Howard the Duck (1986)

Cast: Lea Thompson (Beverly Switzler), Jeffery Jones (Dr. Walter Jenning), Tim Robbins (Phil Blumbertt), Ed Gale (Howard T. Duck), Chip Zien (Voice of Howard T. Duck)

Director: Willard Huyck

Genre: Science fiction/ Comedy


This movie had quite a bit of involvement. It also has to be the biggest blush for executive producer, George Lucas. Whether it’s just as bad as his Ewok Adventures is debatable.

Howard was based off of a comic book, created in the 1970’s by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik for Marvel Comics. The comic featured a personified, irritable duck named Howard from “Duckworld” who's trapped on earth after science experiment on earth dragged him from his home planet.

I’m sure the reader see’s where this is going.

The movie takes it from there. After Howard lands on earth, he discovers he is in a strange place called Cleveland. Surprisingly, Cleveland is very similar to his own world. Howard is befriended by Beverly, the lead singer for a girl rock band, the Cherry Bombs. To try and find out how Howard ended up in Cleveland and how he can get back home, Beverly takes him to her friend Phil who works in a natural history museum.

As Phil consults with his superiors, Howard does his best to fit into human society despite his short, feathered, and duck billed appearance.

All the while, the same experiment that inadvertently dragged Howard

from Duckworld, also inadvertently dragged dark overlords of the universe to earth. One of those overlords has taken residence inside the body of Phil’s superior scientist, Dr. Jenning. The possessed Jenning ends up kidnapping Beverly so the other overlords can have a body to inhabit when he brings them to earth. This fiasco occurs after a strange tirade the alien-possessed Jenning has in a truck stop diner. Howard and Phil must now save Beverly and prevent the overlords from entering the atmosphere.

The movie hit the fan right at the start with its ridiculous and poor attempt at a philosophical, perhaps theological, opening narrative. It was just plain terrible. It didn't fit at all with the picture.

The duck costume wasn't too bad. Its motions and realism were alright. Some of the jokes were amusing but that wasn’t enough to save this film. Niether was throwing in such stars as Jeffrey Jones (Amadeus), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future I, II, III), and Tim Robbins (Shawshank Redemption).That still didn't redeem this picture.

I can’t even say, despite the large number of people who worked on this movie and the amount of money that went into it, that it was a good effort. There was no effort. I wonder if the producers needed a hit and had to come up with something fast. The story reminds me of something a college student would haphazardly pen out as an assignment on the night before its due. The idea should have stayed on the pages of the comic books. Some story ideas just are not meant to be and this film was no exception.

The middle of the movie just got desperate for more involvement. The movie started off ridiculous and it didn’t get any better as the story moved along.  The scene with Beverly coming onto Howard was especially disturbing and rather bold, I must say! It totally destroys what little human emotion the movie had to begin with while trying to appeal to the most debase humor a person can have.

Howard the Duck has been left to the enjoyment of 80’s “geeky flicks” fans. It has come, but it hasn’t really gone away completely. I’m sure George Lucas wishes it would.