Time: 92 Minutes
Age Rating: PG – contains coarse language
Cast:
Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse
Alec Baldwin as Adam Maitland
Geena Davis as Barbara Maitland
Jeffrey Jones as Charles Deetz
Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz
Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz
Director: Tim Burton

I had seen the original Beetlejuice many years ago and remembered liking it. With the legacy sequel released this year (unsurprisingly titled as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), I decided to rewatch the first one first beforehand. It was even better than I remembered it being.

Considering its reputation, Beetlejuice actually has a slow build up, but it works. The first half does a good job at setting up the characters and the ghost situation that the main characters find themselves in, before introducing the chaos that is Beetlejuice precisely halfway through. It’s wacky, entertaining, imaginative and creative, and very funny.

Beetlejuice especially benefits from its great cast. Despite the name of the movie, the main characters are played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, playing a couple who die and become ghosts, who then try to drive out the new family living in their home. They make for solid protagonists for us to follow, especially when they are thrust into and reacting to these unexpected circumstances. The actors playing the new family in Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are really good too. As mentioned before, Beetlejuice doesn’t appear until halfway through the movie, but it absolutely pays off. Michael Keaton absolutely delivers in the title role, unhinged, campy and hilarious, he steals every scene he’s in, and is a blast to watch.

Tim Burton directs this movie very well. It is very stylistic, with an enjoyable gothic aesthetic and art direction, and some charming visuals. The production design, makeup and particularly the practical effects are excellent.

Beetlejuice is very entertaining, stylish and creative, with fantastic direction, practical effects, and a fun cast of performances, especially from a scene stealing Michael Keaton. One of Tim Burton’s very best films.