The five things Back to the Future movies borrowed from Buckaroo Banzai
Cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension was released on August 10, 1984. In honor of two big anniversaries for these respective science fiction absurdities, Comingsoon.net is taking a look at a handful of similarities between the two. Check out our findings in the gallery below!
Back in the 1980s, it seemed like studios were a lot more willing to take risks on projects that’d never get made today. This is especially true when it comes to science fiction, which saw a really inventive and original period throughout the decade. Two of the best examples of this would have to be The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and the Back to the Future trilogy.
With Buckaroo Banzai turning 35 this August and Back to the Future Part II turning 30, it’s worth pointing out a few instances where the two different sci-fi comedies had some crossover. Whether it was intentional or not, there’s just no denying the similarities at hand here. Not to mention, looking these over definitely makes you want to give each a revisit.
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Christopher Lloyd
Probably the most obvious similarity here is the fact that Christopher Lloyd is integral to both films. In Buckaroo Banzai, he’s John Bigboote. In Back to the Future, he’s Dr. Emmett Brown. Interestingly, his Buckaroo castmate John Lithgow was also considered for the part of Doc Brown.
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Ladders From Above
This one’s a little bit more plot-specific. When our heroes find themselves in a sticky situation, there always seems to be a convenient way out in the form of a ladder falling from the sky to carry them away. It happens to Banzai with a ladder from a helicopter, and to Marty with a ladder from the flying DeLorean in BTTF Part II. and it happens to This sort of thing appears in action and adventure films all the time, but it’s worth noting when the two films share so many other similarities as it is.
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Power Sources
Both of these films have very similar-sounding power sources that they rely on in order to travel around their respective sci-fi worlds. The two also allow for the films’ leads to defy logic and travel through space and time. For Buckaroo Banzai, it’s the overthruster. For Back to the Future, it’s the flux capacitor. They also have a similar read out of three lines emerging from a central point.
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The Car
Another big similarity is the look and the ability of the respective vehicles. No matter if it’s a DeLorean or an equally-complex looking vehicle, the two films sure do know how to craft one-of-a-kind (or two-of-a-kind?) time travel devices.
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The Producers
Behind the scenes, Buckaroo Banzai and Back to the Future depended on producers Neil Canton and Dennis E. Jones throughout their day-to-day operations. It’s a bit surprising that the two would invest in such similar films, but I guess there’s no use reinventing the wheel or fixing what isn’t broken.
