Roger Ebert dismissed the 1984 film *The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension* as an incoherent and pointless mess, saying he was tired of it after only nine minutes. His reaction matters because the film later gained a devoted cult following, highlighting the gap that can emerge between initial critical reception and long-term audience appreciation.

The science-fiction comedy starred Peter Weller as Buckaroo Banzai, a surgeon, scientist and rock musician who faces aliens from another dimension. Ebert criticised its crowded plot, unusual tone and lack of clear explanation, while some later viewers valued those same eccentric qualities and its deliberately overstuffed world-building.