly brings Howard to her scientist friend Phil Blumbertt (Tim Robbins). Dr. Walter Jenning (Jeffrey Jones) recognizes Howard's feather which floated down after his laser experiment exploded. The laser had brought him from his world. As they try to reactivate the laser, it explodes again. This time Dr. Jenning gets possessed by one of the Dark Overlords of the Universe from the Nexus of Sominus.

First of all, Howard the Duck looks weird. He's not nearly as cuddly as he needs to be. He's stiff and a bit ugly. This suggests a perfect movie to remake with a CGI character. There are tons of duck puns. This will either annoy you or you could have a bit of fun. The writing is not good but I still had some fun with it. I actually like Tim Robbins' wackiness. The inter-species love affair is awkward although Lea Thompson is looking very hot. There is a general problem with this movie. It's definitely not aimed at kids and yet it was rated PG. I don't think it could be aimed at adults either. Even the thugs look cheesy. It makes this very odd in tone.

The movie seems to be slightly long. It's been a long time since I saw this movie. I had forgotten about the Cajun Sushi diner. That section has lots of problems. The fight scene is silly. Jeffrey Jones looks crazy and yet nobody else seems to notice. The mob trying to cook Howard is really off-putting. I would rather cut most of this section out. This movie has some fun moments. One little scene has both the possible charming fun but also the awkward humor. With Beverly looking through Howard's wallet, she finds some fun duck-puns. Then she finds an ugly looking duck condom. Like the duck boobies, the humor is pushed too far at the wrong time. However, not everybody is put off by duck boobies.

Outstanding Cult Comic + George Lucas = Awful Movie

[vitaleralphlouis · 1/10 · 8 August 2005]

The best "continuing story" comic strip of the past 20 years was, in my opinion, Howard the Duck. This brooding film noir-type comic had us sneaking outside work every day at 3:30 for the Washington Evening Star just for this 3-panel strip. Howard just was not happy to find himself trapped on Earth, in Cleveland, living in a slum and interacting with his sexually useless (being human rather than fowl) girl friend Beverly. Like Groucho Marx with a bad hangover, Howard's continual rants about his rotten situation made a great comic strip. Along comes executive producer George Lucas, who strips away every single thing that provided Howard with character, and makes him nice; worse he makes him cute. Gag! If that weren't bad enough, the film has Howard and the Lea Thompson character engaging in post-sex afterglow --- thus advocating human with animal sex and spitting on the Judeo Christian ethic, for the sake of an unfunny site gag. This film is now George Lucas' dirty-little-secret; a part of his legacy; and worse than any of the last 3 Star Wars movies. Boo! Hiss!

"They Call Him Howard The Duck...ain't no way to conceal it..."

[MetalGeek · 3 July 2006]

I was 16 years old when HOWARD THE DUCK made it to the screen in 1986, and I actually paid money to see it at my local theatre. (Judging from its famously-meager box office take, I was one of only a few dozen who did the same.) In the 20 years since, HOWARD has gone down in Hollywood history as one of the most expensive movie bombs EVER and it is generally looked down upon by "serious" film fans. I have to ask them: WHY? Howard the Duck KICKED ASS in 1986 and it still kicks ass today! It had everything: a talking duck for a hero, gigantic Dark Overlords from outer space, crashes, explosions, endless duck puns, remarkably decent special effects (most of which still hold up today), bad '80s synth-rock songs, and Lea Thompson at her most gorgeous in the role of Beverly Switzer, punk rocker and Duck-o-philiac. If it were not for this film I would not have developed my lifelong crush on Miss Thompson (which still persists to this day... if you watch her infamous tender love scene with Howard in which she's wearing only her underwear and you DON'T fall immediately in love with her, there's something seriously wrong with you!), nor would I say "Hey, there's Phil Blumburtt!" every time I see Tim Robbins in another movie. I'm sure the majority of the cast and crew involved with HOWARD would like to forget that the movie ever happened, but judging from the comments on this board, there are untold legions of bad-'80s-movie devotees out there like me who loved this movie then, still love it now, and are dying to own HOWARD THE DUCK on DVD. It absolutely astounds me, that with the amount of CRAP out there filling video store shelves, HOWARD has never achieved a DVD release. It's been 20 years, where's our 2-Disc 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Mister Lucas? I'm still getting by with my taped copy of HOWARD that I recorded off of HBO back in the '80s, and it's about due for a replacement! Seriously folks, don't believe the hype. HOWARD THE DUCK is worth seeing, and it's nowhere near as bad as you've heard. Trust me. MetalGeek has never lied to you before.

"Couldn't possibly be any more retarded"

[alpha128 · 1/10 · 19 January 2003]

Just saw this as Surprise #1 at the 28th (my 24th) Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Science Fiction Marathon. My buddy brought his twelve year-old son, who provided the quote I'm using as my one-line summary above. You know what they say about the mouths of babes.

I spent $25 to see the fifteen Marathon movies, meaning I paid $1.67 to see this. That was about $1.67 too much.

This is one of those movies that make you wonder, "What were the film makers thinking?" The only reason I can imagine this movie exists is George Lucas' presence as Executive Producer. He was hot off the original Star Wars trilogy at the time and the studio must have figured anything he touched would turn to gold.

This is also one of those movies that make you wonder, "What was the CWRU Film Society (organizers of the Marathon) thinking?" I guess they showed the film because it is set in Cleveland, Ohio where the annual Marathon takes place. But if you live somewhere other than Northeastern Ohio, don't expect to gain any insights into life here by watching this movie. The WMMS sticker on Lea Thompson's guitar case, an RTA bus, the mention of East 9th street, and the logo of Cleveland Museum of Natural History are the only touches of authenticity. The city in this film and the surrounding countryside don't even remotely resemble the Cleveland metropolitan area. And if you come here to visit, don't look for the Cuyahoga Nuclear Power Plant - it never existed.

I understand this is science fiction, and that location shooting is expensive, but nothing in this film rings true. For example, Lea Thompson's character plays electric guitar in a Cleveland rock band. Well, I happen to play electric bass guitar in a Cleveland rock band and I've never walked home from a gig like Lea Thompson's character does, for the very simple reason that I have an amp that weighs 125 pounds! When I saw that scene, I couldn't help but ask aloud, "Where's her amp?"

In conclusion, don't waste your time or money by watching this movie. The character of Howard the Duck is intended to be humorous, but comes across as merely annoying. I've never seen a "comedy" with fewer laughs, even unintentional ones. Two hours of unexposed film stock has more entertainment value.

"Duck" this one....

[Mister-6 · 1/10 · 10 October 1999]

I've read the "Howard the Duck" comic books when they were out. They were funny, sharp and more satirical than anything.

Why they just didn't make an animated movie about Howard is beyond me.

In fact, this whole fiasco is beyond me. That it was written by Huyck and Katz doesn't bode well for any inherent entertainment value. It is so bad that you'll wonder who pointed a gun to George Lucas' head to give the green light for such an idea.

The only good thing about this headache-inducer was seeing Thompson in a sheer nightie. And Jones is always a stitch.

No stars. Give this movie to the Dark Overlords, THAT'LL keep them away.

Interesting idea, but it is rubbish!

[papagato39 · 3/10 · 24 December 2020]

It might just work as a crazy sci-fi romp, but even in that sense it left a lot to be desired. It started out as if it was going to be some kind of promising satire (even if it was duck based) but failed miserably.

What a Strange Little Film

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 30 September 2017]

A sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his home world to Earth where he must stop an alien invader.

Although several TV adaptations of Marvel characters had aired during the preceding 21 years, this was the first theatrically released feature film, coming after the serial "Captain America". Now, there is an interesting story about how and why that came together, and how this film indirectly created Pixar... but that is all history.

I first saw this film as a child, maybe 12 years old, thanks to my babysitter. It stuck with me pretty well, as even now 25 years later there are scenes that are familiar and jokes that were lodged in my brain. This has "cult film" written all over it. Not good, not bad, but bad enough to be good in a bad way.

This is what they make people watch in hell

[Dr.X · 2/10 · 30 July 2000]

Actually, with Lea Thompson in it, I guess they probably wouldn't show it in hell because it at least has some redeeming visual aspects when her face is on screen. Anyhow, I'm here to warn you to run (not walk but run) away from this piece of garbage, unless you want to create a low point in your life that you can always look back on so when something terrible happens you can say "Well, at least I'm not watching Howard the Duck!" I'm exaggerating here, but only slightly.

Why am I bothering to write this? The other day I ran into an old girlfriend who once dragged me to this film and insisted on staying through the whole thing even though it was readily apparent it was worthless. She kept insisting the duck character was actually cute and the movie "wasn't that bad." Trust me, she was wrong. Good thing that was a short relationship or I could have been subjected to more of the same. Anyhow, when I saw her the other day for the first time in years, the first thing that popped into my mind was that she was the fool who made me see Howard the Duck. I felt a duty and obligation to warn others to stay away.

What's so bad about it? I don't know where to begin. Take every element of the film process and insert the word "bad" before it and you'll get the idea. It boggles the imagination how a studio could bankroll something like this, release it, advertise it, and actually get it shown by theaters. What an incredible waste of resources and viewer's time. It easily makes my ten worst list.