Howard the Duck on AllMovie

Director and co-screenwriter Willard Huyck has taken Steve Garber's abrasive, beer-drinking and cigar-smoking comic-book character and castrated him, turning him into a wide-eyed cutesy-pie available for the toy shelves. Huyck's Howard the Duck is a being from outer space, blown into Cleveland by an errant laser beam. After a few minutes on Earth, Howard runs into rock singer Beverly Switzler (Lea Thompson), and they become fast friends after Howard protects her from a couple of nasty punkers. The film then degenerates into an extended chase, as Howard and Beverly are pursued by government agents who want to capture Howard before he can be beamed back into space.