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First off, this series is quite different from the movie. See the FAQ for details, but to summarize: The ghost couple are completely absent, the Neitherworld is spooky in a campy way but never scary, Lydia's parents are one-dimensional, Lydia herself seems to be younger and Beetlejuice is a prankster instead of a sleazy villain. Also, even though I love the former, I still enjoy this for different reasons, so don't let that turn you off.
This show's sense of humor revolves around pranks and puns delivered rapid-fire, often with literal visual representations. Some are unsurprisingly re-used and every episode you'll hear that cliché, um... horn sound that plays whenever someone tells a bad joke. Suffice it to say, if you don't like bad puns, you won't be able to stomach this show.
The Neitherworld (land of the dead) is often present here and that's where the show really picks up, showing off all sorts of creative, bizarre locations and eccentric characters, from a French stereotype skeleton to a corrupt mummy mayor. Lydia is a regular visitor and always tags along to keep BJ out of trouble, always fails and wacky antics ensue. Beetlejuice has an endless supply of magical, shape-shifting powers which seem to comply involuntarily to what he says... sort of? They also stop working or are forgotten about when it's convenient to the plot. Not much is ever explained and very little of BJ's back-story is revealed, so you really have to learn to accept the weirdness and not think too much.
The plot of most episodes can be summarized as "Beetlejuice goes to (insert location)" or "Beetlejuice is a (insert profession)" - those are hit-and-miss. The show also has periods set in the mortal world with more typical situations which are (not surprisingly) a bit boring compared to the over-the-top insanity of the Neitherworld. But the show really falls flat when you see the basically-no-plot episodes which are nothing but random jokes. However, this show also has moments of brilliance (especially in season 4) where you get one episode which is a sly commentary on network TV, some with indulgently bizarre visuals, one tribute to The Twilight Zone, another where an evil black-and- white cartoon character rules a parody of Disney World... you get the idea.
The opening theme is nice and is accompanied by a great opening sequence, especially for the 4th season, though the incidental music is pretty bland. The acting is pretty solid all over and the sheer volume of voices and imitations that Stephen Ouimette (BJ himself) does throughout the series is commendable.
Overall, Beetlejuice doesn't do anything too different from other Saturday morning cartoons of the 90's, but has some real moments of brilliance that I'd argue are worth sitting through the bland ones to see.
score 6/10
ReptiDomus 19 October 2015
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3338628/ |
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15-10-2020 03:13:08