Beetlejuice
★ ★★ ½
Original review: October 26, 2019
As our daughter Hallie is getting older, we are slowly letting her into the nostalgia and movies that my wife and I have grown up on. We were trying to think of a safe kids movie that would be perfect to watch during the Halloween season. Our minds got stuck on Beetlejuice and we were glad to see that the dark charm of the movie held up (although I don't think that the horny Beetlejuice would cut it in 2019). Besides being a little dumbfounded that I was allowed to watch this so much as a child, I really appreciated the originality of the movie. Can you think of any other movie like this?
If this were to come out today, I'm sure it would have prequels and sequels in its future, but I'm glad that this film has just sat on its laurels. But Burton's films have always lacked accessibility that keeps its audiences at bay. Beetlejuice is very much like a carnival sideshow. It's flashy and something you have never seen before. And despite having to keep your distance, you have to tell your friends all about it. But would I hold this sideshow up as one of the best films from the 80s? Not quite.
It’s amazing that people still embrace this very weird and very odd story. It proves that originality ultimately wins the day, despite some downfalls along the way.
