director w. d. richter the adventure of buckaroo banzai be sort of hip and and kind of cool and but really isn not as good a it could be . it certainly start out well enough . the opening credit graphic and and music by michael boddicker and set a rouse tone for a grand and comic book style adventure . an opening story background crawl and ala star war let u know about buckaroo and play by peter weller ( robocop ) and and his mixed background ( u. s. father and japanese mother ) his varied interest ( neurosurgery and martial art and particle physic ) and and the fact that he make music with his off beat friend and those hard rocking scientist and the hong kong cavalier . without waste time and director richter plunge into the action . at the salt flat and team banzai prepare to launch it rocket car . the problem be and of buckaroo be not present and account for . that cause multi talented buckaroo ( weller ) be busy recruit jeff goldblum ( jurassic park ) and a top surgeon and who be perform an operation . after ask goldblum to join his group and weller inquires and can you sing . goldblum responds and a little . i can dance . soon weller and dress in a black and ninja style firesuit show up at the salt flat . when weller get in the jet car and the film really take off and literally and figuratively . when weller go off course and it appear he go to slam right into a mountain . instead and a blue beam from the jet car zap the mountain and and then the jet car go into the mountain . instead of crash and it enter a weird 8th dimension . we see a strange landscape and and unusual creature and some human like and some not . soon and weller and his jet car come out the other side of the mountain and unharmed . in this sequence and richter and director of photography and fred j. koenekamp and really deliver the sci fi excitement good . this be my favorite scene in the film . unfortunately and the rest of the movie never again reach this level of fun and entertainment . the rest of the film be a mishmash of alien and a mad scientist ( johncliffhanger lithgow at his most excessive ) and a lost soul girl name penny and play by ellen barkin ( sea of love ) in an early and non impressive performance . the main problem lie with the screenplay by earl mac rauch . his big mistake be that darn jet car sequence . the much acclaim film bullitt have it famous chase scene well into the film and which make it all the more satisfying when it arrive . by contrast and the adventure of buckaroo banzai by have it excite jet car sequence first and give filmmaker richter nowhere to go but down . another problem be the hong kong cavalier themselves . other than jeff goldblum and they be a faceless lot and not very well flesh out and and with little to do . weller and a buckaroo and be the whole show and and the rest seem like a superstar hanger on represent perhaps important to him and but not interesting to the viewer . the adventure of buckaroo banzai be like a chinese dinner represent an hour later youre hungry for a more substantial film . all you remember be the opening jet car scene and the cool music . the adventure of buckaroo banzai should be watchable for both undemanding sci fi fan and the small fry and who may get a kick out of the alien . banzai .