I hadn't seen this film since I was a kid, and don't remember getting overly excited about it back then. However, there is something about this movie where I've had thoughts in my head about it over the years.
It's considered one of the worst movies ever made and is listed on the 50 worst films of all time.
It certainly falls into the '80s cult classic category so for that very reseaon I decided to check it out again for nostalgia reasons! Before starting the movie i had no idea that Howard was a marvel comics character, and that George Lucas played a part in bringing him to the screen.
Here's the thing about Howard the Duck...it's at a weird crossroads where you'd think that kids would love it, being that it's about a 3 foot tall duck, but the humor is way more adult oriented. It felt like the movie can't seem to find a happy medium between the two. I guess the movie is aimed at comedy for young adults, but as an adult it's just really weird but fun comedy coming from a talking duck.
I did enjoy it more this go-around as an adult, and can understand that when I saw it as a kid I was way too young to get the jokes. Back then I'm sure i wanted more of a kid-themed adventure with the duck. They made some 'illegal alien' and 'terrorist hijacking' jokes in the movie, which I found interesting with what is going on in today's news. I also thought it was funny how Howard lands on Earth in Cleveland, and he's not even there 5 minutes and already realizes that he landed in a shithole.
I noticed that Celeb Apprentice runner-up Holly Robinson Peete played a role as one of the rocker girls. I had no idea who Holly Robinson was until I saw her on Celebrity Apprentice, so it was cool to discover that she was in this movie.
Lea Thompson has the starring role, and I tell ya, back in the day I always had a thing for her. Which is weird, because she's really nothing that special. Kind of the everyday girl next door, but man, mark her down as a total hottie in my book.
It was good to see the principal from Ferris Bueller(Jeffrey Jones) in the movie. Seeing that guy in stuff just always sparks up that '80s nostalgia. I was also surprised to see a very young Tim Robbins has a role in the movie as well! Crazy huh?
While watching Howard the Duck I was looking for some early glimpses of Shawshank-esque brilliance from Robbins, like "oh yeah, it's easy to tell that this guy is gonna be a great actor". Like if you were to see this movie back when it came out, but Robbins mainly plays a quirky, over-the-top scientist all thru the movie.
The punk rock scenes in the movie made me think I was sure glad that I wasn't old enough to be a part of that scene with everybody having crazy hair and all dressed in crazy outfits trying their best to look as much like The Cure as possible. I really liked the "Howard the Duck" theme song for the movie. It's really catchy and even a couple days later I still had it in my head.
All in all, probably best to shelve the movie for another 20 years before the next screening. One of the worst movies ever made? -I can see a valid arguement for that, but then again, anybody ever see Leonard Part 6 starring Bill Cosby? That movie makes Howard the Duck look like the freakin' Godfather Pt 2...and guess what, Leonard is next on my '80s Nostalgia List!
It certainly falls into the '80s cult classic category so for that very reseaon I decided to check it out again for nostalgia reasons! Before starting the movie i had no idea that Howard was a marvel comics character, and that George Lucas played a part in bringing him to the screen.
Here's the thing about Howard the Duck...it's at a weird crossroads where you'd think that kids would love it, being that it's about a 3 foot tall duck, but the humor is way more adult oriented. It felt like the movie can't seem to find a happy medium between the two. I guess the movie is aimed at comedy for young adults, but as an adult it's just really weird but fun comedy coming from a talking duck.
I did enjoy it more this go-around as an adult, and can understand that when I saw it as a kid I was way too young to get the jokes. Back then I'm sure i wanted more of a kid-themed adventure with the duck. They made some 'illegal alien' and 'terrorist hijacking' jokes in the movie, which I found interesting with what is going on in today's news. I also thought it was funny how Howard lands on Earth in Cleveland, and he's not even there 5 minutes and already realizes that he landed in a shithole.
I noticed that Celeb Apprentice runner-up Holly Robinson Peete played a role as one of the rocker girls. I had no idea who Holly Robinson was until I saw her on Celebrity Apprentice, so it was cool to discover that she was in this movie.
Lea Thompson has the starring role, and I tell ya, back in the day I always had a thing for her. Which is weird, because she's really nothing that special. Kind of the everyday girl next door, but man, mark her down as a total hottie in my book.
It was good to see the principal from Ferris Bueller(Jeffrey Jones) in the movie. Seeing that guy in stuff just always sparks up that '80s nostalgia. I was also surprised to see a very young Tim Robbins has a role in the movie as well! Crazy huh?
While watching Howard the Duck I was looking for some early glimpses of Shawshank-esque brilliance from Robbins, like "oh yeah, it's easy to tell that this guy is gonna be a great actor". Like if you were to see this movie back when it came out, but Robbins mainly plays a quirky, over-the-top scientist all thru the movie.
The punk rock scenes in the movie made me think I was sure glad that I wasn't old enough to be a part of that scene with everybody having crazy hair and all dressed in crazy outfits trying their best to look as much like The Cure as possible. I really liked the "Howard the Duck" theme song for the movie. It's really catchy and even a couple days later I still had it in my head.
All in all, probably best to shelve the movie for another 20 years before the next screening. One of the worst movies ever made? -I can see a valid arguement for that, but then again, anybody ever see Leonard Part 6 starring Bill Cosby? That movie makes Howard the Duck look like the freakin' Godfather Pt 2...and guess what, Leonard is next on my '80s Nostalgia List!
