In tribute to the late Paul Reubens I decided to dust off my old copy of ‘Big Adventure’ for a bit of a nostalgia fest.

Honestly there’s not a lot that need be said about this film. We have an eccentric and manic script, a joint effort of Reuben and the late great Phil Heartman that’s bonkers, punchy, frighteningly fresh several decades on from its release and the perfect antidote to blow away the blues.

The direction is an early effort from Tim Burton and while lacking in his distinct style, there are early signs of it fermenting in the background of this picture.

We have studio grade cine present here which does a fine job of setting a standard. But the dream sequences and use of stop motion claymation in places really is what helps take this to the next level.

The edits tight with solid cuts and transitions that help keep things zipping along at a decent pace. I’d argue the film slows down a bit in the 3rd act. I could easily see 5-10 minutes being lopped out of that act to really help cement things further. But even the slacker moments of this production are still quite good fun to sit through.

That’s not even mentioning Reubens performance. A storm on a bicycle, Pee wee Herman arrives on screen fully formed and ready for action. With a supporting cast of kooky characters that should enthrall kids and mystify adults. A clean work of new wave cinema arriving right at the peak of the genre.

Throw in a killer Danny Elfman Score that REAKS of ‘peak of their game’ Oingo Boingo, and you have an at times mystifying, but certainly never full movie experience that I really need to rewatch more often quite honestly. Definitely worth checking out.

source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/pee-wees-big-adventure/