It’s an easy movie to get addicted to, because, at the time, there was nothing else remotely like it. Today, one can see the fingerprints of “Buckaroo Banzai” are all over “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “John Dies at the End” (2012) and the new “Borderlands,” to name just a few.

Pacing is sometimes a problem, as there are some dead spots, especially in the third act. Yet, the best scenes are exciting, inventive in their staging and crammed with ideas. What “Buckaroo Banzai” has over most ensemble sci-fi comedy hybrids is that it never stops stacking concepts and always maintains a droll sense of humor.