It is now 2024, and I recently finished watching the original Beetlejuice in preparation for the sequel. I didn’t watch Beetlejuice in 1988 because I was four years old, and was afraid to watch it. The movie has a dark sense of humor that I don’t consider all that funny, but mostly creepy. That’s what I think the director Tim Burton is mainly aiming for. The movie has a “PG” rating, and it’s amazing how times have changed. The movie shows depiction of dead people via suicide, and that would not be acceptable in this day and age at least not for a “PG” rating. It would’ve most likely gotten an “R” rating with Beetlejuice dropping “F” bombs. I was shocked to see what was considered “PG” back in the 80s. Despite all that, Beetlejuice was a good film for its time, and even by today’s standards it holds up in some aspects.
The special effects are sight to behold even in 2024. They make use of clay animation, and actual costumes which aren’t much in use nowadays as CGI has replaced a lot of that. From the detail of the costumes to the prop designs there was much work put into the look of the film. There isn’t much that would stand out as obsolete in this day and age. This is where Tim Burton’s bread and butter come from. I’ve never been too fond his stories in his films, but I’m usually at awe at his dark, macabre designs that aren’t too gruesome, but at the same time will creep anyone out. Everything looks great from even the simple house designs with simplistic backdrops.
As far as the story goes, it was well done, but I’d wish we knew more about the main characters from the beginning of the film. The movie is only an hour and half long, so understandably there isn’t much time to delve into it. The length of the film is kind of a good thing as it doesn’t drag on, and the action and humor never seems to be overdone. There isn’t much room for filler so the movie gets straight to the point as to where the plot is supposed to go. I don’t want to go into much detail to avoid spoilers, but it’s a touching story, and nothing too deep or profound. It goes into the paranormal, and supernatural which is lightened up by Michael Keaton’s performance of Beetlejuice.
Michael Keaton’s performance of Beetlejuice is what steals the show. Too bad there isn’t that much of him, and it’s mainly focused on the Deetz family. To give the movie a touching story, ordinary humans must be focused on so the audience can relate, but I wouldn’t have mind if the story delved more into Beetlejuice. He’s the funniest character, and it feels rather dull when he’s away. Winoa Ryder’s character was mainly there to be the cutesy rebellious goth like teenager. But, gladly, Beetlejuice offsets her somber mood. There’s so much energy put into Keaton’s performance. There are some scenes where there’s a lot of unwanted touching by Beetlejuice and women. Today it does seem a bit off putting.
My main gripe with the film is the overuse of the music. There’s one track in the film that was used many times. I’m guessing they didn’t have the budget to make use many songs. But, although it was overused, they did make great use of it. The dancing performances during the song were infectious, and found myself smiling throughout them. It reminds me of my day as a child when I use to watch Disney films and there were musical scenes and I would dance and sing along. I didn’t quite do that with Beetlejuice because I’m a boring and serious near 40 year old adult. The film probably should’ve made more use of music, and maybe Tim Burton should decide on making a musical for Beetlejuice. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I would pay to at least see Beetlejuice on broadway. It would be great to see Keaton among the cast. It’s only a dream, but he’s in his 70s, and I don’t think him traveling doing musicals would be good for his age.
Beetlejuice is a fun romp around the afterlife. It has a dark sense of humor and lightens the mood when it comes to dealing with death. I saw dead people with knives in their heads, and dismembered body parts. But, while watching I never thought how gross, but how funny it looks with all the quirky designs of the undead walking around in the dead realm. This is a good movie to watch near the beginning of fall or around Halloween. It’s kind of put me in the mood to watch more horror films, and I think I might watch another one coming next week. If you have any friends of family that are into dark, moody, but also humorous films such as this, this is a good recommendation. I’ve never been much of a fan of Tim Burton’s films as a child because I was young, and was really afraid to watch them. I probably didn’t like how it made light of death when I was going through deaths in my family at the time. After I watched this film, I saw the sequel the next day. I will go into further detail in my next review.
Rating: C