MovieChat Forums > Beetlejuice (1988) Discussion > I think I found an error!?!

I think I found an error!?!

posted 8 years ago by cgrill8
8 replies | jump to latest

Ok, they die, they find themselves back at the house, and Adam steps out the backdoor. He's on Saturn. She pulls him back! And tells him, "You've been gone 3 hours!" or something like that.... HOURS. To the audience he was only there 1 minute! So when at the end, Barbara gets zapped to Saturn by Beetlejuice... she comes back riding a sandworm that 'eats' him just as he's turned human again? Now how could she go to Saturn and comeback within MINUTES in Earth time when Adam was gone for hours?? I almost feel like there's a scene missing there that could explain it. The only explanation I can think of, since Beetlejuice zapped her there instantaneously, maybe she did the same thing coming back with the sandworm?? Maybe the ghost magic can break that time barrier... but I never thought of that until now. Any other takers?

3rd generation American from a long line of Gottscheers... it was Drandul, dude!

[–] Merrida 8 years ago

I hadn't thought of that before, but that's a good point. And nope, I don't have any explanation either. Doesn't make a lick of sense.

______________________________________
Sic vis pacem para bellum.

[–] moderngamenewb 8 years ago

It could all be completely random. At one point when they're on Saturn, it could only just be a few hours. The next time, just a few minutes. Another time could make it days, or weeks. When they went to the waiting room to meet with Juno, they were obviously gone for longer than just a few hours as the house was already remodeled when they got back. I think it's all just completely random, as to how much time will pass, and they'll never know if it'll be just a few hours, or even a few days.

[–] cgrill8 8 years ago

Well, I've done a lot of researching and reading about NDE's online and what not. It has been interesting... and I doubt Burton even was thinking about that direction with this movie. Yet, many people who pass and come back, DO have a sense of time... while there seems to be no 'time' really passing. And the music they sometimes hear has... NO BEAT.. figure THAT one out. And I'm... used to be a musician. Once a... no I'm still a musician. So, I think the whole deal with Burton's take on the afterlife with this movie is very tongue-in-cheek while touch on some possible real point with death. So therefore they HAVE NO SENSE of time in the afterlife! Even after they realize the Maitlands are in their house and wonder how long they've been gone...(why keep up with days or weeks when your dead?) Juno comes out of literally NO WHERE and tells them how long they were gone! I've thought about it a bit somewhat, and came to the conclusion... the tracking of time for this movie (for the dead per se) is completely skewed for the heck of it, because the dead characters themselves aren't even keeping up with it!

3rd generation American from a long line of Gottscheers... it was Drandul, dude!

[–] Horror_Metal 8 years ago

There's a lot of things that make absolutely no sense in this movie, another example being that the ghosts can move things yet still have a hard time convincing livng people that they're there. And also, why is Beetlejuice pretty much all powerful after being summoned from the model? For most Tim Burton movies, you basically have to throw all logic out the window and just enjoy the ride.

Don't even get me started on Edward Scissorhands, like how the hell is he alive?

Horror_Metal

[–] Jeannette_Mary 8 years ago

I agree with you. I have always hated Edward Scissorhands!

"Sometimes life hands you lemons that are worth 2 in the bush, I like kittens."

[–] Mhjm6 8 years ago

^Who'd believe that?

[–] Velvet_Roses 7 years ago

Indeed it seems like something that wasn't really thought through.

But like someone pointed out, I think it's best not to overthink it and just enjoy the ride :)

[–] cgrill8 7 years ago

Hey, I love this movie! And love the victory charge Barbara does on the Sandworm eating Beetlejuice at the end. But yeah, him being OUT of the model and in the real world, but how is he 'stuck' IN the model IN the real world. I see the dilemma. Yet when I think about it... for Beetlejuice... his portal back to the real world was THROUGH the model. In a way, it was his medium or portal. If the Maitlands have some 'control' over Beetlejuice, and I think they did. Then they could have gotten him BACK through his portal. He would have gone fighting and screaming... but the Maitlands COULD have done it. But it seemed like Adma's model was Beetlejuice's link (if you will) to our realm. He was OUT, but the Maitlands were able to contain him in the model (or BJ was simply contained BY the model like a conduit - stuck until forced out, like a Jennie and a bottle... it can come out, but it is still imprisoned by the bottle), but failed to 'put him back'. So unless someone said his name three times, he was stuck in the model.

Though the movie did not really explain ghost magic very well, but it seemed obvious they couldn't over do it during a certain time period. But yeah, the Maitlands should have just started chunking items at the Dietzes and really ran them out, but they weren't very good at being 'that mean' to people dead or living. They really didn't want to HURT anyone. I think that's another key personality trait the dead couple had as shown in the very beginning. When a spider gets in MY house. I kill it. Adam picked the thing up and simply tossed it outside. It showed their kind inner nature towards creatures and other people... they really wouldn't hurt a fly. There is a certain type of logic to this movie, although it is a bit convoluted, but it was supposed to not quite make sense, and be a bit confusing. That was how the Maitlands simply FELT being 'dead' and coping with it.

3rd generation American from a long line of Gottscheers... it was Drandul, dude!