my thoughts on.... 'Howard the Duck'

There was a time when I went and saw a lot of movies in the theater. Sadly, it doesn't happen as much any more.... but that's alright. I have a nice setup at home and I can watch anything I want, anytime I want and it's almost as good. Anyway, I remember seeing 'Howard the Duck' in the theater as a kid. I don't remember why or how I ended up there, but I'm kind of glad I did. Since then, I haven't watched it again. About a week ago, I got a copy in the mail on DVD from my friend Brian. I have to admit, I was pretty excited to see it again. I was curious how it would hold up after all these years. Well, I watched it and I am happy to confess that it held up quite well. I found myself really enjoying it. The duck special effects were actually pretty damn good and it was just goofy and absurdist enough to be a fun watch and one that I know will watch again and again. I'm happy to have it in my collection.

For those of you who aren't familiar with 'Howard the Duck', it's based on the Marvel comic book of the same name and was a huge box office bomb. It also is kind of sold as a kids movie, but in reality, it's really aimed towards adults and fans of the comic books. Here is the premise, according to Netflix.com: "In this uncommon sci-fi comedy produced by George Lucas, a cigar-chomping extraterrestrial duck named Howard (voiced by Chip Zien) is accidentally beamed to Earth by a physicist (Jeffrey Jones) and his assistant (Tim Robbins), only to find love with a pretty punk-rock singer (Lea Thompson). The couple's happiness is threatened, however, when government officials and a nasty space thug come looking for Howard." (I would hardly call Lea Thompson's band, Cherry Bomb, punk. The music was written by Thomas Dolby and George Clinton.)I won't lie, this movie is really dated. It screams 80's and doesn't care if you like it or not. The special effects, other than the duck suit, are old school to the max. (Yes, I just said that.) The music is synth-tastic and the clothes, well.... it was the 80's. Despite all of that, this movie has a lot of charm and is hard not to enjoy while watching it. It may have bombed at the box office, but it has gained a cult status and deserves a second viewing. It has some talented actors in it and the humor is aimed at pop culture junkies like me. I really suggest that you check it out, either for the first time or for the first time in a long time. It's readily available on DVD and currently OnDemand on Netflix too. I'll call it a 3 out of 5 star cult classic.

Other cult-tastic movies from the 80's and early 90's with cheesy special effects: 'The Garbage Pail Kids Movie', 'The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (1990) and 'Gremlins'