5 Tim Burton Films That Wasted Their Potential

5. Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice’s ultimate disappointment is that the overall narrative falls short of its amazing premise: a compelling and unique twist on the haunted house routine, involving unhappy ghosts, obnoxious new homeowners and a “bio-exorcist”.

In the film however, this all feels a little more muddled than it should do. The plot and characters seem to be subordinate to the film’s zaniness, as Burton’s love for everything quirky outshines what easily could have been a satisfying, streamlined narrative.

It lacks breathing room away from its craziness, restricting sufficient time to become invested in the characters. With a premature leap into absurdity within the first 10 minutes, it quickly loses focus on our appealing heroes, Adam and Barbara; who inexplicably have equal screen time to the far less interesting Deetz couple.

With that, the hilarious Michael Keaton is criminally underutilized. He zooms in and out of the film, lacking screen time and proper story involvement. While still incredibly funny, he serves as a madcap side-character rather than a solid antagonist.

Additionally, character relationships are regretfully sketchy. The rivalry between Adam and Barbara and the invading yuppies, as well as their budding parental relationship with Winona Ryder, feels a tad understated throughout the film. You’ll find yourself lauding the movie’s technical inventiveness more than anything else.

Some will argue that Beetlejuice serves as Burton’s surreal art-piece more so than a conventionally scripted film, yet it’s nonetheless frustrating as all of the elements are in place for a great story. Coupled with the great effects and cast, Burton could have effortlessly hit the bullseye if Beetlejuice were more dramatically engaging.