Michael Keaton's performance as the titular character is one of my favorite performances of his. It's pure Michael Keaton all the way. He's a natural born comedian who's immensely likeable. He brings that likeability to this comically sinister "bioexorcist" character.
Keaton is so at ease as Beetlejuice, with his class clown kind of humor and mannerisms.
In my head, "Beetlejuice" is the most Tim Burton-y movie of Tim Burton movies. It's certainly one of a kind. I can't compare it to any other movie I've seen or know about.
Some of the jokes in the movie work, and the gimmicky concept of the afterlife as being one big corporate system operated by the dead who appear just as they did when they died is hilarious.
The set design is unique and unforgettable. It's like a dark ride version of Tim Burton's 1985 movie "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure."
Beetlejuice, though, is more of a side character in his own movie. The story is really about the small town couple, Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) who pass away and are stuck in their house as ghosts.
They have to get use to "life" in the afterlife while attempting to scare away the upscale eccentric Deetz family who move in from New York City.
What makes Beetlejuice stand out, aside from his unkept hair, molding face, dark eyes, and cartoonish behavior, is how he contrasts with the story around him.
Outside of the titular character, the movie has a somber tone within a surreal atmosphere. It's a weird mixture of small-town country style side by side with Tim Burton's dark and dreary ambiance sprinkled with awful looking gaudy kitsch artwork. That's part of the comedy, though.
And Keaton's Beetlejuice contrasts with it all with his slapstick comedy. It's a movie that seems intended to a specific audience. Who that audience is, I have no idea.
It's Keaton's likeability that surely kept Beetlejuice a pop culture staple ever since his 1988 debut. Though the movie is really aimed at adults, with its adult humor, it still managed to gain the attention and affection of kids. It even managed to get a Saturday morning cartoon that ran for four seasons between 1989 to 1991. I never missed an episode each Saturday morning.
Thirty-six years later, in this cinematic era when long-awaited sequels come to fruition, a new Beetlejuice movie is coming out in September called "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice." Rumors abounded for years of another Beetlejuice movie in the works. Now, it's a thing.
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| Michael Keaton reprises his role as Beetlejuice 36 years after playing the character in Tim Burton's 1988 movie, "Beetlejuice." |
I'm curious enough to wonder what became of the oddball Deetz family. Has this upscale eccentric New York City family managed to adapt to country life in the rural town of Winter River, Connecticut? What became of the ghosts of Adam and Barbara Maitland? My guess is their number was finally called, and they moved onto the great beyond past the afterlife waiting room.
Above all, what else is there to explore in the afterlife?
I don't get the impression, based on this trailer, that Keaton still has the same comedic energy he did 36 years ago. Then again, it has been a long time. How long is too long? Evidently, it doesn't matter since, again, this is the age of sequels intended to pump new life and interest (money) into older movies past their prime.
The heart of the original movie is the satirical treatment of the afterlife and all the weird dark spiritualism unfortunately associated with it, at least among people who think they know all about the unknown.
"Beetlejuice" is a ghost story told from the ghosts point of view. The Maitlands are not only thrust into a completely unfamiliar domain that doesn't meet their expectations, they also have to figure out how to haunt their house. It's a clever scenario that's perfect for a comedy setup. There's a lot to do with a scenario like that. Hence, a sequel.
So, now where does it go?
I bet "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" will explore the "other side" a little more. It looks as though since the happenings of the first movie, Beetlejuice has started working at a job inside the corporate processes of the afterlife.
I think the inclusion of Jenna Ortega as "Astrid," who must be Lydia Deetz's (Winona Ryder reprises her role) daughter is a great casting choice.
Ortega is masterful as Wednesday Addams in Burton's mystery series "Wednesday" based on the "Addams Family" series." I expect she'll be fantastic in this movie!
Catherine O'Hara also returns as Lydia's mother, Delia Deetz. Again, based on this trailer, she seems to bring a more reserved demeanor with a sense of true sophistication. In the first movie, she's an impulsive and self-absorbed character. Surely that aspect of the character will carry on. I am really intrigued, based on the trailer, what Catherine O'Hara will do with an older Delia who's a grandmother.
Above all, I truly appreciate Burton utilizing stop motion animation just as he did for the first movie.
Despite the mixed feelings I have towards the first "Beetlejuice," I'm curious enough to see where Burton will take everything.
Most sequels that have come out years and years after the initial film are really just attempts to rehash old franchises and allow old timers to relive their old movie experiences. This, I'm sure, is following that trend.
There are a few callbacks seen in the trailer which is expected. I anticipate it'll be another attempt to capture the feel of the first flick. That's probably a no-brainer.
By the way, I have to say, for a dead guy, Beetlejuice has certainly aged considerably.
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