I’m not sure where to begin describing this movie. I know that it’s a campy sci-fi ’80s movie, but I’m not sure how to describe Buckaroo Banzai (no way I’m typing out the full title) beyond that. In fact, this movie has an enormous cult following, and I don’t know if any of its numerous fans can adequately describe the film either. But I’m going to try anyway.

Our eponymous hero (played by Robocop himself, Peter Weller) is a half-American/half-Japanese man who became a master neurosurgeon. Not content with that great accomplishment, he simultaneously went on to be an expert in physics, martial arts, race car driving, and every musical instrument known to man. In other words, we have a protagonist who’s immediately set up with the ability to do anything and everything as the plot requires. How convenient.

The plot (for lack of a better word), centers around the oscillation overthruster, a device built by Banzai and his team of assistants, called the “Hong Kong Cavaliers.” The machine allows its user to travel through solid matter, as Banzai demonstrates at the start of the movie by driving a jet-powered car through a mountain. Little does Banzai know that the device works by briefly teleporting the user through the 8th dimension. I think. There’s also some technobabble about molecular physics involved. Whatever.

Meanwhile, there’s Planet 10, occupied by two warring species of extraterrestrials: Red Lectroids and Black Lectroids. At some point in the past, the Red Lectroids lost the war and were banished to the 8th dimension. They somehow escaped their imprisonment, landing on Earth in the process. Flash forward to the present, when the overthruster provides the Red Lectroids with a way through the 8th dimension and back home. And the Black Lectroids are willing to nuke the whole planet to keep that from happening.

Is your head spinning yet? Don’t worry, that only indicates that you’re still sane. All you really need to know is that the red aliens want the magic device and Buckaroo Banzai has to stop them or the whole planet goes boom. The premise is admittedly convoluted and ludicrous, which is probably why the movie takes every opportunity to convey it in ways that are shallow and ridiculous.

Wikipedia calls this movie a “spoof science fiction film,” which is only partly true. See, a “spoof” would parody common conventions of the chosen target — science fiction movies, in this case — and call attention to how laughable the conventions are. This one, on the other hand, delivers impenetrable techno-babble and events that defy any kind of logic, all while playing the events entirely straight. However, what truly makes this movie unique — nay, remarkable — is in how the movie plays the sci-fi straight without taking it seriously.

At all times, this movie shows a remarkable amount of self-awareness as to exactly how stupid it is. I think my favorite example may be when Banzai is playing an electric guitar with his rock band, only to pull a small trumpet out of seemingly nowhere and start playing it. Not only is the action made funny by its physical impossibility, but it also helps to establish the character and to implicitly let us know that he will continue to pull answers out of his ass. Such subtle winks and nods are prominent throughout the movie, always ensuring that we’re in on the joke. This gives the movie a great amount of humor and a very endearing kind of charm.

At least 90 percent of the movie’s “absurdity played straight” approach can be traced directly to the performance of Peter Weller. He projects a tremendous amount of calm and intelligence in the title role, perfectly taking in stride all of the movie’s more ridiculous plot turns. Jeff Goldblum is another standout, playing a doctor who dresses in full cowboy gear without batting an eye. On the polar opposite end, we’ve got Christopher Lloyd and an unrecognizable John Lithgow, both of whom play comedically over-the-top villains.

I’d also like to mention the score. Though Michael Boddicker’s work here is hardly comparable to that of Vangelis in Blade Runner… well, first of all, what is? Secondly, this is just a wonderfully ’80s score. Aside from Banzai’s band numbers, the music is done entirely on synthesizer and it’s all very well-written. The score is just plain fun to listen to, either on its own or in the context of the movie as a whole.

Buckaroo Banzai is a delightfully weird little movie. It’s easy to see how this film became such a cult classic, as an abundance of tongue-in-cheek humor is the only thing keeping it from ruin by a weak narrative. I personally had fun with it, though I’m sure it helped that I saw the movie with friends and alcohol.