--- title: "Howard the Duck: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/howard-the-duck/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/howard-the-duck" critics_score: 50 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Howard the Duck (1986): what the critics said Critics' score 50 from 11 reviews: 5 positive, 0 mixed, 6 negative. The reviews split sharply on Howard the Duck, with a narrow majority negative and little middle ground. Praise clusters around the special effects, which even several detractors admire, and the performances of Lea Thompson and Jeffrey Jones. Supporters enjoy the risqué humour, slapstick and deliberate silliness, while some also single out the music. For these critics, its odd choices are part of the appeal rather than evidence that it has gone wrong. The main complaints concern weak comedy, muddled tone and chase sequences that crowd out the more promising scenes of Howard adjusting to human society. Even the duck costume divides opinion, finding both defenders and detractors. Collider offers the strongest defence, treating the film as knowingly goofy entertainment and praising its effects and cast. The AV Club rejects precisely that route to enjoyment, finding it unrewarding even as camp, with only the monster effects offering relief. ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 January 2007. The film is not as bad as its reputation despite the flawed duck costume and some dull performances. It offers a few types of fun through its risque jokes, slapstick and monster movie elements, with strong work from Jeffrey Jones. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/howard-duck-review/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating D. 18 March 2009. The critic deems the film unsalvageable as camp, '80s curio, or so-bad-it's-good entertainment, calling it a black hole where entertainment goes to die. The sole redeeming element noted is the Phil Tippett monsters in the climax. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/howard-the-duck-1798205833) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 1986. The critic notes that the movie's initial delight from little ducky jokes and the friendship with Lea Thompson is wiped out by escalating car crashes and monster effects. The opening is the best part for its view of our world from another angle, but the rest is numbing waste of effects and chases. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-08-01-ca-18936-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Glenn Heath Jr. Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2011. The critic labels the film a cinematic atrocity and misguided failure of comedy, sci-fi, and noir, with bad puns, inconsistent logic, and poor execution. It is nevertheless called a fascinating car-wreck must-see for cinephiles to witness how far a film can fall. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-86-tarred-and-feathered-howard-the-duck/) ## The New York Times — Caryn James Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 1986. The critic finds that Howard becomes dispensable in his own movie as it shifts midway to horrifying demons and dazzling special effects. The film is a broad farce mixing elements of The Exorcist, Ghostbusters and Raiders, with the second half's visual tricks standing out but the whole feeling like half a movie. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/01/movies/screen-from-george-lucas-howard-the-duck.html) ## Time Out — SGo Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The critic finds the film aimless and criticizes the cheap transformation of the comic-strip character into a polyester duck suit filled by multiple short actors. Some wonderful special effects are noted as eventually taking over in the climax. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/howard-the-duck-1) ## Variety — Jane Galbraith Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 August 1986. The film turns the comic character into a wide-eyed cutesy extraterrestrial and features some amusing sequences of Howard fitting into society, but it lapses into formulaic chase scenes and effects that are not unique enough to stand out from other sci-fi thrillers. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/howard-the-duck-1200427011/) ## Collider — Eli Rating A+. 9 March 2009. The critic fondly recalls loving the film since childhood and defends it as unapologetically silly, goofy fun that knows exactly what it is. They single out the beautiful pre-CGI special effects from ILM and strong performances by Jeffrey Jones and Lea Thompson for praise. [Read the review](https://collider.com/howard-the-duck-special-edition-dvd-review/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2014. The piece defends the film as a misunderstood, subversive experiment and riotously entertaining experience that takes bold creative risks, including interspecies elements, rather than a straightforward family blockbuster. It singles out Lea Thompson's confident, spunky performance and John Barry's lush score for praise. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a566686/in-defence-of-howard-the-duck-george-lucass-80s-mega-flop/) ## Eye for Film — Gator MacReady Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2008. The critic defends the film against its reputation as a flop, arguing it was unfairly targeted by critics and noting its box office was not as bad as claimed. He praises the physical duck suit and voice work, recommending viewers clear preconceptions and enjoy it. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/howard-the-duck-film-review-by-gator-macready) ## Den of Geek — Chris Cummins Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 August 2018. The critic argues that the infamous 1986 Marvel adaptation is far more entertaining than its reputation suggests and deserves reappraisal as a fun, goofy romp with tonal shifts and strong performances. They single out the excellent soundtrack, including Thomas Dolby tracks and Lea Thompson's vocals, for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/howard-the-duck-deserves-another-chance/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/howard-the-duck.md