Tim Burtonis one of the most respected and popular filmmakers of his generation, winning critics and general audiences over with his peculiar narrative and visual style, and some of his best works can be streamed on Max.The movies of Tim Burtonhave stood out for their combination of fantasy, horror, and gothic elements, with most of them having a family-friendly tone, though some are better left for more mature audiences. After writing and directing various short films in the 1970s and 1980s, Burton made his feature-length directorial debut in 1989 withPee-wee’s Big Adventure.
After bringing an original story to life withBeetlejuicein 1988, Burton visited the world of superheroes withBatmanandBatman Returns, with another original story,Edward Scissorhands, in between Batman movies. Burton has since worked on original stories likeFrankenweenie, adaptations of other works likeSweeney Todd, remakes likePlanet of the Apes, and animated movies likeCorpse Bride, all with his signature visual style. Unfortunately,not all Tim Burton movies are available to stream on the same platform, but Max has some of his most notable works.
4Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Was Released In 1988
Beetlejuiceis Tim Burton’s second movie and the first one to truly showcase his narrative and visual style, as it’s an original story and characters, unlikePee-wee’s Big Adventure. Written by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren,Beetlejuicetakes the audience to the small (and fictional) town of Winter River, Connecticut, to follow young married couple Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis). The Maitlands have a country home on a hill in Winter River, and they own a hardware store in town.
One day, on their way home from the store, a dog crosses their path and to avoid running it over, the Maitlands’ car swerves and plunges off a bridge into the river. The Maitlands drown but aren’t aware that they died until they find themselves back home, unable to remember how they got there. On top of that, their house has already been sold, and the new owners, the Deetzes, are moving in.The Maitlands, desperate to get rid of the Deetzes, summon the chaotic bio-exorcist Beetlejuice(Michael Keaton), but he only unleashes chaos for the Maitlands and the Deetzes.
Beetlejuicehas an 83% critics score onRotten Tomatoesand an 82% audience score, ranking among Burton’s 10 highest-rated movies.
In the process, the Maitlands bond with the Deetzes’ teenage daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), the only living person who can see them, making it harder for them to kick the Deetzes out.Beetlejuicewas a critical and commercial success, grossing $84 million against a $15 million budget.Beetlejuicewent on to win the Academy Award for Best Makeup in 1989, and it’s one of Burton’s most beloved works.Beetlejuicehas an 83% critics score onRotten Tomatoesand an 82% audience score, ranking among Burton’s 10 highest-rated movies.
Beetlejuice Review: Being Weird Has Never Felt As Good As Burton’s Creepy Cult Classic
In 1988, Michael Keaton needed only 17 minutes to create one of the best and weirdest characters in Hollywood history.
Beetlejuiceis one of the best examples of Burton’s filmmaking style, combining horror, comedy, and practical effects through which elements like the striped sandworms and the Maitlands’ “scary” faces were achieved.Beetlejuicehas been praised for its tone, performances, special effects, and for its strangeness, as it’s a very unique but brilliantly bizarre movie.Beetlejuicemade way for an animated TV series, video games, a stage musical, and a sequel.
3Batman
Batman Was Released In 1989
The year afterBeetlejuice’s release, Tim Burton paid a visit to Gotham City inBatman. Written by Sam Hamm and Warren Skaaren,Batmanfollows billionaire Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), who has a secret life as Gotham City’s masked vigilante Batman. When sociopath criminal Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) falls into a vat of chemicals while fighting Batman, he emerges with chalk white skin, emerald-green hair, and facial disfigurements that give him a permanent creepy smile. Jack starts calling himself “The Joker”, and plans to not only kill his former mob associates but also end Batman and Gotham City.
The Joker plans to dose all Gotham City residents with Smylex gas during a parade honoring the city’s bicentennial, and this gas causes anyone exposed to it to die laughing. Although Batman is already an established figure in Gotham City by the time of the events of the movie,the film briefly explores the death of Bruce’s parents and gives Jack Napier a direct connection to it, thus also changing Bruce’s backstory as fans know it.Batmanwas a critical and commercial success, grossing $411.6 million against a $48 million budget, and won the Oscar for Best Art Direction in 1990.
One Joker Plot Hole In Batman 1989 May Have A Surprisingly Easy Fix
One of the Joker’s most famous lines in 1989’s Batman seemingly creates a major plot hole, though there is a fairly easy fix in Joker’s next line.
Batman has a 77% critics score onRotten Tomatoesand an 84% audience score, and it’s considered among the best Batman movies to date. Interestingly,Batmanowes it all toBeetlejuice, as it was the latter’s success that led Warner Bros. to finally greenlitBatman, and it was the financial success ofPee-wee’s Big Adventurethat led the studio to hire Burton to direct the project.Batmanhas been praised for its tone, Keaton’s performance, and also Nicholson’s, though some found that the latter often overshadowed the former.
Batman fans weren’t on board with the changes to Bruce’s backstory and the murder of Martha and Thomas Wayne, and it continues to be a topic of debate among them. Initially, Batman fans didn’t support Michael Keaton’s casting as the Caped Crusader, but his performance changed the minds of most, and he’s now regarded among the best versions of the Dark Knight.
2Batman Returns
Batman Returns Was Released In 1992
The success ofBatmanwas such that Warner Bros. granted it a sequel, even though Burton wasn’t interested in one. Burton agreed to return in exchange for creative control, and so he madeBatman Returns. The movie reunites the audience with Keaton’s version of Bruce Wayne/Batman and introduces three antagonists. First is Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito), the malformed son of two wealthy socialites who discarded him in the sewers. Baby Oswald was adopted by a family of penguins, and he grew up in the sewers. Thirty-three years later, Oswald emerges from the sewers after abducting wealthy industrialist Max Shreck (Christopher Walken).
What Oswald wants is for Shreck to help him reintegrate into Gotham’s elite, and he blackmails him into helping him. However, Shreck himself is ruthless, manipulative, and evil, and not only does he convince Oswald to run for mayor for his own benefit, but he also tries to kill his secretary, Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer). Selina is pushed out of a window in Shreck’s building but is revived by a group of alley cats, and after having a psychotic breakdown at her home,she creates a costume and becomes Catwoman, with her mission being to destroy Shreck.
There was a lot of controversy regarding the movie’s marketing campaign, as some partners, like McDonald’s, promoted the film to young children.
Batman, then, not only has to deal with Oswald, but also Shreck and Catwoman.Batman Returnsgot mixed reviews during its initial release, and though it broke several box office records, it marked the end of Burton’s Batman movies.Batman Returnsgrossed $266.8 million against a budget of $50-80 million, but its much darker tone and story, as well asits violent and sexual elements, drew many viewers away. In addition to this, there was a lot of controversy regarding the movie’s marketing campaign, as some partners, like McDonald’s, promoted the film to young children.
Batman Returnshas an 82% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 73% audience score, ranking among Burton’s 10 highest-ranked movies.
While many critics praised Burton’s creative control inBatman Returns, some weren’t on board with the darker tone compared to the one in the previous movie. Others found that it had too many characters and Keaton was once more overshadowed by his antagonists, and most praised DeVito’s performance as The Penguin. In the end,Batman Returnshas benefited from the passage of time, andit’s now regarded as one of the best superhero movies ever made.
1Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Was Released In 2024
Tim Burton isn’t a director known for making sequels to his movies, so it was a pleasant surprise when he decided to make a sequel toBeetlejuice. Appropriately titledBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel arrived 36 years after the first movie’s release, and it reunites the audience with the title bio-exorcist, Lydia Deetz, and her stepmother, Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara). After the death of Lydia’s father, Charles, Lydia, Delia, and Lydia’s teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), return to Winter River for Charles’ funeral. Accompanying them is Lydia’s manager and boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), who neither Astrid nor Delia likes.
How Charles Deetz Died In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Charles Deetz’s death was confirmed in the Beetlejuice 2 trailers, but the sequel reveals wild details surrounding the character’s demise.
Astrid doesn’t have a good relationship with Lydia since her father, Richard, died, and this, along with her grandfather’s death and Lydia’s engagement with Rory, only drives her further away from Lydia. When Astrid is tricked and finds herself in the Netherworld about to die,Lydia has no other choice than to summon Beetlejuice, who agrees to help her rescue Astridbut at a big price. In addition to that, Beetlejuice has been hiding and running fromhis ex-wife and witch Delores(Monica Bellucci), who wants revenge against him for killing her – but she also killed him.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceis a fun combination of a new story and characters with characters and elements from the original movie, and as expected, it was a big hit.Beetlejuice Beetlejuicegrossed $451.1 million against a $100 million budgetand it mostly received positive reviews, with a 76% critics score onRotten Tomatoesand a 79% audience score.Beetlejuice Beetlejuicedebuted with $111 million, making it the second-biggest opening in Burton’s career afterAlice in Wonderland.Critics mostly praisedBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s humor and Keaton’s performance, though some found it to be less edgy than the first movie.
Even thoughBeetlejuice Beetlejuicecopies a couple of things from the first movie, it’s still a highly entertaining movie that appeals to fans ofBeetlejuiceandTim Burtonas well. At the time of writing,it’s unclear if there will be a thirdBeetlejuicemovie, but if it never happens,Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceoffers a satisfying and fun ending to the main characters, even if it still leaves the door slightly open for their return.
Tim Burton
Discover the latest news and filmography for Tim Burton, known for Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
