Review of Howard the Duck (1986) by Byron B — 12 Jan 2009

Bad jokes, bad dialog. A cute duck character from a comic book. This might be mistaken for a kids movie, but it's not intended for children. I got the definite feeling that it wasn't written or edited that well because it hit all the cliches you'd expect of an action romance featuring a creature from another world.

In fact it was trying to cram too many into a short time without showing real motivation that would lead to each occurrence. The movie was effects heavy, but just because the effects (especially all the lasers) were done by Lucas' ILM doesn't mean they were top notch.

A lower budget makes a difference. Jeffrey Jones, I would say, gives the best performance, but how do you know how much of the performance was really him or effects. Lea Thompson, just after her role in Back to the Future, is easy on the eyes in all her mini skirts.

Tim Robbins is nerdy and spastic, but it's a little over done.