Seth Grahame Smith

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Movie and 4K Review

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.

When the sequel to “Beetlejuice” was announced, movie fans all over the world were excited for its release. The original 1988 film has long since become a Halloween classic and required viewing every October. I thought the original “Beetlejuice” was okay, as the style and the tone of the film didn’t always connect with me as a viewer.  With “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” one thing fans will have a difficult time accepting is the lack of screentime for Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton returns as Beetlejuice, but he’s more of a supporting character here. If fans are going to a “Beetlejuice” movie expecting to see more of the main character, they will have to adjust their expectations.  I, on the other hand, thought this made the film more enjoyable and entertaining as it opened up the door for other characters to shine on screen.  It added some much-needed heart and humanity to the story.

Our film opens by showing us Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) hosting her own supernatural talk-show called Ghost House.  She’s not exactly thrilled with this gig, but it comes with some nice perks.  She’s also in a relationship with the show’s producer, Rory, played by Justin Theroux. He’s looking to latch onto Lydia and exploit her for all she’s worth. Lydia is having a difficult time reconnecting with her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega).  They have trouble being on the same page because Astrid wants to know more about her father who passed away.  Lydia is not sure how to process the death of her ex-husband, and Astrid wants to know why her mother can’t use her ability to connect with the dead to reach out to her father. Astrid has more questions than answers about her father, and she is looking for some closure.

After Lydia’s father passes away, Lydia, Astrid, Rory, and Lydia’s stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara) meet up in Winter River, Connecticut for his funeral and to help sell his house. Throughout this whole ordeal, Lydia can’t help but feel the presence of Beetlejuice. At first, she wonders if all of this is just in her head, or if there is some truth to her suspicions.  Beetlejuice has his own problems in the Netherworld as he’s being chased by his ex-wife, Dolores (Monica Bellucci), who is a cultist and a literal soul sucker.  There is also Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a former actor who has now become a detective in the afterlife. He’s trying to piece together what is going on with Dolores and Beetlejuice.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a better film than the original because it’s more grounded in reality.  Of course, there are elements of the usual Tim Burton wackiness here.  This time around, he uses those moments effectively without turning the film into a gimmick. Because of this, they are far more effective when they do happen.  The heart and soul of this film is the relationship between Lydia and Astrid.  I thought Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega had such a strong bond and connection on screen as mother and daughter.  The good movies make you care about the characters and what happens to them.  You become emotionally invested in seeing them find happiness and peace of mind.

I also thought the way the film used Beetlejuice was effective because he only comes on screen when he absolutely needs to be there.  They don’t overuse the character. This is a film which deals with grief, loss and the inability to process feelings and connect with family.  It’s a really brainy film, and I did not expect it to go in that direction.  With that being said, I think fans of the first film might be disappointed by the choices that Burton made as a director. I thought it was necessary for the story and the characters to evolve. The performances from the cast, from top-to-bottom, are terrific. They understand what they signed up for in this film, and they are more than up to the task.  Burton put together a fantastic cast.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is one of the biggest surprises of 2024 for me. I did not walk into the film with the greatest of expectations, considering how I felt about the first film.  I walk into every film with an open mind, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was looking forward to certain films more than others.  With “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” I thought they would up the ante with the gimmicks, the silliness and the in-your-face set pieces.  While those scenes are in the film, they aren’t done so much to where they irritated me.  This is a story about people trying to figure out their place in the world.  They just happen to be occupying a world where strange and weird things are happening all around them.

* * * out of * * * *

4K Info: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is being released on a single disc 4K from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment.  It also comes with a digital copy of the film. The film has a running time of 104 minutes and is rated PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material, and brief drug use. You can either buy the 4K slipcover or the 4K steelbook.

4K Video Info:  The Dolby Vision transfer of this film is really eye-popping and stunning. The film looks great on 4K with a striking balance of dark blacks and bright, vivid colors. Tim Burton’s wacky and crazy world really shines on this format.

4K Audio Info:  The same can be said for the Dolby Atmos track here with subtitles in English, Spanish and French.  This is a movie with a lot of unusual and unique sounds, and they are all enhanced on this audio mix.

Special Features:

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” Commentary by director Tim Burton

The Juice is Loose! The Making of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”

The Ghost with the Most: Beetlejuice Returns

Meet the Deetz

Handbook for the Recently Deceased

Shrinkers, Shrinkers Everywhere!

An Animated Afterlife: The Stop-Motion Art of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”

‘Til Death Do Us Park

Should You Buy It?

This is a tough one for me, as I’m not really the audience for this film. I didn’t love the original, so I imagine, because I enjoyed the sequel, fans of the original might feel differently than I do.  In the end, there is a lot to like about “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The performances from Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega are outstanding, as they are filled with life and love.  You understand where both of them are coming from and you root for them to work it out.  From an audio and visual standpoint, this is a mesmerizing 4K viewing experience. I ended up having a blast with this movie, and it put a smile on my face.  At times it did drag a little bit, and certain scenes could have been edited out, but this is a good flick.  I’d recommend you rent it from a digital retailer first and then decide if you want to buy it.  I think it’s worth owning on physical media because Warner Brothers released a tremendous 4K of a surprisingly good flick.

**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free.  The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Posted on by The Ultimate Rabbit

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I came into this movie expecting a parody along the lines of something directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the same filmmakers who inflicted such laugh free movies on us like “Meet the Spartans,” “The Starving Games” and “Vampires Suck.” The problem with most movie parodies today is everyone is constantly in on the joke to where watching them becomes excruciating. It’s no wonder this genre has been dying out lately as we can see the jokes coming from a mile away to where the punchlines are ruined before they’re even spoken.

So it is a nice surprise to see “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” a sly take on the classic Jane Austen novel, does not come even close to falling into this trap. It actually stays respectful of Austen’s work while adding a bit of the undead to the proceedings. The actors take their roles and the story more seriously than expected, and there’s never a kitsch feeling to be found throughout. This movie could have easily fallen apart in the wrong hands, but smarter minds prevailed and gave us something quite entertaining.

The movie is actually based on the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith which follows the plot of “Pride and Prejudice” while adding both zombie and ninja elements to it. The characters still exist in 19th century England, but it’s an alternative universe where the undead are a constant nuisance and Mr. Bennet (Charles Dance) has taken the time to train his daughters in martial arts and weaponry. Chief among his daughters is Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) who is the best trained of them all as well as fiercely independent. While her sisters are eager to find a husband, she does not feel the need for one.

Into the picture comes Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) who is an expert at identifying zombies and taking them out before they even have a chance to reveal themselves to the unsuspecting. Just as in Austen’s novel, Darcy and Elizabeth share an utter contempt for one another which will soon reveal the unmistakably strong attraction between them. But can they survive the zombie onslaught long enough for them to share their true feelings to each other? Well, anybody who has read Austen’s classic book knows the answer, but keep in mind how it never contained zombies like Grahame-Smith’s book does.

Lily James makes Elizabeth Bennet into a woman as lovely as she is lethal when it comes to taking out zombies with a sword. Seeing Elizabeth and her sisters stroll into a social event and armed to the teeth with weapons of all kinds makes clear that polite behavior has to be set aside when the undead drops by for a bite. Does she do one better than the other actresses who have played this classic character in the past? This doesn’t matter as she gets to take on a different version of this fiercely independent female who is more than capable of taking care of herself.

The same goes for Sam Riley who takes on the role of Mr. Darcy. Comparisons to Colin Firth’s interpretation of Darcy, which everyone seemed to fall in love with at first sight, might be inevitable, but I’m not going to bother. While Riley tends to keep Darcy’s stiff upper lip a little stiffer than it needs to be, he still makes Darcy into a formidable soldier and his scenes with James crackle with an attraction which cannot be denied.

The other actors in “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” look to be having a great time as well. Among the standouts are Jack Huston as George Wickham who turns on the charm to where the easily duped are duped beyond repair, Lena Headey makes Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy’s aunt, an especially fierce protector of her own family, and Matt Smith steals several scenes as the infinitely dubious Parson Collins. Once again, none of the cast acts like they are in on the joke, and the movie is so much the better for that.

Directing “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is Burr Steers who in the past few years has made one picture too many with Zac Efron (“Charlie St. Cloud” and “!7 Again”). However, this was the same man who helmed “Igby Goes Down,” a movie with a biting sense of humor which cut deep as it came with a lot of emotional honesty. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” doesn’t cut as deep as “Igby Goes Down” did, but it feels like Steers has more to play with this time around as he melds Austen’s world with the undead, and he is not as constrained by cinematic conventions as he was in the past.

Is Steers able to keep the momentum going from start to finish? Not quite. The movie does lose some steam towards the end as there is only so much he can do with the zombie thing. Also, it has a PG-13 rating which means the violence is going to seem neutered to an extent which is frustrating to accept. Imagine how insane the proceedings would have been had the violence and bloodshed went unrestrained. This would have been even more fun had Screen Gems let Steers turn this into a go-for-broke extravaganza.

All the same, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” proved to be far more fun than I expected it to be, and it brings to mind those crazy B-movies we all grew up on. Jane Austen could have been rolling over in her grave at the sight of this, but her fans can take comfort in that her works remain as popular today as they were years ago. Besides, it’s got zombies in it. How could it go wrong?

Copyright Ben Kenber 2016

* * * out of * * * *