Howard the Duck (also known as Howard: A New Breed of Hero in Europe), is a 1986 live-action film produced by Lucasfilm and Universal Pictures, directed by Willard Huyck from a script by Huyck and his wife, Gloria Katz. It stars Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, and Tim Robbins, with midget Ed Gale and voiceover artist Chip Zien portraying Howard.
Inspired by the Marvel Comics characters Howard the Duck and Beverly Switzler, created by Steve Gerber, it is the first Marvel Comics film adaptation to receive a wide theatrical release in American theaters. Often appearing on lists of the cinema's most negatively reviewed films,[citation needed] the movie went on to win four Razzies - Worst Picture, New Star, Visual Effects, and Screenplay.[1] However, it later gained a cult following among Lucas fans which resulted in its American DVD release on March 10, 2009.
Production
The film's production costs were $37 million.[citation needed] The setting for much of the film was a museum hosting an exhibition of works by sculptor Jim Gary.[citation needed] The film was originally planned as an animated film but plans were changed as Universal needed a high-profile live action film for the summer season, leaving the lengthy timetable to complete an animated project out of the question. When the film became a live action project, George Lucas's close friend John Landis was slated to direct this film. However, after reading the script turned down the opportunity due to the police car crashes in the finale. He felt this was too similar to that of his previous film The Blues Brothers (1980).[citation needed]
Plot
The film begins late at night in "Duckworld," which is a version of planet Earth, but with talking ducks living there in place of human beings. As Howard tries to relax, his armchair begins to vibrate violently, and Howard and the chair are promptly yanked through outer-space, all the way to Cleveland on planet Earth.
Howard is immediately assaulted by a gang of punks, who think he is a child in costume. After ending up in an oil drum, Howard hears a fight involving a woman and two thugs pretending to be her fans. Howard uses his skills of "Quack Fu" to defend her. Intimidated by a talking duck, the thugs scamper. The woman, Beverly (Lea Thompson), thanks Howard and, feeling sorry for him because he has no warm and dry place to sleep, invites him to her apartment.
The next day, Beverly takes Howard to see Phil Blumburtt (Tim Robbins), who she believes is a scientist that can help Howard get back to Duckworld. It turns out Phil is actually a janitor at a museum and Howard, infuriated with Phil's charades, resolves to cope with life on Earth by himself. His first task is to look for a job. Via an employment agency, he lands a job working in a hot tub sauna, but he leaves soon after due to unfair treatment by his boss.
Feeling run out of self-esteem, Howard takes a bus ride back to Cleveland. Howard shortly enters the club while Cherry Bomb (Beverly's band) are inside performing, and overhears Beverly's manager mocking the band. Howard joins the conversation by confronting the manager and saying he does not like the way he is "talking about Beverly". A fight ensues and Howard is somehow victorious.
Howard rejoins Beverly and accompanies her back to her apartment. The two begin to flirt and almost engage in sexual intercourse, but are interrupted when Blumburtt arrives. Phil comes along with two of his colleagues in attendance, Dr. Walter Jenning (Jeffrey Jones), and Larry (David Paymer) who explain to Howard that they were doing a routine procedure at the lab, only for the experiment to go out of control, causing the laser to hit Howard's planet instead. After the resulting explosion, a single feather fell and was later shown to be an exact match with Howard's own. This proves that their laser was responsible for transporting Howard.
Howard suggests he can be sent back to Duckworld if the laser can be put into reverse. He is taken to the Dynatechnics lab alongside Beverly, only to find out on arrival that the laser is seriously damaged due to another explosion. The explosion brings down a "Dark Overlord" who is not seen by the audience at the time, and takes over Jenning's body. Meanwhile, the police get somehow involved and start a manhunt for Howard.
Scene at the entrance to the museum
While on the run, Howard and Beverly bump into Dr. Jenning again, but he is in the process of being taken over by the Dark Overlord. With Howard and Beverly both unaware of this, they escape in Jenning's car onto the freeway with him driving dangerously due to his worsening possession. They stop outside a diner just before he is fully taken over. Inside the Diner, the Overlord explains his attempts to call forth his fellow aliens from the Nexus of Sominus, a parallel dimension inhabited by demonic creatures to which his race was banished millenia ago by an unknown force, so that they may take over the world. Apparently, overlords can only exist on Earth inside another human's body as their appearance would be seen as "hideous and revolting". Shortly after, a fight between Howard and a group of truckers engages, only for the fight to end with the Dark Overlord kidnapping Beverly and driving off in an articulated truck. Howard finds Phil inside a police car wearing handcuffs. After being freed (but not uncuffed), Phil leads Howard to an escape route, and they discover a light aircraft operated by pedals and a small petrol powered engine. The vehicle is inoperable, so Phil, still handcuffed, gets Howard to help him with a nearby tool kit to repair it. The next day dawns with the police discovering them just as they are about to make their escape. Initially unsuccessful, Howard succeeds in taking off. This sees Howard get revenge on a group of duck hunters, by flying low enough so they fall into the water. The pursuing police cars are eventually outrun, but the plane becomes unable to fly after having its wings demolished during an incident with a freight train. Fortunately, they land in a lake.
Meanwhile, the Dark Overlord realizes he is running out of power; he then uses the truck's cigarette lighter as a temporary source of energy to keep his strength up. To fully recharge, he attends a power station tour while Beverly stays tied up in the back of the truck. With Beverly still tied up, he returns to the Dynatechnics lab and straps her to a metal bed held underneath the laser so that she will also become possessed by an Overlord.
Scene on the steps of the museum
Howard and Phil return to the lab, where Phil reveals that there is a "neutron disintegrator" that can in theory destroy the Overlord, but has not yet been tested. Howard discovers an electric buggy and mounts the neutron disintegrator onto it, and activates the laser while aiming at Jenning. At first, Howard thinks he's destroyed the Overlord alongside Jenning. But Jenning comes back to life to explain that all Howard has done is free the Overlord from his body.
The Overlord, now exposing himself in his scorpion-like form, fights with Howard and the humans until Howard gives him another blast with the neutron disintegrator.
All the while, the laser is still in the process of bringing down the other Overlords, with Howard having no choice but to destroy the laser to prevent Earth from being invaded. This results in Howard's loss of a ride home, a decision he comes to accept as it means Earth is safe. Howard becomes Beverly's manager and hires Phil as an employee on her tour.
Reaction
Box office
When Howard the Duck was released on August 1, 1986, it opened at 1,554 U.S. theaters, in which it grossed $5,070,136 and was the third-ranking film for that week. During its run in theaters, the film grossed $16,295,774 domestically. In the film's second week in U.S. theaters, its earnings dropped 46.36%, and it ranked #8 on the box-office chart. The film was the 34th biggest-opening film of 1986 in the country. Howard the Duck made $37,962,774 worldwide ($21,667,000 non-USA), around the same amount as its budget, making it a minor box office loss.
Critical reception
The film was widely panned and was a U.S. box office bomb. In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin calls the film a "hopeless mess of a movie... Gargantuan production produces gargantuan headache". The film was also among Siskel and Ebert's picks for the "Worst Films of 1986".
Home video and DVD
The film was released to VHS in North America about a year after it played in theaters. Prior to official DVD release it was available in bootleg editions. A Region 2 DVD was released in Europe in 2007[citation needed], and in the UK in 2008.[citation needed] The film was released on DVD in North America on March 10, 2009. The North American DVD release includes archival behind-the-scenes featurettes produced in 1986, as well as two retrospective featurettes made in 2008 in which the director, writer and cast members Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones and Ed Gale discuss the making of the film and its subsequent failure at the box office. The DVD made the #1 spot on the Amazon.com Cult Movies chart.
Soundtrack
An album and a 12-inch (300 mm) single of the theme song were released.[citation needed] The original score was composed by John Barry, with additional music composed by Thomas Dolby. Also appearing on the album are George Clinton, Joe Walsh, and Stevie Wonder.
The track listing for the original release:
- "Hunger City" Performed by Dolby's Cube Feat. Cherry Bomb (4:12)*
- "Howard the Duck" Performed by Dolby's Cube Feat. Cherry Bomb (3:55)**
- "Don't Turn Away" Performed by Thomas Dolby, Stevie Wonder & Cherry Bomb (5:05)
- "It Don't Come Cheap" Performed by Dolby's Cube Feat. Cherry Bomb (04:46)***
- "I'm On My Way" Performed by Thomas Dolby (2:55)
- "Lullaby of Duckland" by John Barry (02:28)
- "Journey to Earth" by John Barry (2:42)
- "You're the Duckiest" by John Barry (2:09)
- "Ultralight Flight" by John Barry (2:58)
- "Beddy-Bye for Howard" by John Barry (2:46)
- "Dark Overlord" by John Barry (5:30)
(*)Lead vocals: Lea Thompson
(**)Lead vocals: Lea Thompson, background vocals: George Clinton, guitar: Joe Walsh
(***)Lead vocals: Lea Thompson, guitar: Joe Walsh
On some B-sides of some of the album singles, an alternate version of "Don't Turn Away" was released with vocals entirely by Lea Thompson, the same version as that of the film. "Howard the Duck Megamix", a remix of the album track, was also released as a B-side.
References
See also
External links
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