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Let me start off first by saying that this movie is not very good but I would put it against other movies of the same era and say that it is better than average.

It certainly doesn't deserve the bad rap that it has gotten over the years and isn't a terrible movie either, however. I'm not sure why so many people hate this film. The direction, writing and acting are all just fine.

Brooke Shields looks great and does a fair enough job of playing the main character.

The story is also very unique and fun with her literally coming out of the comic strip as a real life character. Maybe the strangeness of that turns some people off.

But it's a fun movie and worth seeing... if you can find it that is, it's not super well known or loved!

I searched for this for years, sniffing after it's bad reputation. Surprize-it's not that bad. The scenes with the comic strip artist are painful but brief. Most of the action is period 40's and the costumes are fun (Bob Mackie?). Brooke is just gorgeous, of course, and makes a plucky Brenda. Diana Scarwid is her nasty rival and Timothy Dalton her sexy love interest. If this had been done for TV (which it looks like) I think the critics would have been far kinder. If I recall, no one crucified Jill St. John for the 1976 version. This movie is strictly for comic book buffs or Brooke Sheilds fans.

CC

Totally enjoyed this. Was it ahead of its time or behind? I think it would have been great in the pop art '60s.

Brooke Shields was something like 21 when she filmed this - it wasn't released right away. She is so gorgeous she's all you can look at. And those Bob Mackie outfits! Totally worth the entire film.

Seeking a hot story, journalist Brenda travels to the Amazon to find a crazed scientist who supposedly plans to destroy the planet.

Brooke does a great job. She's always been more than a fabulous face, as she's proven on Broadway and in her own series. I saw her in person one Thanksgiving- unbelievably tall!

Really fun. Too bad it only made $67,000.

Witless adaptation of a comic-strip revolving around the titular female crime reporter (which had previously been the source of a 1976 TV movie with Jill St. John); Brooke Shields looks good throughout but seems undecided whether to approach the role straight, or else play it for laughs!

Indeed, this dilemma afflicts the entire production to its ultimate detriment – with the result that the film was shelved for some three years (it was, in fact, shot in 1986 i.e. prior to co-star Timothy Dalton's brief stint as James Bond)! At least, the latter seems to have had a good time making it for he subsequently tackled the part of the villain in another comic-strip adaptation with, again, some powerful gizmo as the object of contention between various factions (and nationalities) – namely ROCKETEER (1991; which I watched a day previously and found to be vastly superior)! Dalton's character here is actually enigmatic – dashing in spite of an eye-patch, he always turns up at unexpected moments to save, guide or otherwise romance the heroine.

The chief villains are a gang of incompetent Russian agents (including a bald-headed goofball and the pint-sized cigar-smoking female leader), though also hindering Shields is the ambitious and vaguely vampish rival reporter played by Diana Scarwid. Incidentally, the plot involves a fantasy framework in which animator Tony Peck inhabits the world of his subject (they keep quarrelling about how he isn't fit to design Brenda's exploits because he continually looks down on her, something of which the film-makers themselves are guilty!) – this doesn't really work and is actually rather pointless.

I was surprised to learn that renowned veteran cinematographer Freddie Francis (a beloved minor genre director in his own right) was behind this one in the former capacity; his craftsmanship at least renders the silly and positively dreary goings-on (which relocates to Brazil during the second half) pleasing to the eye. A number of guest appearances (including Eddie Albert as the Police Commissioner, Charles Durning as Starr's flamboyant boss, Henry Gibson as the obligatory eccentric scientist and Ed Nelson as the piano-playing American President) add nothing of substance to the film.

I can't say much more than what other reviewers have said here, so I'll try to be brief.

Things I liked about this movie: Brooke Shields was a good choice for the lead role, mainly because she really looks like Brenda Starr as I remember her from the Sunday morning newspaper comics, especially in close-ups. I do remember Brenda Starr being a bit more edgy, but Brooke was OK. Timothy Dalton was a good choice for her mysterious lover Basil St. John. The musical score is great. The fashions are gorgeous, the settings beautiful. Some of the humor works, but...

Things I didn't like about this movie: It totally misses the "spirit" of the comic strip. Some people like tongue-in-cheek "camp", but I hate it because to me it makes fun of the story rather than just being humorous. If they had given the movie a serious plot but added in lots of humor, that would have been OK; but no, they have to make the story an unbelievable joke. Also, to have the cartoonist popping in and out of the strip as a rival to Basil St. John was just pathetic.

As another reviewer said, the first part of the movie is the best. By the time it gets to the second half, it seems like they lost all direction and just decided to have some Marx-brothers style lunacy. It's fun, but when I couldn't believe in the story anymore it got boring real fast. Also, I don't recommend this movie for kids (if you see it, you'll know why).

My comments reflect my taste, of course, and you may see things differently. As for myself, I'm going to explore some of the other versions of Brenda Starr that are out there to see if they have a story I can believe in.

She would cash in on her looks. Her acting ability has finally reared its head with Suddenly Susan, but prior to her stint on TV Brooke Shields did a number of lack luster appearances films that were shot as A-quality pictures, but suffered from her poor acting ability.

"Brenda Starr" shows a turning point in Brooke's acting career, largely because it seemed as though she actually projected herself into the Brenda Starr character, verse reciting lines in her previous roles.

Even so the film is poorly directed, and veterans like Dalton and Scarwid cannot prop up a film that has a definate lack of vision. In fact the best sequences of the entire film are in Act I; from Shields braving a ledge to get an interview with an Irish immigrant gangster, to her welcome home to the office by the Brenda Starr comic strip's supporting characters.

The film was given a kind of feminine sense of adventure, which I believe detracts from what could've been a far more entertaining film; had the director just followed his personal instincts and created a good adventure film. The high points are seeing Brooke herself in very alluring fashions of the late forties. Beyond that there's not much here. Brooke looks the part, but couldn't act it ... at least not then.

Brooke Shields and her costumes look impeccable. I can't imagine a more perfect looking Brenda Starr (her acting is lacking in areas.) However, the direction is shoddy, the plot an absolute mess leaving lots of questions, and casting choices that don't work. There are a few tiny glimpses into what the film could have been but it ultimately just falls flat, very flat. Shame. Only watch if you are very curious and a comic book enthusiast.

I do think the film would have done better at the box office if it was released in 1987 as planned. Not that it would have changed the final product though.

Again, only watch if you are very curious and a comic book enthusiast.

I am one of perhaps a couple thousand people to actually view this film in a theater and not on video-tape. I attended the premiere in the Florida Theater in Jacksonville, Florida. From the cast and crew, only the director, Robert Ellis Miller, managed to attend, introducing his film that was made in the Jacksonville area a few years before.

Overall, it's a fairly good film. The tongue-in-cheek acting is right on, with Brooke Shields and a pre-007 Timothy Dalton having a lot of fun with the material. Unfortunately, a couple of scenes were really hard to believe... especially when our heroine Brenda Starr waterskis on the backs of a pair of alligators!!!

The other effects in the film were nicely handled, including the animation and the scene showing an older New York City behind the historic Ritz Theater which played host to a scene early in the picture.

It's not a great film, but deserving of a viewing if you'd like an adventure flick without much seriousness. 7 out of 10 stars.

i seriously cant believe the script for this was even green lit and actually filmed, what a strange movie to make. I get that because it was a comic movie maybe they didn't know how to handle it... But There were Other movies based on comics before this one and those movies did a better job. So I really do not understand why they went with the way they did. The movie started off really strong actually, we get to meet the character of Brenda Starr and we get to see her world (Which I loved) I actually loved the city a lot. But like many people have said before, once they leave the city the movie becomes a mess. The movie felt hard to follow at times and some of the characters were really cheesy. The movie felt really boring. This could have been amazing if it was done in a more serious manner.

i thought this movie was unreal.it is certainly Brooke shields vehicle and she does an amazing job with it,she was totally impressive,endearing and mind blowing-ly gorgeous as the ace comic book reporter.her comedic abilities really shine through here so it is a shame that this film didn't become more recognized than it was. the editing in a certain part is terrible-witness Brenda Starr falling from a balcony in slow motion-but the rest is a hell of a lot of camp fun. Diana Scarwidis awesome in this role as is the Russian woman on Brenda's trail. i have watched this film over and over again and it gets better every time. do yourself a favour and dust it off a rental shelf and watch it.

Brooke apparently put on 20 pounds to more "realistically" play Brenda Starr (after Robert Dinero put on weight to play Jake LaMotta, this was for a while the "in" thing to do--I am not sure she just did not pig out). I am not a big fan of the Comic Strip, but I do not remember Brenda Starr being particularly plump. Well Brook never really got the weight off her thighs (although the face is still gorgeous, but puffy) and this movie is where I lost the Brooke I used to adore, now I just love a hell of a lot.

For fans of Brooke that want to know "What the hell happened to her after 'Blue Lagoon', this is her watershed (fat gain) public moment.

Brooke, this movie was not worth sacrificing your figure for!

The most that people know about this movie was that it was filmed in 1986, then spent six years on the shelf before being (barely) released to theaters. Was it deserving of its fate? For that most part, yes. Though obviously not a big budget exercise, the movie does boast (for the most part) passable production values. However, the rest of the movie falls flat. Brooke Shields looks the part of Brenda Starr, but her performance simply isn't very good. In fairness to Shields, her role is strangely not written to be a smart and resourceful woman, but kind of a bubblehead - such a demeaning role would make anyone reluctant to give a good performance. In fact, just about every character is written to be kind of stupid. The movie seems to think that the whole thing should be some kind of joke, when in fact this kind of movie needs a SERIOUS treatment. It doesn't help that there are several instances where key linking footage or entire scenes seem to be missing, leading to some very confusing moments. I'm willing to be that Dale Messick, the original cartoonist of the "Brenda Starr" comic strip, wasn't very pleased by this cinematic adaptation of her work.

As a comic-book fan I'll take the time to review this mess, because there were some good intentions and thoughts on display here.

First, the pros: The switch from comic strip to life action was a good idea, and the plot element of the creation trying to escape her creator's whims has enormous potential. Timothy Dalton is perfectly cast, here (as in Rocketeer) he's completely believable in a comic book way. Brooke Shields looks good in her various outfits. Many of the sets and support roles have that comic-book simplicity and cardboard character to match the strip style. And some of the gags do actually work.

Now, the cons: Pretty as she is, Brooke Shields is missing that mischievous glint in her eyes the role would need - in most scenes, she more feels like another extra than the main part. Tony Peck as the artist is a complete non-entity. As a consequence, the promising idea of the creator trying to coax his creation back into service never catches fire and in fact completely collides with the incongruous 'plot', which in itself has no momentum and kind of meanders along to carry Brooke from one exotic location to the next. But the most annoying thing are the lame tries at physical comedy and slapstick - to pull that off, you need a well-rehearsed team and actors capable of such a kind of comedy and an editor with an eye for rhythm. Not a single requirement is met here so I ask myself, seriously, why they didn't go the other way and just show setup/result which would have played well on the comic strip theme, too (panel one: guy approaches banana peel - panel two: he's sitting on the floor). Instead, virtually every single instance of physical comedy in "Brenda Starr" is painful to watch.

I can (and do) recommend this solely for comic book enthusiasts, and only for the good intentions they had, not the boring mess which ended up on screen.

Brenda Starr

Female journalists in the 1940s we only allowed to cover soft news, like, who designed J. Edgar Hoover's ball gown?

Except for the spunky stringer in this action movie, that is.

An artist inserts himself into his own comic strip when his ace reporter character Brenda Starr (Brooke Shields) threatens to leave the series.

Through an avatar (Timothy Dalton) the artist is allowed to enter the Amazonian rainforest alongside the intrepid newshawk as she searches for a scientist with a secret formula being sought by an enemy spy (Jeffrey Tambor) and Brenda's long-time adversary Libby Lipscomb (Diana Scarwid).

Despite being a forerunner of the early-1990s comic-strip movie craze, this 1989 adaptation of the long-running daily is often overlooked. But rest assured, it's as poorly acted, horribly scripted and as campy as all the others of the short-lived sub-genre.

Unfortunately, nowadays, Brenda's jungle adventure would be reduced to a travel blog.

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I thought it was really good, for what it is, I mean objectively it is a terrible movie, but as far as terrible movies go Brenda Starr is on the high end of that spectrum. To be fair I was high on drugs when I watched it and I'm going to watch it again and again and possibly be high on drugs during like half of those viewings, but the effects of those drugs aren't the only reasons why I will watch this movie again. See, our lives are a mystery, each day exists outside of our control and while we live we lie to ourselves when we say we've got this thing figured out.

This movie is great, campy fun! Light-hearted fluff, but wonderful.

They say I need four lines, so I guess I'll say it again, because it really says all that needs saying.

This movie is great, campy fun. Light-hearted fluff, but wonderful!

I am still in love with 2 of the outfits Brooke Shields wore in this movie. Hence I've loved her since I was 9.

To quote someone "I think someone say Dick Tracy and an A-Ha video and said, 'What a great idea!'"

This movie was really terrible. Watching this was akin to having a Root Canal without anesthetics. Rent only if you have a death wish on a rainy Sunday afternoon.