Directed by Tim Burton

Written by Michael McDowell, Warren Skaaren, Larry Wilson

Starring: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, Glenn Shadix

Distributed by Warner Bros.

Film was released March 30th 1988

Review by Chris Daniel

In 1988 Tim Burton released Beetlejuice, the story of two newly deads who must learn to deal with the new owners of their home. As a 12 year old this film was literally the greatest thing since sliced bread. It was both funny and scary and stranger than anything I had seen before. For me personally, Beetlejuice is the beginning of Tim Burton and the beginning of his own exciting genre of film.

We have all heard the term Burton-esque thrown around. While this was an immediate treasure for audiences, as time has gone on it has become played out and tiresome. I still enjoy the film, but it is easy to see in it the annoying patterns that Burton has yet to shake.

Story

Beetlejuice is a wonderfully creative story that was unlike anything else that we had seen. In the late 80’s we had our chunk of Vietnam War dramas and Eddie Murphy cop movies. In a thirst for something different Burton was the man who could deliver. His “out there” style quickly became a great alternative to Molly Ringwald.

However, it doesn’t take long for “new” and “different” to become “old” and “annoying.” I understand that all artists have a certain style that they prefer to work in, but the Burton-esque style has really become played out. It seems that we have seen his kooky world now from every angle and every character imaginable. The stories and adaptations just get stranger and stranger with no discernible benefit. Like an M. Night Shyamalan twist ending, you know it is coming and you know it will only be self serving.

Visuals

Beetle Juice, like most of Burton’s works is visually entertaining. It was more 1920’s German expressionism than 1980’s movie making. While special effects are necessary in a film like this, Burton realized the film needed to maintain a certain look. He himself said he wanted the effects to be “cheap, creaky illusions rather than state of the art effects.” Keeping with the overall absurdity of the story the visual effects work very well. Burton’s genius in this film was that he knew if you can get an audience to use its imagination then anything is possible.

Then again, as technology has developed even a director like Burton cannot help but dabble in the new toys available and in doing so, Burton gives away his biggest advantage as a film maker – imagination. As visual effects become more elaborate they become less special. You are shown exactly what you are supposed to see instead of merely what you need to see, in order to complete the image in your mind. Burton got this right for so many years and now he is getting it wrong. That is not to say that he shouldn’t adapt, but Beetle juice is a look at what was special about special effects.

Casting and Performance

While Johnny Depp was still narcing on high school kids on 21 Jump Street, Burton was forging relationships with his original actors of choice.

Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder would go on to do several more films with the director. Keaton gives a memorable performance in the title role balancing scares, comedy, and overall insanity. It is his 17 minutes on screen that you really remember when it is all said and done. Aside from Keaton the role and performance that stick out the most, is that of Delia Deetz played by Catherine O’Hara. Here she has to play both antagonist and sympathetic roles as the film goes along. In many ways Delia is the personification of Burton himself in the film, “cluttering” the conservative 1908s Hollywood approach with this strange and disturbing art.

Bad trends always start somewhere. The casting trends, while common among many directors, have in many ways become a detriment to many of his later films. Directors do this because they feel comfortable with certain actors, even if that actor may not be right for the role. Was there a bigger gamble than that of Keaton in the role of Batman?

It was Beetlejuice that began the relationship and this trend for Burton. While the gamble payed off, only because of the genius of Keaton, it began a trend of blind faith. A trend that ultimately culminated in the casting of Johnny Depp in the roles of Willy Wonka and Sweeny Todd. Wonka should not remind anyone of a pedophile and Sweeney Todd should be able to sing. (By the way does Helena Bohnam Carter have to look that way in every role? Got outside once in a while, get some sun . . . and a hair brush.) Blind faith in an actor, even one of Depp’s caliber, is a mistake. Even if the mistake payed off once before as it did with Keaton. The true crime is that I believe Burton is not always getting maximum return out of his roles. The Delia Deetz and Bela Lugosi performances are too few and far between. Instead his pictures are muddled with the same old familiar faces.

For the record I do think Tim Burton is a talented director and artist, more so than most who have ever pointed a camera at something and shouted “action.” However, I would like to see him try something different. There comes a time when the old way becomes stale we should reinvent ourselves. I look back at a film like Beetlejuice and remember it fondly in all of its kooky and strange brilliance. At the same time I can’t help fault it for working so well.