Buckaroo Banzai: Overthrusted

Updated
 
8.9
 
9.5 (1)
2787 1 1
buckaroo_over_front
Faneditor Name:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1984
Original Running Time:
103 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
74 minutes
Time Cut:
29 minutes
Synopsis:
The Buckaroo Banzai that you know and love (or perhaps hate), now half an hour shorter and at a much quicker pace.
Intention:
I wanted to experiment with editing, and I figured it would be best to start with something I know. If you think the movie is too slow, you may prefer this cut. Otherwise, this isn't supposed to replace the original, just provide a new way to watch it.
I aimed to trim scenes to remove shots that are unnecessary or trim shots that are too long, as well as cutting down characters and lines that I found annoying or unfunny. Above all else I tried to be careful to retain all of the charm through all of the cuts.
Additional Notes:
I wouldn't recommend watching this instead of the original for your first exposure to the movie.
Special Thanks:
TM2YC for watching and giving feedback
bionicbob, Malthus, and LastSurvivor for showing interest in the thread, it really helped to motivate me
All of the amazing editors who inspired me
Lavender Zagranis and Zack Zagranis for supporting me along the way
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I used DVD Decrypter to rip my DVD, then Handbrake to convert it to an mp4. I'm not sure if it's ideal, but it was the first answer I got when asking for advice, and it worked well enough. I edited with Adobe Premiere.
Source is the SPECIAL EDITION DVD.
Cuts and Additions:
1. Film now starts with the club scene. Various small trims.
2. Immediately followed by a short rocket car sequence, leading into Emilio seeing it on the news.
3. We see Emilio fastening the equipment leading into his flashback. No more rummaging for the equipment, he already has it. Various trims to flashback, no more "Holy Toledo" because I didn't like the delivery.
4. After the flashback and the guy taking the TV, we transition to Buckaroo and co. in the bus. Scene ends after "Or else he wouldn't be ready to make a fool out of himself"
5. Emilio then breaks out, various trims.
6. Back at the bus, Rawhide reports of Emilio breaking out immediately after, removed him saying "Last night". Various little trims.
The rest of the movie follows regular scene order.
7. During the conference there is a flashback to Buckaroo exiting the mountain and finding the alien thing that he brought over, in B&W.
8. The hunters in the woods who find the alien ship are trimmed a lot, I find them annoying.
9. The president is completely removed.
10. The president's secretary is removed from the final act, he's annoying and unnecessary. He only appears at the conference.
Beyond these noteworthy changes, there are various trims to almost all other scenes.
Faneditor Name:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1984
Original Running Time:
103 minutes
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
74 minutes
Time Cut:
29 minutes
Synopsis:
The Buckaroo Banzai that you know and love (or perhaps hate), now half an hour shorter and at a much quicker pace.
Intention:
I wanted to experiment with editing, and I figured it would be best to start with something I know. If you think the movie is too slow, you may prefer this cut. Otherwise, this isn't supposed to replace the original, just provide a new way to watch it.
I aimed to trim scenes to remove shots that are unnecessary or trim shots that are too long, as well as cutting down characters and lines that I found annoying or unfunny. Above all else I tried to be careful to retain all of the charm through all of the cuts.
Additional Notes:
I wouldn't recommend watching this instead of the original for your first exposure to the movie.
Special Thanks:
TM2YC for watching and giving feedback
bionicbob, Malthus, and LastSurvivor for showing interest in the thread, it really helped to motivate me
All of the amazing editors who inspired me
Lavender Zagranis and Zack Zagranis for supporting me along the way
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
I used DVD Decrypter to rip my DVD, then Handbrake to convert it to an mp4. I'm not sure if it's ideal, but it was the first answer I got when asking for advice, and it worked well enough. I edited with Adobe Premiere.
Source is the SPECIAL EDITION DVD.
Cuts and Additions:
1. Film now starts with the club scene. Various small trims.
2. Immediately followed by a short rocket car sequence, leading into Emilio seeing it on the news.
3. We see Emilio fastening the equipment leading into his flashback. No more rummaging for the equipment, he already has it. Various trims to flashback, no more "Holy Toledo" because I didn't like the delivery.
4. After the flashback and the guy taking the TV, we transition to Buckaroo and co. in the bus. Scene ends after "Or else he wouldn't be ready to make a fool out of himself"
5. Emilio then breaks out, various trims.
6. Back at the bus, Rawhide reports of Emilio breaking out immediately after, removed him saying "Last night". Various little trims.
The rest of the movie follows regular scene order.
7. During the conference there is a flashback to Buckaroo exiting the mountain and finding the alien thing that he brought over, in B&W.
8. The hunters in the woods who find the alien ship are trimmed a lot, I find them annoying.
9. The president is completely removed.
10. The president's secretary is removed from the final act, he's annoying and unnecessary. He only appears at the conference.
Beyond these noteworthy changes, there are various trims to almost all other scenes.

Trusted Reviewer review

1 review
Overall rating
 
8.9
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
Can't find fault with any technical aspects of the edit, no ugly cuts leapt out and AV quality is great.

As a fan of RoboCop, I got the original on the suggestion of a friend but didn't enjoy it too much; has been a while since I'd seen it though I can still appreciate the changes and trims made here.

Opening right into the concert is a great improvement in my opinion, the rocket car scene had felt like it went on for a bit too long with not much happening. Conversely, I feel that a little more of this sequence could have been retained in its new position, feels a little brief to me now.

Otherwise I find that the rest of the edit works well overall, not hard (or any harder at least) to follow and unlike the original I never found myself checking my watch: contrary to the editor's suggestion I probably would show this to others instead of the original, they are less likely to get bored! I must confess though that I do miss the line "Tell him yes on one and no on two."

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0

User reviews

1 review
Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0(1)
Audio Editing
 
10.0(1)
Visual Editing
 
10.0(1)
Narrative
 
10.0(1)
Enjoyment
 
10.0(1)
Overall rating
 
9.5
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This was great!!
Jrzag42 slims the film down, removing the annoyances of the original version. This really revs up the pacing, leaving a version that speeds by in a blast of wild fun!
We need this in HD!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0