Play that funky Music: Willard Huyck’s ‘HOWARD THE DUCK’ (1986) – Retro Review

I am so happy to be landing this review. Howard the Duck was a staple in my childhood in the ’80s. There are so many films to talk about, but the heavy hitters still give me goosebumps because of a traumatic childhood; I always needed a laugh even at a young age. My parents weren’t the greatest, and what we call a cult classic. The movie deserves every inch available for creating such an original idea, from the comic books and on.

Let’s get into the review.

Synopsis

A sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his homeworld to Earth where he must stop an alien invasion with the help of a nerdy scientist and a struggling female rock singer.

The Rundown

Most people think of Marvel heroes such as Spider-Man. I don’t get into those movies, but Howard the Duck should be a Marvel film. There are so many things to take away from this movie; I don’t think there is a middle ground: love it or hate it. I don’t know how many people are actually in the middle ground; let us know.

What made the film better is sorting through VHS recordings and finding this film; it changed my life completely. It’s not scary; even when there is a monster, most kids are desensitized to those moments that live for horror. Howard the Duck is primitive in its filming, so you get the whole “80s experience” each time I watch this film. It’s a high with my safety net when I need a film such as this, and It’s a step away from being a pretty dirty film. However, they knew it was going to target kids, so they did it gently.

As the movie progressed, I loved it more and more. This film is on the same level as Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. We took the film and ran with it. I can fully support Howard the Duck because he will always heal me after a bad day. Like a housecat, it’s always there to keep my mental health symptoms at bay, and sometimes life is a bit scary; I don’t need to explain that. Instead, we will focus on the movie and how it changed my view of the world. Although horror is my main line, I still consider this to be the stuff we keep in our brains to make us happy. That is exactly why I feel the way I do.

In The End

In the end, Howard the Duck is an icon; everyone loves this film because of how hard it hit the nostalgic memories you didn’t even know you had. Lastly, this film is always going to be a go-to film; there is just so much to love about it. It all made sense as we grew up, and that was the director’s idea too, if you have a case of the Monday curse. Life is hard; learn to laugh; learn how to think about the good moments in crises to heal us.

Hold it close, because one day we won’t be able to watch. I still hold on to this film.

About Craig Lucas

I hail from rural PA where there isn't much to do except fixate on something. Horror was, and still is my fixation. I have 35 years of horror experience under my belt, I love the horror community and it loves me.

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