Directed by W. D. Richter
Written by Earl Mac Rauch
With: Peter Weller as Dr. Buckaroo Banzai, John Lithgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo / Lord John Whorfin, Ellen Barkin as Penny Priddy / Peggy Banzai, Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Sidney Weibel / “New Jersey”, Christopher Lloyd as John Bigbooté, Lewis Smith as “Perfect Tommy”, Rosalind Cash as John Emdall, Robert Ito as Professor Tohichi Hikita, Clancy Brown as “Rawhide”, Carl Lumbly as John Parker, Vincent Schiavelli as John O’Connor.
“Wherever you go, there you are.” —Buckaroo Banzai
Dr. Buckaroo Banzi is a neurosurgeon, physicist, and test pilot with his own heavily armed rock band, The Hong Kong Cavaliers. A series of comic books follows his adventures, and he enjoys a global fan-club, the Blue Blaze Irregulars. In other words, his was what every Millennial thinks he (or she, it, them, they or whatever verb form that suits ’em.) truly is, or to be.
Back in the morally certain days of 1938, Dr. Tohichi Hikita, and Mad Scientist and student of Mussolini Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow in a delightfully over the top performance) perfect the oscillation over-thruster, a device that allows a man to thrust his way through solid objects. Lizardo is injured in a test and as a result finds himself in the Trenton Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where we find him in 1984.
After completing a bit of brain surgery, with the aid of Dr. Sidney Zweibel, Buckaroo is off to the Bonneville Salt Flats (or somewhere very much like it) to test out his jet powered Ford F350, the Thunderbolt Grease-Slapper (top speed Mach 1.3 on afterburners), along with the over-thruster, under full global TV coverage.
Buckaroo passes through a mountain only to find himself in the 8th dimension, which he learns is the penal colony for the Red Lectroids of Planet 10, who have been in rebellion against the peaceful Black Lectroids. Dr. Emilio Lizardo watches Buckaroo’s triumph from his hospital room in a rage which compels him to escape and claim his destiny as Lord John Whorfin of Planet 10 (all Lectroids have the first name John). During a club date in New Jersey The Hong Kong Cavaliers encounter the despondent yet lovely Penny Priddy, the long-lost twin sister of the long-lost Mrs. Banzai, Peggy. Buckaroo is re-smitten and claims her.
During a press conference at the Banzai Institute Buckaroo learns of the Red Lectroid conspiracy to free the imprisoned Red Lectroids and conquer Planet 10. In order to motivate Buckaroo to prevent this from happening, the peaceful Black Lectroids threatened to start WWIII between the US and the USSR. A lot on his young shoulders I am sure you agree. But remember, he has the The Hong Kong Cavaliers and the Blue Blaze Irregulars to aid him.
It seems the Red Lectroids have been here on our pale blue dot in the cosmos for a number of years. They arrived on Halloween Night of 1938 and hypothesized Orson Welles into claiming the news reports of an alien invasion was in fact a Mercury Theater Radio production of War of the Worlds. Very clever.
The over-thruster is vital to Lizardo’s plans, so the Red Lectroids raid the Banzai Institute to obtain it, only to return to base with the defiant Penny Priddy, who unbeknownst to them, has the over-thruster in her purse.
Buckaroo reasons Penny is being held at the Red Lectroid owned defense contractor facility of Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems. Buckaroo, the The Hong Kong Cavaliers and the Blue Blaze Irregulars go in to get her and save the world from WWIII.
“Laugh while you can monkey boy”
–Lord John Whorfin
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