MovieChat Forums > Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) Discussion > Too many dragged out scenes of not much ...

Too many dragged out scenes of not much happening

posted 3 months ago by jamesdrax (44)
8 replies | jump to latest

I couldn't have been the only one who was feeling uncomfortable at about the midway point that this film was going nowhere, and much of its runtime seemed padded with agonisingly boring scenes of characters simply talking, flanked by Burton's largely flat and uninspired staging and camera work.

Jenna Ortega's character also hogged an enormous amount of screentime, and not to mention the film's overall lack of any momentum, which made it feel almost amateurish. I reckon this film could possibly be salvaged by some more ruthless editing by shaving it down by about 15 minutes. Instead, it feels like a modern TV series compressed into a feature-length movie, but somehow still feeling like a drawn-out ordeal to sit through.

[–] HellFire (561) 3 months ago

It was an even bigger mess than I thought it was going to be. The original literally takes 5 minutes to get going. As soon as Adam and Barbara take off to the hardware store, it's up and running, and the pace flows great until the end.

This took about 45 minutes to start going anywhere, and then weirdly the second half felt too crammed and rushed. 36 years and this was the best they could come up with?

5/10, and that's probably too generous.

[–] Melton (4434) 3 months ago

Glad I waited for reviews, I’ll wait for rental or even streaming. Sounds like a dud. At least it meant they made a 4K version of the original.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8705) 3 months ago

You're not alone.

I thought it was fun seeing so many of the original actors back together, and it was also nice to see Tim Burton be so flamboyantly Tim Burton, and Michael Keaton to his credit slid right back into the Beetlegeuse character without missing a step, but on the narrative level the film falls flat. I wasn't interested in the story until an hour in, and when your movie is only 1 hr 44 mins long, that's too late.

[–] pepetoony (1744) 2 months ago

I thought the same thing: That this felt more like an episode of a series rather than a feature film. And Jenna Ortega's character was completely unlikable and insufferable. I knew even from the trailer that I was gonna hate her Gen Z bullshit and indeed I did. I kept praying her character would be beheaded and die, never to be seen or heard from again. No such luck.

[–] ImAComputer (244) 17 days ago

Just saw it last night and couldn't wait for it to end. It felt like a 2 and a half hour movie. Why did we need all those backstory, bullshit conversations? Why keep bringing up the pedophile father more than once? Just say he died, and move on. I mean, they didn't bother to mention Otho's absence did they? Why talk about the pedo that everyone in the show I'm sure is trying to forget? And use his likeness on top of that!
Is the whole movie industry taking notes from that Disney cow?

[–] TheEndIsNigh (260) 15 days ago

Tim Burton paid more of a tribute to the character played by the paedophile than he did Adam and Barbara. It was just a weird film.

[–] Lord Rake (4454) 14 days ago

Haha that is true. Baldwin is a vicious killer but Geena Davis is still around and could have reprised her role with makeup and they already had Beetlejuice age so it doesn't really matter.

[–] WhereIsRent (1080) 12 days ago

You’re not alone. How this is certified fresh on rotten tomatoes I have no idea, it’s such a soulless and boring film that goes knowhere interesting

Certified cash-grab more like.