Howard the Duck (Ed Gale/Chip Zien) has just been aggressively torn from his home world and transported to earth, where he knows no one and sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s a humanoid duck that has arms and speaks English, he’s a master of Quak-Foo, and he’s seemingly the only one that can stop an alien invasion from happening. With the fate of all of humankind in the palm of his hands, Howard and his new friend Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson) must race against time and be the heroes that everyone needs.
Howard the Duck is an incredibly sentimental film that immediately lends itself to being uberly accessible. I would guess that many potential viewers may not assume that a film about a talking duck would be of the sentimental sort, but Writer-Director Willard Huyck and co-writer Gloria Katz find ways to introduce sentiment from beginning to end. Using things like PTSD and other traumas to tell the story of Howard and his friends allows viewers the ability to appreciate what is being said and done–even when the overarching subject matter of a talking duck is what ultimately drives Howard the Duck forward.
The cultural relevance of a film about a talking duck is uncanny–constantly finding ways to connect with viewers and remain incredibly relevant. There are ideas of racism strewn throughout the film that rattle the minds of anyone watching–because it tackles these issues with vigor, and in a way that appeals to the masses. Howard the Duck still remains current, still manages to touch on many of the things going on in the real world today–and its approach makes everything accessible to viewers.
Howard the Duck does an incredible job of balancing relevance and insanity throughout the course of the entire film. While it certainly pulls from its source material, the comic book series created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, it does a wonderful job of constantly grounding itself and reminding viewers that while the film is about a talking duck from another planet, the emotional and cultural relevance present throughout is thrilling and real. Quak-Fu and the idea of giving a child beer are juxtaposed by real, down-to-earth themes that mirror the real world.
This film is uniquely and uncomfortably sexual–and it’s brilliant. This is an interesting direction in which to take a film about an extraterrestrial duck (if you can’t tell, I can’t quite get over the fact that a duck remains the center of gravity in a film of this nature), but it manages to work nonetheless. Again, Howard the Duck is incredibly progressive, touching on ideas of race and inclusion in a series of ways, and including these sexual themes throughout the course of the film allows these ideas of inclusion to rise to the surface. These moments are cringey and playful, but they contain a deeper, meaningful level of emotion and relevance that manages to transcend the film in its entirety.
With George Lucas as one of Howard the Duck’s producers, I think those of us that are familiar with his work have certain expectations. One of those things (even though John Williams is the mastermind behind this aspect of Lucas’ other films) is the score. I feel that viewers around the world would have instantly expected the score to be something familiar and excitingly enticing–we get just that. Viewers are treated to a colorful and immersive score that captivates from the opening moments, highlighting the most important sequences throughout Howard the Duck and keeping viewers engaged through some of the slower moments of the film. While the score is created by John Barry, viewers are reminded of the beautiful soundscapes created by Williams for films such as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I think it’s fair to say that Howard the Duck is universally accepted as a quote–unquote bad film. It’s silly, and stylistically I’m not sure that it meets the standards of a picky (and spoiled) 1980’s fanbase. The reality, however, is that the kitschy nature of Howard the Duck has lent itself to becoming somewhat of a cult classic–maybe more so than any other Marvel film in history. There’s no doubt that the film is silly (and a ton of fun), but it also plays with the emotions of viewers and harnesses a power that I’m not sure that many could have expected when sitting down to watch. Howard the Duck is a refreshing Marvel film as a result, something new in an age when Marvel superheroes struggled to command the big screen like its DC counterparts. It’s the bit of fun that we all need, and it’s the brilliantly emotional tale that commands attention and recognition. Howard the Duck shines from beginning to end.
Directed by Willard Huyck.
Written by Steve Gerber, Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz, & Val Mayerik.
Starring Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, Tim Robbins, Ed Gale, Chip Zien, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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