Movie Review: Howard the Duck

I started watching movies at a very young age, and by movies, I'm referring to the kind that a kid my age never should have been watching. I saw the first Poltergeist when I was 6, Evil Dead when I was 8, and I had Young Guns II and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 memorized before I was old enough to be confirmed. Part of the credit for this can go to Prism, a now-defunct television channel that was like a tamer version of Cinemax – it was the best way to watch Flyers games, and they did have softcore porn after midnight (not that I would ever know anything like that from first-hand experience). One movie that will always be a dear one to my heart that was introduced to me thusly was the one, the only, Howard the Duck.

On New Year’s Day, sick as a dog, I decided to check through the On Demand options, and lo and behold, I found this gem of a movie I hadn’t seen since I was just a wee lass. It was every bit as delightful as I’d remembered it – from the hilarious word plays in the Duck World, to Leah Thompson’s kick-ass 80’s clothes and hair, to the campy monster at the end – who I remember being SO much scarier when I was a kid.

I had also completely forgotten Tim Robbins was in it – probably because I saw Jacob’s Ladder around the age of 12 or 13, and tried to erase that, and every memory I had of Tim Robbins, from my brain (other than The Hudsucker Proxy. You know, for kids!). He played a wonderful part as the bumbling friend of Leah Thompson/aspiring scientist who tried to help Howard get back to his home planet.

And let’s not forget Jeffrey Jones, in my mind forever walking down a street with his clothes torn by the Bueller’s dog. He plays another scientist trying to help Howard get home who is taken over by an evil alien spirit who wants to take over the planet. But Howard decides to – well, I won’t ruin it for you. This is a MUST-SEE comic-book-made-film that is one of my all-time favorites – I could never spoil something like that!

This movie is NOT available on dvd, though I have seen rumors on the internet that it will be released in February – rumors that are not supported by Amazon.com, who only have a VHS available for sale. This doesn’t make it not true, it just means that in my narrow search, I was unable to find proof. I did, however, find that picture posted above. It's from a site called "Must Have Films Dot Com," and apparently, the movie is for sale there for $15.95. I don’t know if I trust it, but hey, if anyone’s looking for a birthday gift idea for me, it’s March 8^th, baby!