Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice.

Three words. I can describe the film in one: sickening.

I waited eagerly in anticipation, popcorn in hand while the movie shone brightly on the theater screen. The illuminating lights dimmed, and the movie started. It eventually dawned on me: the film was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and not in a good way. The acting in this movie paled in comparison to previous films. Was it because Winona Ryder, the actor, didn’t have the same spark as she did when she was younger? We may never know. Overall, the character development was lacking.

The movie was directed by Tim Burton, working with a budget of $100 million and grossing $405 million worldwide. The Rotten tomatoes rating for this film is 77%. Starring celebrity actors included Jenna Ortega, Micheal John Douglas, Winona Ryder and Danny Devito. Lydia Deetz met Beetlejuice in 1988, and he destroyed her family. Thirty-six years later, twisted fate pulled them back together. Returning to her home in Winter River after a tragic death, Deetz’s life turned for the worst after her defiant teenage daughter made the worst possible decision: entering a portal with a murderous ghost, who sought out the warmth of life.

I personally thought this was overkill. The filmmakers made the scene with the murderous teenage ghost complicated, and his plot could’ve been fleshed out simply. Had they done that, it would’ve made a stronger impact on the audience.

Astrid Deetz was portrayed by Jenna Ortega, playing a stereotypical angsty teenager, wanting nothing more than to stay away from her hometown and her mother. Her rebellious nature and defiant attitude caused several troubles within the movie, but I feel like her character was bland. There was no originality with Astrid’s background. Her type of character can be found in any other movie. Then there was her mother, Lydia, who was the protagonist of the story. Although depicted as the heroine, she was frail and self-absorbed, unable to hold her own half of the time. Lydia’s character definitely had potential but it was never properly utilized.

Beetlejuice’s latest movie was nothing but a complete and utter disappointment – ranging from the mediocre acting to the literal limb-tearing scenes, you can see why somebody would be displeased with the outcome of this movie after all of the publicity. As a fan of Tim Burton’s work, I expected more.
The plot was rushed, with multiple storylines mixed into one. It seems the writers didn’t have enough time to structure the narrative and instead decided to mash the stories together in hopes that it would work (and it didn’t). Beetlejuice’s ex-wife was a character that didn’t need to be in the plot, only creating extra confusion for me. What was the point in her being there? It added nothing towards the film. The former lover, Delores, didn’t add to the story but detracted from it, distracting me from the real plot.

Don’t get me wrong, though. The movie wasn’t completely bad – the graphics and animated scenes were well designed. Visually, there wasn’t a ton of CGI shown in the movie, which appealed to me. The strobing of different colored lights and attention to detail drew me in from the beginning, making me watch with anticipation. A scene Burton executed well was the soul train, where you go when you’re dead. I enjoyed that part because it was a unique way to show the afterlife. The comedic lines of the film added light-hearted scenes to otherwise dark ones. However, these enjoyable aspects weren’t enough to compensate for the more disappointing ones.

The most unsettling and disgusting part of the movie was when Astrid gave birth to Beetlejuice’s baby, and that baby proceeded to slaughter the doctors in the hospital room. That scene was not needed and felt forced. It seemed like that part was only made to add a few extra minutes towards the end of the movie. It made me extremely uncomfortable, and I could tell it was an attempt to “move” or “shock” the audience. In that case, it definitely succeeded, but not in the way the filmmakers intended.

Altogether, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” is a film that had potential but was never fully developed enough. It falls weak in various aspects; such as minimal character development, rushed plot and mediocre acting. For these reasons, I would recommend you to stick to the original film because it’s a timeless classic that still has its charm — and you can’t go wrong with it.