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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/howard_the_duck_1986.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:300:''[[TagLine Trapped in a world he never made.]]'']]
3
4->''"The cosmos... countless worlds upon worlds... worlds without end... in these galaxies, every possible reality exists. And what is reality on any one world is mere fantasy on all others. Here, all is real, and all is illusion. What is, what was, and what will be start here, with the words: In the beginning, there was... '''HOWARD THE DUCK!'''"''
5-->-- '''Opening narrator'''
6
7Based on a then-relatively obscure Creator/MarvelComics [[ComicBook/HowardTheDuck character]], ''Howard the Duck'' is a 1986 live-action movie about Howard, an [[IntelligentGerbil anthropomorphic duck]] who is accidentally zapped to Earth during [[AppliedPhlebotinum the test-firing of a laser]].
8
9Creator/GeorgeLucas was the executive producer of this. Yes, you saw that right.
10
11During the course of the movie, Howard must get used to his surroundings in the human world, while trying to find his way back home. He must also avoid another alien being called the Dark Overlord, who has possessed Dr. Jenning (Creator/JeffreyJones, as himself), one of the scientists in charge of the original experiment.
12
13Compare and contrast ''Film/TheodoreRex'', a serious film about a talking dinosaur, and ''Film/{{Ted}}''.
14
15----
16!! This movie contains examples of:
17* AliensAreBastards: The Dark Overlords of The Universe are an evil race who want to use the inhabitants of Earth as host bodies and take over the world.
18* AliensInCardiff: The movie takes place in UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}. Well, at least it's a change of pace from New York and Southern California. Considering Cleveland is where rock bands get their start (and where the Rock and Roll Museum is now located), it fits in with the plot.
19* AsteroidThicket: Briefly seen when the narrator is talking.
20* BeamOWar: The climactic battle at the end. A duck with a laser cannon vs. an alien-possessed scientist.
21* BestialityIsDepraved: Try and think of another property, ''anywhere'', that averts this trope. It's this film alone, with Beverly and Howard's relationship for one; the issue of ''Playduck'' for two, and the topless duck woman in the bath for the trifecta. Either the magazine is anthropomorhpically accurate, or it isn't, but the duck nipples are visible there nonetheless. Do remember this is ostensibly a family film.
22* BigBad: The Dark Overlord of the Universe who possesses Dr. Jenning and tries to unleash his brethren to destroy the world.
23* {{Camp}}: Just look at the concept!
24* CityPeopleEatSushi: Weirdly averted, especially at [[TheEighties a time]] when sushi was still almost exclusively seen as yuppie fuel. The diner Howard, Beverly and Dr. Jenning visit is packed with rowdy hick customers, but apparently specializes in "[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Cajun sushi]]", complete with a Japanese chef on duty.
25* CoolCar: The Dark Overlord snags a White WIA 64T semi truck as his transportation back to the lab.
26* CoolPlane: Howard and Phil "borrow" a Quicksilver MX ultralight.
27* CoversAlwaysLie: You won't see Howard breaking out of his egg while smoking a cigar.
28%%* DeadpanSnarker: Howard
29* DinerBrawl: Two brawls. one diner.
30* {{Duck}}: Really, how could they have resisted?
31* DumbBlonde: Beverly does not appear to be well-informed. Bear in mind that she's human and until meeting Howard had no idea there even was anyone living on other worlds (and the quote below may just be her way of saying that an anthropomorphic duck is a monumentally weird thing to run into, in Cleveland or anywhere else).
32--> '''Beverly:''' The planet's called Earth... I think.
33* EarAche: When Cherry Bomb's manager tries to attack Howard with an ice pick, Howard grabs it from him and uses it to pin the manager right to the bar's counter through his looped earring, causing him to scream in pain. Howard then threatens to "pierce" the manager's other ear unless he pays the band their money and releases them from their contract with him.
34* EvilCounterpart: In the comic book adaptation of the movie, once the Dark Overlord is purged from Dr. Jennings' body, he takes on the form of an anthropomorphic duck, using this form to attack Howard. Averted in the movie as the Dark Overlord does no such thing and its true form is revealed to be a giant-mawed scorpion-like creature.
35* FurryConfusion: Howard flips out when served fried eggs.
36%% * GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
37* GoofyPrintUnderwear: Howard wears red boxers with white polka dots, as revealed during a police strip search.
38* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Averted. Howard wears pants, though he didn't in the original comics.
39** He does now, after his pantslessness led to accusations that he looked too much like WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck. "My lawyers tell me I've always been wearing these pants."
40* HoldYourHippogriffs: "No more Mr. Nice Duck" among with countless others.
41* HurricaneOfPuns: There's so ducking many of them!
42* IChooseToStay: Howard decides to stay on Earth, destroying the machine that could send him home to prevent more Dark Overlords from reaching Earth.
43* IKnowKungFaux: "I Know Quack Fu!"
44* InNameOnly: The only things in common with the comics are the characters of Howard and Beverly.
45* InstantSoprano: Howard barely survives a butcher knife landing near his groin and he responds in a soprano.
46* InterspeciesRomance: Howard and Beverly. Later, in bed, it looks like the romance might go a bit further.
47* {{Irony}}: Howard can't swim and hates flying. He is a duck.
48* KnightOfCerebus: The movie gets noticeably darker once the Dark Overlord possesses Dr. Jenning, and unlike most of the jerks in the movie, the only humor with him is how people desperately try to make the situation less threatening. Except when they took his eggs.
49* MarketBasedTitle:
50** Universal released it as ''Howard -- A New Breed Of Hero'' in some international territories. They also edited the end of Richard Kiley's opening narration where he says "In the beginning there was... Howard the Duck!" with the last three words coinciding with the title appearing on screen -- the last two words are removed and "A New Breed Of Hero" laid over where "The Duck" would have appeared. Unfortunately it sounds as if he was cut off before he was finished speaking... which, of course, he was. But...
51** The Swedish title was ''Ingen plockar Howard'' which means "Nobody's plucking Howard!"
52* TheMountainsOfIllinois:
53** There are palm trees in certain shots despite the movie taking place in ''Ohio''.
54** Mountains much higher than anything in Cleveland for some shots (such as outside the museum).
55* MsFanservice: Beverly, which includes a scene in underwear.
56* NearMissGroinAttack: After Howard ends up tied to a table during a brawl in a diner, the Dark Overlord of the Universe (possessing Dr Jenning) telekinetically spins a cleaver and cuts the rope between Howard's legs - when Beverly asks Howard if he's OK, he replies in falsetto pitch.
57* NonMammalMammaries: Early on, Howard gets dragged past a topless female duck in the bath, showing her humanlike breasts and nipples. Howard's reaction to a knife nearly striking his groin implies that the "males variant" is also applicable.
58* NoSmoking: The cover of the recent DVD set is a composite of the two original movie covers (beak peeking out of cracked egg + feet up and starry sky), except it has now left out the cigar in Howard's beak.
59* {{Novelization}}: Author Ellis Weiner who among other works also created the AffectionateParody to ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' called Literature/NationalLampoonsDoon wrote the novel to the film. However, Weiner consciously took the extremely ridiculous premise of the film and satirized it to a degree where he inserted completely made-up backstories to Howard's character biography (and those of various other characters) in a number of "Coverage In-Depth Inserts", effectively turning the seemingly pointless task of writing the novel to a film based on a comic book character into a piece of literary art in its own right, as [[https://www.denofgeek.com/comics/weird-things-we-learned-from-the-howard-the-duck-novel/ a number of recent articles]] [[https://filmnovelizations.tumblr.com/post/67447654440/howard-the-duck have pointed out]].
60* PlayboyParody: In Howard's world of anthropomorphic ducks, a magazine called ''Playduck'' is shown to exist.
61* PlotArmor: One of the Dark Overlord's energy blasts is enough to instantly vaporize a police officer and blow up cars, yet he zaps Beverly and Phil ''four times'' at the climax, only managing to cause them to turn partly transparent, and then they [[NoOntologicalInertia immediately recover]] when Howard destroys him. (The Dark Overlord had earlier said he needed Beverly and Phil's bodies for other Dark Overlords to inhabit, so it's possible that he was deliberately using non-lethal methods on them as opposed to his full power.)
62%%* ProtagonistTitle
63* PunyEarthlings: Parodied with Howard, but played largely straight with the Dark Overlords.
64* RedFilterOfDoom: Occurs when a horrified Howard is faintly recalling how he got sent to Earth. A sequence of flashbacks is shown with the same footage as before, only with a red filter.
65%%* RoleCalled
66* SecondFaceSmoke: When confronting Ginger, Howard blows some cigar smoke on his face.
67* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Beverly's physical beauty attracts unwanted attention from various stalkers.
68* ShowdownAtHighNoon: Scientist possessed by interdimensional demon versus anthropomorphic duck with a laser cannon mounted to a golf cart. Good times.
69* SomethingElseAlsoRises: In this case, Howard's head feathers.
70* StarringSpecialEffects: And with this in mind, the Razzies gave the performers who alternated stints in the suit the Worst New Star award for 1986.
71* ToneShift: From the moment Dr. Jenning gets possessed by the Dark Overlord and they stop at the diner, the movie's mood changes, turning the relationship between Howard and Beverly into a platonic one (even [[LampshadeHanging seemingly lampshading]] how it was previously depicted when Bev tries to stop the mob from eating Howard announcing that he's her boyfriend... which only provokes a ''disgusted'' reaction from the people) and becoming a Sci-Fi/Fantasy romp about Howard rescuing Bev and stopping alien monsters from arriving without any more inappropriate or jarring adult humor from the first part of the film.
72* ToothyBird: Averted. In the comic Howard has teeth (possibly to hold his cigar), but none in the movie.
73* TrappedInAnotherWorld: Howard has to destroy the laser that could send him home in order to prevent an invasion of Earth by lots more Dark Overlords.
74* UnusuallyUninterestingSight:
75** Howard just walks around in public without disguising himself, and even gets a job, with little reaction. But then, people just think he is a short person in a duck suit. Not to mention that aside from the initial awkwardness in their first conversation, Beverly has no problem with Howard.
76** The female duck bathing doesn't take much notice as Howard and his chair fly through her bathroom. Even though everyone else does when he flies through the apartment hallways and beyond. She just goes back to bathing as if nothing happened.
77* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Dr. Jenning is freed from the Dark Overlord's possession, aids Howard in defeating it and urges him to close the portal to stop the others from arriving on Earth, then he completely vanishes from the climactic scene entirely.

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