THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI (1984)
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Surgeon-scientist-rock star-samurai Buckaroo Banzai and his ragtag team of do-gooders save the world from an alien invasion.
WHY IT DOESN'T WORK: Because he's one of the greatest characters in pop-cult history — who spends much of the film running around New Jersey looking for Lord John Whorfin (John Lithgow) and John Bigboote (Christopher Lloyd), who are instrumental in said lame-ass alien invasion. Would that the story were worthy of the coolness of Buckaroo and his all-star squad. Or, at the very least, coherent.
