This sequel, which fans of the original had to wait 36 years for, is abysmally disappointing during its first half. It isn’t until Beetlejuice; the title cleverly makes way for a future trilogy; is conjured that the plot starts to come to life. It’s still a stupid movie; a definite drop down from the aforementioned original; but there are wacky bits of fun buried about.
my rating : 2 of 5
2024
Beetlejuice is supposed to be funny. It occasionally is; “I’ve been feeling a little flat”, says a man who looks like he was killed by a steamroller; but the nonstop jokes, led by its title comedian slash “bio-exorcist”, are mostly corny. The two lip-synced song/dance scenes; easily the worst parts of the movie; are downright cringey. A moderately entertaining plot, about a dead married couple trying to scare a family out of their house, lies (buried) underneath.
my rating : 3 of 5
1988
A TV addict gets sucked into the world of television. It’s an ironic concept with a lot of potential, but putting the protagonist; a plumbing salesman named Roy; and his wife on the set of popular TV shows could cause legal trouble, so it’s all done in parody with a Hellish slant.
As black comedy, it works, at least in theory. The spoofs are consistently funny. This is a movie packed with clever satire. Some of it is downright brilliant. It’s the actual plotting, which gets the couple’s kids involved in trying to save them à la Poltergeist, that could use some revision.
my rating : 3 of 5
1992