Howard the Duck

Director - Willard Huyck (Messiah of Evil)
Starring - Lea Thompson (Back to the Future trilogy), Ed Gale (The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas), and Jeffrey Jones (Sleepy Hollow)
Release Date - 1986
Genre - Comedy/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "You will believe that a duck can talk" "Trapped in a world he never made" "A new breed of hero" and "More adventure than humanly possible"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

 

    It is truly amazing at all the things you remember from your childhood.  The first time I saw Back to the Future I was hooked on Lea Thompson.  She was so damn hot.  I went to the video store and asked the owner if he had any other films with her in it and he handed me a copy of this flick.  I was shocked that this movie got away from me.  I was about 12 when I first saw it and I loved it.  My dad got me a VHS copy for Christmas one year but the cheap ass VCR ate it.  When the movie was released on DVD I would always grab other films instead of this one.  I finally had the urge to watch this one again after all these years and ran to Wal-Mart to grab it for $5.  Five bucks well spent if you ask me.  

     The film follows Howard, a duck, that calls another planet his home.  However, things change when a group of scientists on Earth create a machine and accidentally transport Howard here.  Now Howard truly is a duck out of water (pun intended).  Howard is having a hard time adjusting to living in a world populated by humans, however, rockstar Beverly (Thompson) takes him in.  The two work well together and Howard is able to take over as manager of her band.  Things go sour when Howard and Beverly meet the scientists responsible for transporting Howard to Earth.  They try to recreate the experiment but it backfires and a demon possesses one of the scientist.  The demon plans on using the machine to bring his demon comrades to Earth and plunge it in to darkness.  It is up to Howard, Beverly, and a lab assistant to stop the demon and send Howard back home.

     I don't understand why this flick catches so much hell.  Yea, it's no Star Wars but it is entertaining.  This movie is filled with the 80's pop culture that I love so much.  The score, characters wardrobe, and special effects all reek of the 80's and because this film was made in the middle of that great decade it only makes sense.  The acting is great and Lea is smoking in this one.  Even now watching a film from 86 she is stunning.  Also Tim Robbins (Shawshank Redemption) does a great job at portraying a quirky character.  This is unlike any other role I have seen him in.  The special effects are great.  The CGI is dated but that is what I love about it.  It makes the movie look and feel even more 80's.  The practical effects are great and Howard looks amazing.  The story is really not that original but the film is executed very well creating a purely entertaining film.  If you haven't seen this one then I recommend visiting the $5 bin at Wal-Mart.