For the most part, I'm a fan of director Tim Burton. Pee Wee's Big Adventure was a lot of fun, Batman and Batman Returns were excellent on their own terms, Big Fish was interesting enough and Sweeney Todd was one of 2007's most memorable films. Like many children of the 1980s, I saw and enjoyed Beetlejuice, Burton's first big-screen mash-up of horror and comedy...but I didn't remember the actual film as much a handful of scenes and characters. The dinner table dance. The afterlife's waiting room. That freaky guy with the really small head. The main man himself, played with manic intensity by Michael Keaton. Having not seen Beetlejuice in roughly 15 years, I popped in Warner Bros.' new 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of the film with a hint of hesitation. Would it hold up to the scrutiny of adult eyes?

Well, not really...but it had its moments.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Beetlejuice centers around Adam and Barbara Maitland (played by then-unknowns Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis), a sweet young couple fixing up their enormous New England home. Unfortunately for the Maitlands, they die in a freak car accident on the way back from the hardware store...but don't tell 'em, because they don't know it yet. After eventually figuring out their fate---which prohibits the couple from stepping foot outside their home for one-and-a-quarter centuries---the property is sold to obnoxious New York sculptor Delia Deetz (Catherine O'Hara), her husband Charles (Jeffrey Jones) and tragic goth-emo stepdaughter Lydia (Winona Ryder). The Maitlands can't stand the new owners...but since they're practically invisible, not much can be done. Enter Betelgeuse (Keaton), a demonic bio-exorcist who specializes in scaring off the living. Unfortunately for the Maitlands, he's just looking to wed Lydia and return to real life.

As the story unfolds at a staggeringly awkward pace, Beetlejuice mirrors the personality of young Lydia: it's odd just for the sake of oddness and never actually says a great deal. The first act certainly shows promise: there's a strikingly creative story at the heart of Burton's film, while the solid performances and eye-catching production design seem like they'll be enough to carry the load. Sadly, the film quickly collapses under its own weight; any semblance of an agreeable flow is traded for slapstick-fueled surrealism, hampered even further by the fact that everything feels too sloppy and disjointed for its own good. Beetlejuice himself garners barely 15 minutes of screen time---and since he's one of the film's genuine strengths, the rest of the film tends to stew in its own juices.

But what do I know? Most fans of Beetlejuice probably love it for the exact same reasons I didn't---and despite the fact that it's a tough pill to swallow, a few key elements help to keep things somewhat afloat. Enough can't be said about the film's strong production design, while the charmingly low-budget special effects create a playful atmosphere that never becomes too oppressive. Danny Elfman's score is especially strong from start to finish, creating that familiar "wicked circus" sound that anchors a few scenes nicely. Beetlejuice may not be a film that I'll revisit a great deal, but fans of Burton's work should check it out and decide for themselves. For me, this horror-comedy is simply too off-the-wall for its own good (and this is coming from a fan of David Lynch and Terry Gilliam), but Beetlejuice just might be right up your alley.

Presented on DVD once again by Warner Bros., this new 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Beetlejuice aims to overtake the ancient 1998 "snapper" release, which crammed both the widescreen and fullscreen versions onto a single-sided disc. While it's obvious that the video presentation shows an improvement, the studio hasn't made a substantial effort to beef up any other aspect of this release. In other words, those hoping for a plethora of extras will walk away sorely disappointed---but if you're a fan of the film, at least you'll appreciate the technical upgrade. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

The packaging states that Beetlejuice is presented in an aspect ratio "preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition"...but this looks more like 1.78:1 than 1.85:1 (though it's possible that the top and bottom edges have been opened up slightly). In any case, it's quite obvious that this Deluxe Edition boasts a newly-restored transfer. Though I don't have the original 1998 release for comparison, digital restoration and DVD mastering have come a long way in the last decade; as such, Beetlejuice looks smooth, crisp and relatively problem-free. A few specks of dirt and extremely small amounts of edge enhancement can be spotted along the way, but they're hardly big enough problems to worry about. Whether this Deluxe Edition falls victim to Warner's recent abuse of Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) is difficult to tell on this standard-definition DVD, but I'd be interested to see how the Blu-Ray stacks up.

The audio presentation is equally impressive, though I'd imagine it sounds roughly identical to the 1998 release. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 (with optional French and Spanish dubs), this clean mix features strong musical cues, good front channel separation and occasional moments of surround activity. Dialogue and background noise rarely fight for attention, creating a satisfying soundstage overall. Optional subtitles in English (SDH), Spanish and French are provided during the main feature only.

All bonus features are presented in 1.33:1 and anamorphic widescreen formats, though none include optional subtitles or Closed Captions. Overall, this proves to be a very disappointing slate of extras, for obvious reasons. Where are Tim Burton and the cast? Why aren't there any featurettes on the film's production design? Couldn't Danny Elfman have chipped in a partial commentary during the music track? Is there any real point to writing four straight questions in a row?

Die-hard fans of Tim Burton and those with nagging nostalgia should enjoy revisiting Beetlejuice---but at the risk of receiving massive amounts of hate mail, this film feels like a promising idea executed in a sloppy fashion. The wildly surreal plot elements often work against our central characters, creating a disjointed atmosphere that's shrouded in terrific production design. Keaton's spirited performance salvages several of the scenes he's in (and let's not forget the somewhat promising first act), but most of this overcooked head trip ends up falling flat on its face. Warner Bros.' disappointing "Deluxe Edition" really skimps on the extras, but at least the technical presentation is mildly improved. Disciples of Beetlejuice probably won't mind upgrading their snappers for this or the Blu-Ray, but casual fans and newbies should dip their toes in the water first. Rent It.