Today's Versus article admittedly holds the weirdest matchup thus far. And yet, the following two films share enough in common that pitting them against each other is surprisingly doable. We've got Fede Alvarez's "Alien: Romulus" versus Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice". Both films are horror hybrids, one sci-fi horror, the other a horror comedy. Each franchise was a relevant part of pop culture since the 1980's. They may be different enough experiences, but we'll still judge these in the usual categories: visual presentation, audio quality and narrative content.
Round 1: Presentation
Each film remains consistent with their respective franchises and what previous films have done in the past. "Alien: Romulus" retains its trademark gore and rapid-fire gun violence. What may surprise some while watching "Romulus" is the presence of more practical effects than the past few installments in the series. The film uses its smaller budget to its advantage and the result is a more gritty experience.
Makes sense considering this follows the events of the first "Alien" back in 1979. There is still CGI and AI patented effects to be found in here. Unfortunately, some of these specific visuals are poorly done. The resurgence of a choice legacy character specifically stands out as this film's visual low point. "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" conversely is a substantially brighter and more colorful entry in comparison. Stylized and literally illustrated as opposed to the more realistic tone "Alien" provides.
Early on in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice", there's an impressive segment consisting of Monica Bellucci's character literally putting herself back together. This demonstrates Burton's strength in sadistically dark and twisted imagery in a way that's sort of family friendly. Pair that with animatronics of creatures with tiny heads and stop-motion animated segments, and "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" comes off as the more visually complete package. For what it's worth, neither title is a slouch in terms of visual presentation.
Round 1 Winner: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Round 2: Audio
Not much in the way of similarities between these two titles other than loyalty to their predecessors. "Alien" with its quieter and less bombastic tone sees its fair share of adrenaline pumping tension. Between the jump scares and the gunplay our human characters engage in to fend off the aliens, sound effects are used effectively and correctly. And that's important for a sci-fi horror film of its ilk to utilize correctly.
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" once again feels more complete with what it brings to the table. Between the fresh orchestration of the original film's score courtesy of Danny Elfman alongside some licensed tunes, this film has the upper hand already. No missing sound effects to be found here either. Similar outcome here as the one in the previous round, but will it hold in the next round?
Round 2 Winner: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Round 3: Narrative
This is much trickier to figure out than you might think. Mainly because the quality of each film feels relatively the same. Both films provide fan service to their respective franchises. One can even make a pat argument that both films adhere too much with relying on what worked before in previous films. That's especially true of "Alien: Romulus", whose callbacks to the previous "Alien" films are either cheesy or cringey. One iconic quote is butchered quite badly within its third act.
The pacing is fine in "Romulus", except for the last 15 to 20 minutes which is more unnecessary the more I reflect on it. The characters themselves are average at best. One or two leads hold my interest fine, but I hardly remember anyone else a day after I've seen them. The guy who plays the jerk is painfully stereotypical and by the numbers. The narrative feels like more of what we've already seen in the first two films in the franchise. It does do everything better than half the other "Alien" films, but that's not saying much.
Unlike the "Alien" franchise, I never saw the original "Beetlejuice" from 1988. So just this once, I did some homework and caught up with the original an hour or so before seeing the sequel. Truth be told, I was underwhelmed overall by both films, the original and the sequel. Each film is sufficient at providing the weirdness its audience would want from such products. Michael Keaton has fun as the titular "Ghost with the Most". Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara are entertainingly demented in their own respective ways.
For the most part though, my experience with each "Beetlejuice" film is roughly the same. They're both one and done. They have their moments of creative wackiness, but I'd be lying if I said that each film ended on a satisfying note. They don't. Through overly convoluted subplots being thrown in, especially with the sequel, these films run out of steam by the time their narratives reach their conclusions. I suppose as they are, they're watchable enough. But the replay value just isn't there for me.
"Alien: Romulus" also has a limited lifespan for me as well. That film also loses its momentum in the third act, albeit for slightly moderated reasoning. Questionable choices, outside of cringey callbacks, such as lapses in logic over the operation of some space machinery for example. A character that should have been dead somehow lasting longer than they even realistically should have. And again, a tad too similar to the original "Alien" to the point of being clichéd.
In all good conscience, I can't realistically pick a winner in this category. Both films share similar shortcomings and strengths in terms of narrative construction. Obviously, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is a bit more family friendly by default, but there's enough of an adult edge to it to elevate the material. These films honor their respective franchises, but innovation wise, there's not much here to talk about. They play it safe with what already worked. That's why they basically even each other out in this round.
Round 3 Winner: DRAW
In all truthfulness, as evidenced by the scores down below, you're going to get a similar quality product no matter which film you decide to see. Even if "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" just barely wins on account of winning 2 of the 3 rounds in this match-up, the end result still feels the same. Neither film is bad at all. They're ideal for rental and/or streaming. Both films however are prime examples of Hollywood's over reliance on established IP's, a trend that is growing increasingly stale and tired. So take this with a grain of salt.
Final Verdict:
Alien: Romulus: 6/10
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: 6/10
WINNER: BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
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