Directed by:
Tim BurtonCinematography:
Thomas E. AckermanComposer:
Danny ElfmanCast:
Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Sylvia Sidney, Annie McEnroe, Tony Cox, Glenn Shadix, Robert Goulet (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
What's a yuppie ghost couple to do when their quaint New England home is overrun by trendy New Yorkers? They hire a freelance "bio-exorcist" to spook the intruders. And everyone gets more than he, she or it bargained for! Director Tim Burton teams with Michael Keaton. The result? "Keaton's Beetlejuice is one of the biggest, baddest wolves a ghost movie has ever unleashed, a polter-gas" (The Village Voice). He's a juggernaut of jokes, jolts and jive who hurls one-liners, spins into grotesque forms, gobbles insects and can't leave ladies (living or dead) alone. Keaton's wild work in this and Clean and Sober won him 1988's National Society of Film Critics Best Actor Award. Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Sylvia Sidney share starring honors with the movie's wondrous production design, Harry Belafonte soundtrack tunes and Academy Award winning Best Makeup. So exorcise your right to fun. Say the "B" word three times and have a wonderful Day-O! (Roadshow Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (6)
I don’t like Tim Burton. I don’t like Tim Burton. I don’t like Tim Burton.
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A playful supernatural flick from Tim Burton which, thanks to the lead actor, belongs to the worse part of his body of work. I can't help it, but Michael Keaton is an average actor who won't create an atmospheric effect with his overblown appearance and tons of overacting. Fortunately, the gems of the film are the scenes of the miniature city, the characteristically Danny Elfman score, and the perfect goth-depressed Winona Ryder. Still, my impressions during childhood were several classes higher.
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Beetlejuice is a beautiful classic ghost story that remains popular thanks to Burton's other great films (and animated series). The old-school special effects are magical, the cast is wonderful: Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the dead husbands, Michael Keaton in a perfect mask, Winona Ryder as the ideal goth teenager, and Jeffrey Jones and Catherine O'Hara as caricatures of modern businessmen. And last but certainly not least the legendary Sylvia Sidney, who shone in the 1930s... A joy to behold. In its time, there was genre competition in the form of the similarly successful High Spirits, but there is no need to choose between them. Both ghost stories are evergreens.
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Tim Burton was still in his directorial development when Beetlejuice was made, and thus the film didn't appeal to me as much as his other later efforts. The film's bleakly colorful atmosphere is captured perfectly and is very much typical of most of Burton's other films. The visual effects were absolutely perfect for their time - especially the likeness of the snake and the worm. The portrayal of the deceased was also flawless, as was Danny Elfman's great score. In short, a film that is imaginative as hell and somewhat funny, and while it's not something memorable, it deserves the 4* from me for the solid technical workmanship and cast.
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I wasn’t able to enjoy the film as much as I did before. What I still liked was Michael Keaton's performance, but I was disappointed with the level of special effects. What annoyed me were the badly executed sand snakes. Had they been better, I would have kept my original rating, but I take it down to a 3*+.
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This is a legendary Tim Burton film, at least legendary to me. I watched it when I was a kid, and all I remember is that I was completely blown away by it. It wasn’t so much that I was scared, but primarily because I was enchanted by the world of the dead, which was absolutely stunning - and that still holds true today. In Burton's films, the worlds of the dead are simply more fascinating than the worlds of the living. Even though the house where most of the film takes place is simply stunning. A film shot at times as a slapstick, with great actors led by Keaton, who is unrecognizable in makeup. It still gets to me.
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