Rotten Tomatoes Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

Play trailer Poster for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension PG 1984 1h 43m Sci-Fi Adventure Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Buckaroo Banzai is caught with his trusted allies, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, in a battle to the death between evil red aliens and good black aliens from Planet 10. Led by demonic dictator John Whorfin, who has taken over the body of Italian scientist Dr. Emilio Lizardo, the aliens try to get the Overthruster back from Buckaroo Banzai. But the good black aliens are willing to destroy Earth rather than let these renegades return to their planet.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Sci-fi parodies like these usually struggle to work, but Buckaroo Banzai succeeds through total devotion to its own lunacy.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Richard Corliss TIME Magazine 08/20/2008
A state-of-the-art spaceship flying at the speed of light without narrative coordinates, Buckaroo Banzai is the very oddest good movie in many a full moon. Go to Full Review Geoff Andrew Time Out 08/16/2007
Richter's comic genre hybrid comes complete with its own mythology, and team of established superheroes, and is curiously appealing. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety 06/05/2007
It violates every rule of storytelling and narrative structure in creating a self-contained world of its own. Go to Full Review Chance Solem-Pfeifer Willamette Week 01/22/2025
The vast, delirious joke of W.D. Richter’s sci-fi comedy... is that it plays like the 189th issue of a comic book that actually has no prior issues. Go to Full Review Janet Maslin Video Review 08/05/2022
3/4
Unmistakably tongue-in-cheek, the movie follows Buckaroo (Peter Weller) to the frontier of ultra-hip sci-fi parody. John Lithgow gets a chance to pull out all the stops as a mad scientist, and when things are funny they’re very much so. Go to Full Review Alan Jones Starburst 07/21/2022
Too wacky and spaced out for its own good. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

W.D. Richter

Director

Peter Weller

Buckaroo Banzai

John Lithgow

Doctor Emilio Lizardo

Ellen Barkin

Penny Priddy

Jeff Goldblum

New Jersey

Christopher Lloyd

John Bigboote

Movie Clips

View All

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Inter-Dimensional Ford The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Inter-Dimensional Ford 2:20 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Awesome Credits The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Awesome Credits 2:34 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Transmission to the President The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Transmission to the President 2:07 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Penny for Your Thoughts The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Penny for Your Thoughts 1:48 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Dr. New Jersey The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Dr. New Jersey 1:23 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Saving the Day The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Saving the Day 2:38 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Dr. Lizardo Loses His Mind The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Dr. Lizardo Loses His Mind 2:48 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Duck Hunting Discovery The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Duck Hunting Discovery 2:42 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - There You Are The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - There You Are 3:23 Now Playing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Holographic Warning The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Official Clip - Holographic Warning 2:05 Now Playing View more videos

More Like This

View All
Back to the Future Part II 63% 86% Back to the Future Part II Watchlist TRAILER for Back to the Future Part II Back to the Future 93% 95% Back to the Future Watchlist TRAILER for Back to the Future Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 81% 81% Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Watchlist TRAILER for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Ghostbusters 95% 88% Ghostbusters Watchlist TRAILER for Ghostbusters Back to the Future Part III 79% 78% Back to the Future Part III Watchlist TRAILER for Back to the Future Part III Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

Jeff Goldblum Said It Best Mashup Jeff Goldblum Said It Best Mashup 0:58 Now Playing View more videos
View All

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension

Buckaroo and some members of Team Banzai have formed the Hong Kong Cavaliers, a hard rocking bar band. Buckaroo (Weller) gives some advice to his fans at a rock n' roll bar: "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are." Dr. Emilio Lizardo/Lord John Whorfin (Lithgow) tries desperate measures to wrest the secret of the Oscillation Overthruster from Buckaroo (Weller) in the shock tower. (L to R) New Jersey (Goldblum), Billy (Santoro), Rawhide (Brown), Buckaroo Banzai (Weller), Reno (Serna), Pinky Carruthers (Vera), and Perfect Tommy (Smith). John O'Connor (Schiavelli), Dr. Lizardo (Lithgow) and John Bigboote (Lloyd) of Planet 10. John Parker (Carl Lumbly) is an emissary from the friendly aliens of Planet 10 who assumes the earthly guise of a Rastafarian to bring a warning for Buckaroo Banzai and the President. Dr. Emilio Lizardo (John Lithgow), once a distinguished scientist, but an attempt to penetrate solid matter drove him into the 8th dimension - where Lord John Whorfin of Planet 10 took over his body. Penny Priddy (Barkin) is a mysterious young woman to whom Buckaroo (Weller) is immediately attracted. View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Buckaroo Banzai is caught with his trusted allies, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, in a battle to the death between evil red aliens and good black aliens from Planet 10. Led by demonic dictator John Whorfin, who has taken over the body of Italian scientist Dr. Emilio Lizardo, the aliens try to get the Overthruster back from Buckaroo Banzai. But the good black aliens are willing to destroy Earth rather than let these renegades return to their planet.
Director
W.D. Richter
Producer
Neil Canton, W.D. Richter
Screenwriter
Earl Mac Rauch
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Sherwood Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Sci-Fi, Adventure, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 15, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings