Beetlejuice – Blu-ray Review
The Film:
Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice! Beetle-oh, yeah, I’m going to say it-Beetlejuice!
It’s so easy to take Tim Burton’s style for granted now days, since it’s been accepted by the mainstream, and has been copied by lesser artists, but with his second feature, even after 20 years, it is still a memorable film. It’s highly imaginative, the real driving force behind the film, and nothing since has compared to Beetlejuice’s non-stop assault of creative juices on our eyes. Bright reds, blues, and green pop out at us with a strong juxtaposition to the drab grays when the new family moves into the home.
Burton might just be a slave to his style with recent films, but here it only compliments the characters and the story. The duality of a square, boring real world, and a wildly, colorful alternate world is another theme Burton has explored numerous times in his films, notably Corpse Bride and his take on Alice in Wonderland. Also, let’s no forget about Burton’s use of dark humor against the scarier elements in the story, another trademark that began here.
Beetlejuice is a lot of fun. It’s funny to think that Michael Keaton was cast as Bruce Wayne in Burton’s 1989 take on Batman, for his wildly outlandish portrayal of the Betegeuse, a completely maniacal nut job. It’s the type of performance that is instantly recognizable and iconic, something that feels like a visual cue Jack Nicholson took note of, for his take on the Joker, a year later for Burton. It’s funny how nostalgia works, because as a kid, we remember everything Beetlejuice does, and we remember the film for that character. In reality, he’s only here for a little over 20 minutes of a 95 minute film. In conversations about great characters, why isn’t Keaton’s Beetlejuice ever considered? He has my vote.
Burton seems hit-or-miss recently, and I still love him, but his first real film (not discrediting the PeeWee Herman film, but c’mon, that really wasn’t Burton) here in Beetlejuice is not only a career highlight, but a cinema highlight. A perfect marriage of artist and art, humor and the grotesque, and a fine cast, that make the film’s replay value so high. Plus, who doesn’t love the Banana Boat song! Daylight come and I wanna go home…
The Blu-ray:
Audio/Video: For a film 20 years old, WB did a fantastic job on its first high def release. Details are high, contrast is sharp, and the transfer’s best quality, the color is gorgeous. The bight greens, blues, and reds are vividly reproduced here. Grain is minimal. The DD 5.1 is pretty decent, although it lacks any low end. While not completely devoid of bass, it’s just very light. The rest, like score and dialogue, come across clear and robust. All in all, I was very pleased in this Blu-ray.
Isolated Score: Danny Elfman’s great score is sectioned out. No commentary or anything, but one can solely listen to his score via this option.
CD soundtrack: Not advertised, but included on a separate CD, you get 15 minutes worth of the best themes from the score and of course, the dinner table scene’s song. Pretty cool, especially if you’re a fan of movie scores. Wish it was the complete score though.
3 Beetlejuice episodes: Remember the early 90s ‘toon of Beetlejuice? I do, although I was hard pressed to remember much from the series. The episodes here, “A-ha”, “Skeletons in the Closet”, and “Spooky Boo-Tique” are really fun and cheesy. It’s nice to see these here, hopefully WB is testing the waters for a full season set release. Alyson Court voices Lydia here. Fans will also remember her (my interview with her here) on X-Men: The Animated Series.
Conclusion: Lacking a great selection of extras, one could call the extras weak here, the Blu-ray picture quality is the selling point here. Audio is fine, no little low end. Overall, Burton fans and Beetlejuice fans should consider this an easy purchase.
The Film: Rating: 
The Blu-Ray: Rating: 
