When it came to reviewing Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice,” people were shocked to discover that I’d never seen it before.
This is largely because I am a Division 1 scaredy-cat. For anyone patiently waiting on a review of any horror movie/video game, I will NEVER come close to subjecting myself to most of them. Don’t ever expect a movie review for: “Alien,” “It” 1 and 2, “The Purge,” any of the atrocious “Saw” movies, “Terrifier,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” any movie directed by Rob Zombie - and especially not any of the despicably bad “Resident Evil” films.
Despite my hatred for all things spooky and scary, I had to give “Beetlejuice” a chance . . . with all lights on and doors locked, naturally.
Without the influence of nostalgia, I noticed a few discrepancies, some nitpicky, and some genuine concerns.
Here is my biggest issue: the title character appears on screen for less than one-fifth of the movie’s total runtime. He is center stage on the DVD’s box, yet we see him for less than half of a Monday, Wednesday, Friday class period.
The most exposition we get about him comes from a quick one-off conversation from the Maitlands’ case worker, and that’s about it. There’s no backstory or motive for the audience to build on.
This movie has no rising action; it jumps straight into the climax and just wings it for about 10 minutes. I can understand the approach they were going for, trying to make Beetlejuice as mysterious as possible, but everything surrounding the character just misses the mark. One of the early versions of the script has a clearer vision for Beetlejuice’s intentions and a much more satisfying third act and resolution. I’m not sure why they chose this version as the one to greenlight.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed a lot of what this movie had to offer. The basis of the plot is really creative, but it loses direction past the halfway point. I think the slow and bureaucratic interpretation of the afterlife was an excellent choice, and it was executed perfectly.
Every room they step in, and every prop they interact with, is brilliantly designed by masters of their craft.
Danny Elfman’s score is ridiculously good from start to finish, and this director/composer duo is up there with Nolan and Zimmer.
These two worked together for nearly all of Burton’s filmography, and Elfman also created iconic scores for Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy, “Good Will Hunting” and “Meet the Robinsons.” This guy is unmatched when it comes to making music.
Speaking of star power, this cast is LOADED. It must have taken some SEC football-level recruiting to bring in all this talent for a movie that only spent $15 million on production.
We’ve got Joyce Byers before “Things got Stranger,” the evil step-dad from “Cat in the Hat,” Principal Rooney, Dottie Hinson after her professional baseball career, Kevin McCallister’s mom, and the Batman of two different DC cinematic universes.
Tim Burton poured his heart into the production of “Beetlejuice,” and it’s very apparent. He is an innovator when it comes to against-the-grain filmmaking, and this is by far the best example. I suggest a “Beetlejuice” double feature night as soon as the sequel hits streaming services.
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