Howard the Duck
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Movie Reviews of Howard the Duck
Movie Review: After 20 years here it is. Howard Returns!!!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Howard Returns!!!!!!!!! I believe that 99.9% of the people looking at this know what the movie is and whats its about. So first here is a review of the dvd. Most of these B-movies that get release on dvd have no special features. Or just the Trailors and a couple pics. But this has a new documentary that last near 30 minutes. With Lea Thompson, writers, director, Jeffery Jones, & Ed Gale who played Howard. Also there is 10 minutes of behind the scenes material. A vhs of this was released to video stores to play as a promotion during the orginial run. Last year a copy was on ebay and sold for 95 ducks. It includes a look at the music, stunts, special effects of the movie. George lucas, Phil Tippet (special affects, Thomas Dolby (music), Tim Robbins, and all from the new documentary are interviewed here. Also there is a new documentary about the release and over all looking at the movie and all it did over the years. Severial things left out that could have been included is the music videos made for the sountrack, The alt' tv spots. Maybe even a link/copy to the Howard the Duck nintendo/computer game that was made. (I have these) I do like the vhs box cover better than the dvd.
Now the story review: On another planet like earth humanoid ducks rule the world and its much like 1980's earth. Howard is pulled from his planet and drops down to earth. After run ins with bikers and punks howard saves beverly (lea Thompson). She is an inspiring rock singer/guitar player. (her singing is her in the movie and the soundtrack.) Their friendship comes quick and howard moves in with her. (friends only) To help get howard home she calls apon her friend (a young Tim Robbins)He comes across Dr. Jenkins (Jeffery Jones) who Knows how to send howard home but in trying to do so he brings down an evil, powerful mutant alien and it inhabits jenkins's body. Now howard again saves beverly and the world from this alien. All togther this is a very funny movie with howard learning our world with a great alien vs alien (more like david vs golieth)ending. I dont wanna give away too much but this is better movie than what alot of peaple might say and has a great friendship story. Didnt do so well during the orginal run but has its fans over the years and vhs copies have been at times kinda hard to find. But like I said 99.9% reading this already know this movie. For those who dont, I think you'll like this
Movie Review: Here's to the Howard The Duck fan club!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, I like this movie and I'm not afraid to admit it. This movie came out in 1986. I was 8 years old at the time and I was visiting my Dad for the summer while he was stationed in Austin, Texas. Me and my Dad watched this movie one night. Yes, believe it or not Howard The Duck did actually come on TV in the eighties. In my opinion, this is one of the best movies of the 80's. It was a fast paced ride from beginning to end and it didn't take itself too seriously. To this day I still don't get why this movie was a flop and slammed so badly by critics and viewers alike. No, it wasn't Saving Private Ryan as another reviewer pointed out. Which was a long and boring movie anyway in my opinion. Howard the Duck had action, comedy, romance and horror. I can understand this movie not doing well now in 2010, but in 1986 this should have been a hit movie. Yea it was a little far fetched. I mean the main character was a talking duck. But this movie did and still does have a certain charm to it. That's probably why it's such a cult classic now. My theory for why it did so badly in the eighties was because one, people couldn't get past the idea of the main character being a talking humanoid duck. Two, you couldn't classify it into any one category because it had elements of all the movie genres and the eighties was big into labels. Many of the singers and groups out now would not have gotten past a demo tape in the eighties. Three, it was talked about so badly by the press that a lot of people didn't even give it a chance and see if they liked it themselves as opposed to taking someone else's opinion. Critics are harsh on movies anyway. Unless they're long and boring like Saving Private Ryan. I just ordered my dvd copy of this movie and when I get it, it will be the first time I've seen it in over twenty years. I'm looking forward to it. To all the other fans of this movie, hold your heads up high.Movie Review: Weird but FUN. A great adventure for sci-fi/fantasy fans!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really like the idea of a love story between a tough-yet-gentle earth girl, Beverly, and an alien who just happens to look like an Earth duck but who is just a regular guy on his planet. You can sympathize with Howard's character--in one scene, Beverly hides him in a TRASH BAG- "I just don't want people freaking out all over the place." Howard-"What about me? I'm gonna be in therapy for the rest of my life." (I love all his smart-aleck remarks.) Despite this treatment, he comes to love her and when a new alien that really qualifies as a monster kidnaps her, he gets their friend Phil to help him rescue her, despite not having any way to fight other than knowing a bit of "quack-fu". My personal favorite scene is where Howard and Philsie (as Howard dubs him) steal a tiny motor-powered hang-glider type airplane and have this hilariously wild flight with the cops shooting at them, despite neither of them knowing how to fly a plane!
I saw HTD at age 13, and liked it so much I went and bought the comic book series (even though I don't read comics), the bubblegum cards and then, years later, I discovered that the story had been continued (or had an alternate story; I can't remember now) in a set of 7 magazine-sized graphic-novel type issues, in black-and-white art. I still have them. In one, Beverly ends up going to Howard's world, where she is seen as the freak.
Bad reviews aside, HTD has always been, for me, a great combination of wacky humor, funky music, intriguing romance, creepy alien bad guys, and some of the best one-liners ever!
Movie Review: It's about damn time!
Summary: 5 Stars
Howard the Duck is probably one of my favorite movies ever. I loved it when I was a kid and I still enjoy it to this very day. I honestly don't know why George Lucas shunned this movie. It helped him to create Pixar Studios for crying out loud (true fact)! The best news yet is that this movie is finally available on Region 1 DVD. I'm happy for that. At least Universal is putting it out on a Special Edition version no doubt. I didn't review it yet but I'm sure it will come packed with extras and boasting a picture quality that's as darn near clear as the version you can find at raredvdclassics.com. That's where I got one at first. Then when I hear it's coming out for real... well you know the rest. The version that's there does have the awesome picture and audio but sadly no extras. Didn't matter to me. I do hope that it is worth it and it's ready for preorder. It's only abut 13 bucks but it's worth it just to have this cult classic in your collection finally. So fans can rejoice finally. Howard the Duck is finally here to do battle with the Dark Overlords and get the girl. If George Lucas happens to read this, thanks man. I do appreciate it. There are still some great movies they have yet to throw on Region 1 DVD. Here's a decent list of some:
Phantasm 2
A Return to Salem's Lot
John the Fearless
There are more but these were the only ones I could think of at the moment. DVD comes out in March of next year so start drooling all you fans! I know I am!
Movie Review: George Lucas did not lay an egg
Summary: 5 Stars
Long have I waited for this movie to come out on DVD and with extras to boot. I am not a big George Lucas fan and have never really cared for his Star Wars movies. Never was able to swollow that a Kansas farm boy is the long lost brother of British princess and the son of Ghengis Khan. When Howard came out I remembered a review with the heading 'George Lucas has laid an egg'. After a few promises from a friend who was a George Lucas fan, I watched it with him and was pleasantly surprised. It was an exceptional film, that was well paced, acted, and scripted. Don't be put off by the negative reviews of this film. George Lucas is the one of the most successful independant filmmakers of all time and the studios waited to pounce on something of his that was different enough to make a point. Still, after all this time, especially on YAHOO, critics like to beat up on this movie because they want to say that Lucas did make a bad movie. Even though I don't care for most of his stuff, Lucas has never made a bad film and like Speilburg, he won't. In the featurette, it is explained that they originally wanted to animate it, but Universal Studios had other ideas. Even though they had no choice but to put a man in a very elaborate duck suit, the effects hold up just as good or even better than anything else released at the time. Check it out.