Howard the Duck

Though hardly as awful as one might’ve expected, Howard the Duck nevertheless comes off as a hopelessly uneven and needlessly frenetic piece of work that’s unlikely to hold much appeal for viewers over a certain age. The film, based on a Marvel comic book series, follows the walking, talking duck of the title as he’s yanked from his planet to Earth after a science experiment goes awry, with his arrival eventually triggering the appearance of a monstrous alien bent on world domination – thus forcing the anthropomorphic animal to team up with a punk rocker (Lea Thompson’s Beverly Switzler) and a scrappy researcher (Tim Robbins’ Phil Blumburtt) to stop the vicious creature (which has assumed the guise of Jeffrey Jones’ kindly scientist). Director Willard Huyck’s attempts at initially capturing the viewer’s interest fall completely flat, as the early part of Howard the Duck seems to transpire almost exclusively within exceedingly unpleasant environs – including seedy bars, grungy back alleys, etc, etc. It’s certainly an odd choice for an effort that’s presumably meant to come off as a fast-paced, family-friendly adventure movie, with the less-than-appealing visual style exacerbated by the plotless nature of Huyck and Gloria Katz’s screenplay. The personable work of the various performers, as well as the mere presence of Howard himself, goes a long way towards cultivating (and sustaining) a relatively congenial atmosphere, yet it’s just as clear that the increasingly erratic sensibilities of the script ensure that the movie grows increasingly tiresome as it progresses (with the oppressively action-oriented third act particularly problematic). It’s consequently far from surprising to note that Howard the Duck is, in the final analysis, an entirely misbegotten endeavor that does possess some kitsch value, admittedly, as the movie remains very much a product of its time and might just satisfy those viewers hungry for a taste of ’80s excess.

** out of ****