Howard the Duck (1986)
Alien duck joins forces with kids to thwart evil scientists. Perfect for sci-fi comedy fans, especially "Back to the Future" enthusiasts.
Genres: Fantasy, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction
Cast
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- Cast member 2
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- Cast member 10

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Howard the Duck(1986)
Overview
A scientific experiment unknowingly brings extraterrestrial life forms to the Earth through a laser beam. First is the cigar-smoking drake, Howard, from the duck's planet. A few kids try to keep him from the greedy scientists and help him back to his planet, but then a much less friendly being arrives through the beam...
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Cast
Full Cast & Crew
Lea Thompson
Beverly Switzler

Jeffrey Jones
Dr. Walter Jenning

Tim Robbins
Phil Blumburtt

Ed Gale
Howard T. Duck

Chip Zien
Howard T. Duck (voice)

Tim Rose
Howard T. Duck

Peter Baird
Howard T. Duck

Lisa Sturz
Howard T. Duck

Jordan Prentice
Howard T. Duck

Paul Guilfoyle
Lieutenant Welker

Liz Sagal
Ronette

Dominique Davalos
Cal

Holly Robinson Peete
K.C.

Tommy Swerdlow
Ginger Moss

Richard Edson
Ritchie

Miles Chapin
Carter

Richard McGonagle
First Cop

Virginia Capers
Coramae

Debbie Lee Carrington
Additional Ducks (voice)

Miguel Sandoval
Club Owner
Featured Comments/Tips
It'#39;s a total mess, and I can'#39;t it see appealing much to anyone above a certain age, or those who originally saw it at a young age. There'#39;s some ridiculous fun to be had, but it'#39;s all pretty juvenile. Leah Thompson is adorable though.
Loved it! Really funny, had it'#39;s awkward and weird times but it was still really good.
Sue me, as a kid I loved it. When I had a tutor and I'#39;d hear her daughter watching this. Would stop what I was doing and go watch it with her lol. Without Leah Thompson, Tim Roibbins and Jeffrey Jones the movie would be worse.
I liked it. Sure some parts are cheesy as fudge. But with that being said I really enjoyed it.
I had heard terrible things about this, so was eager to see how bad it was, but in all honesty its actually alright? Quite a few chuckles here and there, and a good duck pun or two. Howard is fairly humorous. The bedroom that wasn’t a bedroom scene, felt a bit weird. Wouldn’t have put it past them to have actually made them get together. Not too sure I’ll see Lea the same again when I rewatch back to the future… lol
It is neither the greatest movie around there nor are the special effects up to today’s standards. Still, I like the movie just because of its imperfections. It is undeniably a classic of its time, the 1980s. Watch it and judge for yourself.
From George Lucas comes the atrociously awful comic book film _Howard the Duck_. Seemingly lacking in plot and direction, the film is essentially a mishmash of a duck-out-of-water story and an alien invasion story: when an experimental laser accidentally transports Howard from Duckworld to Earth, he befriends a rock singer who tries to help Howard get back home. Lea Thompson, Jeffrey Jones, and Tim Robbins lead the cast, but with a script this bad there’s nothing that they can do to make it work. And, the duck suit for Howard looks extremely fake, and the voice work does nothing to bring the character to life. The comedy also fails, consisting mostly of lame puns and crass jokes. A truly abysmal film, _Howard the Duck_ is so incredibly stupid, it’s unbelievable.
An alien stuffed duck falls in love with Lea Thompson.
:heart:x7 This is one of my guilty pleasure movies - something i'll always watch if it comes on. It's just a fun mindless summer-blockbuster popcorn movie. Does it make much sense? No. Full of plot-holes? Yes? Fun? Yes! How I rate: 1-3 :heart: = seriously! don't waste your time 4-6 :heart: = you may or may not enjoy this 7-8 :heart: = I expect you will like this too 9-10 :heart: = movies and TV shows I really love!
THIS MOVIE IS SUPER AWESOME FREAKING AMAZING AND IS PURE ENTERTAINMENT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT, NOT HAD SUCH A FUN GOOD TIME WITH A MOVIE IN A LONG LONG TIME IT'#39;S THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING. AND I COULD WATCH MISS THOMPSON ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT, SHE'#39;S BEAUTIFUL AND I COMPLETELY SHIP HER AND DUCKY. THIS MOVIE IS PHENOMENAL AND I LOOK VERY MUCH FORWARD TO VIEWING IT AGAIN AT CHRISTMAS. 10/10. ALSO IT'#39;S AWESOME TO SEE DUCKY ON THE BATTLE FIELD AT THE END OF AVENGERS ENDGAME WITH CAP, READY TO FIGHT THANOS AND HIS ARMY. GOT TO RESPECT THE DUCK. HEY CAP, HEY HOWARD '#34;ON YOUR LEFT'#34;
This is ridiculous but sometimes fun.
Cheesy 80s b movie at its best. I remember this loving it on my youth but know it seams a bit meh. Still better than Dirty Grandpa that i also saw.
Never for the life of me could understand why people think this is one of the worst films ever made. I mean, it's not great, but it's decently fine. Really bizarre.
Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I like it. I did as a teen in the early 90s and I still do
Featured User Reviews

_**The infamous film version of Steve Gerber’s intelligent, wise-cracking waterfowl from another world**_ An English-speaking duck from another planet is somehow transported to Cleveland, Ohio, where he befriends a rock group leader (Lea Thompson). She introduces him to her friend, a quirky lab assistant (Tim Robbins), to figure out what happened, but the situation is complicated when a doctor at the lab is possessed by a “dark overlord of the universe” (Jeffrey Jones). "Howard the Duck" (1986) is the film version of Marvel Comics’ anthropomorphic waterfowl created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik with the Duck’s first appearance being in Adventures into Fear #19 featuring the Man-Thing, which debuted in March, 1974 (cover date Dec. 1973). While the cartoonish character was atypical for Marvel, he was a surprise hit, which led to this movie a dozen years later. It’s made in the mold of “Ghostbusters” (1984) and obviously influenced “Men in Black” (1997), but it’s the least of these and notoriously bombed at the box office. It begins well enough, both intriguing and amusing, but starts to lose its mojo in the second act before spiraling into a loud, frantic last act with loads of colorful special effects. The problem is that, after the first act, the flick abandons the characters for action-oriented zaniness and it loses the attention of the viewer. Creator Steve Gerber plainly said the movie “sucked” and was dissatisfied with the duck’s bland voice and costume. Howard’s face just isn’t animated enough and his eyes are too cute & innocent for Gerber’s ill-tempered, wise-cracking waterfowl. That said, there are enough entertaining elements in the “Ghostbusters” / “Men in black” vein to enjoy the movie to some degree as you revisit 1985 America when it was shot. But you have to be able to accept it as a cinematic alternative to Gerber’s original concept. I’m not big on Lea Thompson, but she’s winsome enough as Beverly on the female front, although she didn’t exactly fit Gerber’s version of the Duck’s babelicious pal. Liz Sagal is also notable as Ronette in a minor role. The film runs 1 hour, 50 minutes, and was obviously shot in the Bay area of Northern California, NOT Cleveland, Ohio. GRADE: C
It is so cool to hate on this isn't it? So I am giving it a 10, mainly because of all the folks that gave it a 1 to be in the in crowd...and partially because Lucas was right, it stood the test of time. The cult following isn't because it's a bad movie, it's because it's a funny movie. Just because a midget is wearing a duck suit doesn't make it bad. Just because there is duck nudity doesn't make it bad. I mean...we loved it with Team America. It was hysterical then. It's not funny in Howard because you are told not to laugh at it. If you give it a chance it's well worth the admission, for jokes alone.
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