Just the one Beetlejuice...
I'm going to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice tomorrow evening, so my friend and I rewatched the original last night.
I can't remember the last time I watched Beetlejuice. It doesn't seem (to me, anyway) to be one of those films that's regularly shown on TV. So my first reflection was just how much of the film I'd completely forgotten. Not the most famous, music-based scenes, or the darkly funny scenes in the bureaucratic underworld. But quite a bit of the start seemed like a brand new film to me.
Maybe I wasn't paying attention when I saw it the first time. Quite likely, if I'm honest.
Anyway, Michael Keaton is far and away the best thing about it. He's clearly having fun. I can't wait to see how he shows up for the sequel. I actually ended up rooting for him and the Deetz family, as the couple played by Gina Davis and Alec Baldwin annoyed me so much! Interesting that they're not back for the sequel.
Something we both commented on was the special effects. I do remember being blown away by the practical effects when I first saw the film. But bear in mind, I was just 12 at the time. In the absence of advanced CGI, the laughs and shrieks come from the physical comedy of Keaton and the various rubber masks and puppets that keep appearing. I wonder just how much of this approach has made it into the sequel.
While I'm glad to have caught up with some magical childhood memories last night, I could also imagine how critical my nephew and niece would be of the effects, the pace and the acting.
Beetlejuice the movie experience definitely belongs to a different generation. But some of the themes are evergreen: frustration with bureaucracy, the creeping encroachment of gentrification, the entitlement and disconnection of the super-wealthy.
I'm excited to see what they've made for the audience of 2024, with all our high expectations when it comes to pace and effects. And I hope they've retained some of the original magic that made it just a groundbreaking cinema experience.