In 1988, Tim Burton ignited the genre of campy, macabre horror with “Beetlejuice,” a film centered around a recently deceased couple who hire the titular and mischievous ghost to help them haunt their house’s new residents. Burton’s “Beetlejuice” was a commercial and critical success, raking in near-universal praise, $190 million and widespread hope for more of Burton’s vulgar ghost.
This past weekend, 36 years after the original film’s debut, the tabletop model of Winter River shattered with the release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The Tim Burton-directed sequel sees the return of Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice and franchise familiars Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara.
The returning cast is joined by newcomers Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux and Jenna Ortega.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” finds a still gothic and emotionally volatile Lydia Deetz (Ryder) grappling with the loss of her father, alongside her once-cold stepmother, Delia (O’Hara), and her stereotypically angsty daughter, Astrid (Ortega).
When Astrid unknowingly opens a portal to the afterlife, Lydia enlists the help of Beetlejuice (Keaton), who delightfully agrees to help on the condition that she marries him once Astrid is returned to the living realm.
The film has opened to a beyond (no pun intended) successful weekend, earning $110 million domestically, marking the second largest September opening of all time (following 2017’s “It”) and the third largest opening of the year (following “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2”).
Fortunately, in a world full of god-awful legacy sequels, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” manages to keep most of the same undead charm of its ‘80s predecessor.
The cast is, expectedly, excellent. Michael Keaton once again steals the screen with his slimy, white skin, boasting the same oddly charming charisma and vulgar vivacity. Despite his role as a “trickster demon,” Beetlejuice has always been a fan favorite. Michael Keaton somehow injects a suave, romantic attitude into a guy who eats beetles. FYI, the TikTok edits are not unwarranted!
It’s refreshing to see more of Winona Ryder (Thank you, Stranger Things!). She’s one of my favorite actresses of the horror/gothic genre, maintaining the same morbid demeanor as her ‘80s self while adding a refreshing adultness to the role through her portrayal of Lydia’s addiction and trauma.
O’Hara is wonderful and witty, bringing some of that passive-aggressive, yet caring, motherly energy to the dynamic. I greatly enjoyed seeing Delia and Lydia’s relationship strengthen. In “Beetlejuice,” Lydia and Delia have a clear disdain for each other, which isn’t glanced over and rewritten in the sequel.
Willem Dafoe’s character, Wolf Jackson, was alright; he reads as a caricature, not having much substance beyond being a device to further other plot lines. His character continues with the same comedy bit throughout the entire movie, which I never found to be particularly funny. Still, Willem Dafoe is never bad!
I found Jenna Ortega to be perfectly cast. I’m a big fan of Jenna Ortega’s horror work (“X,” “Scream,” etc.), but I can’t help but feel that she’s been shoehorned into acting in a specific, Kubrick-stare way by Tim Burton. That being said, I thought her character was a solid, modernized “Lydia” for our generation.
Monica Bellucci – who’s currently in a relationship with Burton – plays the “villain” of the movie, Delores, who seems as if she was just there to be an awkward display of Burton’s “trophy wife.” She felt very underutilized. However, her entrance scene was fantastic: a great mashup of Frankenstein-esque imagery and Tim Burton’s classic aesthetic. I just wish there was a greater significance to her character.
The production design was amazing. All of Burton’s films share his signature stylizations: exaggerated characters, macabre visuals and unique German Expressionism.
Burton’s way of making horror palatable and universally enjoyable is present at full throttle. The sets of this movie are wonderfully real. The afterlife feels lively, colorful and imaginative. The creature designs and prosthetics/makeup are some of the year’s best, in my opinion. “Beetlejuice” won the ‘89 Oscar for Makeup, so fingers crossed the tradition will live on!
All these wonderful ingredients – a talented cast, great sets and stunning effects – are not enough to outweigh the unfortunately awful plot management. The filmmakers seemed to think it was a good idea to try and cram more than five plotlines into a runtime of just one hour and 44 minutes.
I never got a chance to slow down and appreciate what was happening because I was constantly being beaten into a mental corner by the multiple plotlines, “then this character, but oh I forgot about that character!”
Similarly, the climax left a lot to be desired. There is an excellent music sequence, but aside from that, the plot lines are resolved far too quickly. We spend nearly two hours with these characters, only for them to be dispensed in less than two minutes. It felt sloppy and nonsensical.
Still, walking out of the theater, I was satisfied. Every Halloween, I’ve watched “Beetlejuice.” For years, I’ve seen fake sequel posters online, and fake news of sets being built, but now it’s finally here. My expectations were high. Despite its overly convoluted plot, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” provides a fun return to the beloved Afterlife, so get to the theaters, “turn on the juice, and see what shakes loose!” (for just $5 with your ID)!
