Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck is literally one of the first movies ever released about a Marvel character. And for that it really needs to be remembered. It's also a terrible movie and showed that maybe George Lucas was a little over rated but at the same time it can be rather entertaining if you stop and look at it a bit more closely.

This is based off the Marvel comics character called Howard who starred in his own comic book "Howard the Duck". The story goes that he's an anthropomorphic duck from a parallel universe where ducks are the dominant species who's transported to Earth against his will. Here he meets up with Beverly who eventually becomes his love interest and they go on lots of weird adventures together. The comic itself was a social satire employing parodies of genre fiction as well as using a bit of metanarrative to advance the story. So in other words he was meta before Deadpool took over that role.

And that's the problem. If you look carefully at the movie itself you can see that they were trying to recreate that world on the silver screen. The problem is movies of that type need to be a little more obvious because otherwise they get taken literally and that spells the death of the movie. Which is what happened here. A lot of things happen in the background and no attention is brought to them as they should. For example in the restaurant scene where Howard almost gets killed and grilled by the crazy cook. If you read the sign it was a place that specialized in Cajun and Sushi. Two foods that were considered very trendy in the 80's except they're being served together. It's a strange pairing and in the theme of the comic book it makes sense. Here? Most people miss it and the joke is lost.

That doesn't excuse it's many glaring faults however. The biggest of which is the costume. This was originally supposed to be an animated feature, at least that's what I've been able to dig up. And yet for some reason they just put a little person in a suit. Sure a case could be made that it gives Howard a true outsider aspect as nobody else looks like he does. But it doesn't excuse the fact that everytime I see him I just see a guy in a duck costume.

There are decent scenes, some good actors trying to put some life into this pile of whatsit and let's face it Lea Thompson looks great here. So while it's not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

Aren't B-Movies fun?

Wait a second ... this isn't a B-Movie! George Lucas wouldn't sign his name to a low-budget piece of tripe, would he? Well, he did.

If you're actually looking for a good piece of cinema, stop right here. However, if the words 'talking alien duck' cause bells to ring in your mind, read on.

Yes, it's a B-Movie. It's a high budget, professionally made one, but it's as bad as most other B-Movies. But, it's also one of the funniest things I've seen in quite a while. Sure, it gets boring, but look at the concept: A TALKING ALIEN DUCK! What more can I say?

So, if you have a twisted sense of humour and have already been drawn in by my one real summary (A TALKING ALIEN DUCK), then check this movie out. You'll enjoy it. But, if you're not a fan of bad eighties movies stick with Star Wars or Indiana Jones, movies that Lucas probably actually cared about.

There are certain movies you cannot die happy without having seen them at least once. "Casablanca", "The Wizard of OZ", the "Star Wars" Trilogy...

And, if you are a connoisseur of bad movies as I am, you must add to the above list the one, the only, "Howard the Duck".

Now this is, hands down, one of the stupidest ducking (groan) movies ever made. On the other hand, if you have a soft spot for bad movies, it doesn't get much better than this. It is absolutely insane. And it isn't nearly as bad as "Theodore Rex"!

"Howard the Duck" was a critical and commercial failure when it was first released in the summer of 1986. Since that time, the movie has become synonymous with one word: BOMB. However, while it is not a very good film, I feel "Howard the Duck" is not nearly as bad as many people seem to believe.

How can you dislike a film about a midget duck from another planet who (with the help of Lea Thompson and her gigantic '80s hair) saves Earth from impending doom? Not only that, but the menace threatening Earth is the Dark Overlord of the Universe, an evil force that has invaded the body of Jeffery Jones! "Howard the Duck" is one of those movies that is enjoyable in a mindless way. It is by no means classic cinema, but if you are in the right frame of mind, it is very fun to watch.

And don't miss the musical number at the end, when Howard and the cast do the "duck waddle"!

Considered one of the most notorious box-office flops in history (next to the 'Road to Morocco'-ripoff 'Ishtar' with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty the following year), 'Howard the Duck' became the laughing stock of critics and movie-goers alike when it was released in theaters in 1986. If its executive producer, George Lucas, had his way, he would have canned that movie for good. But thanks to the home video boom in the 1980s, 'Howard' would follow suit and find his way into video stores across America.

Nearly twenty years later, 'Howard' is slowly being pulled from video store shelves. But it is now that a film of such poor quality can be truly appreciated.

Here's how it all goes down: You are dropped onto a planet from a far-away universe, where ducks are human-like and are running the world, only to be pulled out again moments later. An everyday working-duck by the name of Howard gets sucked out of his living room on his recliner after returning to his apartment after a long, hard day.

After the opening title is shown in the thundering tradition of cinematic heavyweights like '2001: A Space Odyssey', we see Howard's decent toward the planet Earth. Once he has reluctantly gotten his feet on the ground, he clashes with the dregs of society and saves the lead singer of an all-female punk band named Beverly, (played by 'Back to the Future's Lea Thompson). She tries to give him a hand, and help him get an explanation as to how he got sucked out of his living room and landed in Cleveland, Ohio.

That explanation never actually makes any sense, but that doesn't matter, because better plot developments hinge upon it. With the help of a goofy lab janitor Phil (played by the immortal Tim Robbins in an early comedic role) and a big time nuclear scientist Dr. Jennings (none other than Jeffery Jones), Howard finds out that a giant laser Jennings was using went haywire, and pulled Howard down instead. But going back isn't going to be so easy, because one of Dark Overlords of Evil hitched a ride on that laser, and has plans of planet domination and destruction. And who better than to save the day than the 3'1" (3'2", that is) wise-"quacking" title character, Howard T. Duck!

Although George Lucas got ripped apart for having his hands in this one, I have yet to see a movie that is so awful, so terribly bad that I have been brought to tears crying at simply recalling scenes from this flick. The opening sequences on the duck planet contain countless parodies of American pop culture, and Howard's implausible hurtle through space is enough to make even the most serious chuckle.

Audiences back in 1986 didn't seem to, however. But something about watching this flop nearly two decades later makes all of these scenes so much funnier. The way I see it, our teen generation now has a funny fascination with the decade in which they were born, the 80s, and anything from it has a distinctive look and sound. American pop culture was throwing away Three's Company for MTV, LPs for tapes, and the Bee Gees for the Brat Pack. The youth took yet another step in distancing themselves from their parents, and although they furthered that schism, they too felt a strong connection the past few decades. What was happening when I was in utero? Taking my first steps? Saying my first words?

Today's generation has 'Howard the Duck' as one of the most endangered time capsules of the 80s. You've got a one-of-a-kind performance by now Acadmey Award Winner Tim Robbins, whose his explanation of duck's evolutionary scale is priceless. George Lucas's own Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) special effects studio must be embarassed to have itself credited with the horrendous effects (the Dark Overlord, for one). You've got a helplessly catchy theme song, revelling in all of its cheesy 80s pop-synth glory.

The jokes are terrible, the dialogue sub-par, the plot laughable. But you know what, you'll laugh you a$$ off.

Join me in saving Howard from being pulled from video store shelves. Today's generation will love the waddling fowl more than the angry movie-goers who saw this dud in the theaters. Keep him alive!