_**A screen adaptation of Steve Gerber’s clever, wisecracking duck from another dimension**_ An English-speaking duck originating from an alien world finds himself in Cleveland, Ohio, where he forms a friendship with the leader of a rock group (Lea Thompson). She introduces him to a friend who works as a quirky lab assistant (Tim Robbins), and together they try to understand how he arrived. However, things become more complicated when a doctor at the laboratory is possessed by what’s described as a “dark overlord of the universe” (Jeffrey Jones). "Howard the Duck" (1986) brings Steve Gerber's Marvel Comics character to the big screen, with Mayerik providing the artwork. The duck first appeared in Adventures into Fear #19 alongside the Man-Thing, debuting in March 1974 (cover date December 1973). Though an unusual choice for Marvel, the cartoonish character proved surprisingly popular, eventually leading to this film twelve years later. The movie seems to follow a similar formula as “Ghostbusters” (1984) and clearly influenced “Men in Black” (1997), but it’s not quite as good as either of those films and famously failed at the box office. It starts off promisingly, with an intriguing and humorous tone, but begins to falter during the second act before descending into a loud, chaotic final act filled with vibrant special effects. The core issue is that after the initial setup, the story shifts focus from the characters toward action-packed silliness, which causes viewers to lose interest. Creator Steve Gerber himself stated the movie “sucked” and expressed disappointment regarding the duck’s muted voice acting and costume design. He felt Howard's facial expressions lacked animation, and his eyes were too innocent for the character he envisioned – a grumpy, wisecracking waterfowl. Despite this, there are enough amusing elements reminiscent of "Ghostbusters" and “Men in Black” to make it somewhat enjoyable when viewed as a glimpse into 1985 America, where it was filmed. However, you have to be willing to accept it as something different from Gerber’s original concept. I don't particularly care for Lea Thompson's performances, but she is charming enough in the role of Beverly, although her portrayal didn't quite align with Gerber’s idea of the Duck’s attractive companion. Liz Sagal also stands out in a smaller part as Ronette. The film has a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes and was filmed in Northern California, not Cleveland, Ohio. GRADE: C

Source on TMDB