Tim Burton's Worst

Rating: 2/10 (22 July 2019)

Despite there being some potential in the idea behind this movie, the end product is grotesque and unpleasant, and fails in most of its' attempts at humor. To get the positives out of the way, Winona Ryder does succeed in her portrayal of the quintessential emo-teenager. Catherine O'Hara also does pretty well with her character, but this is where the positives end. The overall aesthetic is unique, but often not in a good way, and usually ends up being an eyesore. The humor is largely sadistic in a very cringey sort of way, leading to a rather uncomfortable viewing experience. As a whole, it seems to cross over from "artistic vision" into "self-indulgence" territory.
And the cherry on top of this mess is Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice: an utterly loathsome and repulsive creation who drags every scene he's in into pervert territory. He's loud, obnoxious, uncouth, crass, and nauseatingly vulgar, and the overall weakness of the vast majority of the main cast, especially the main couple, means no one is able to counterbalance his vile persona. This is the ultimate failing of Beetlejuice: The namesake, and center of everything, is impossible to view with anything other than absolute revulsion. Not amusement, not enjoyment, not intimidation, just utter, abject loathing. Maybe this was the ultimate intent, but considering he doesn't even illicit a giggle, I'd say the whole thing is a pretty major failure, in my book.