Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review
The cleverly titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t make you say his name three times but does see Michael Keaton return to his iconic role in the long-awaited sequel to the Tim Burton classic. After 36 years. Beetlejuice is back, and while it's not the ghost with the most, it definitely has some. Tim Burton's long-awaited sequel throws a lot of ideas at the wall—some stay, others fall flat, but at the very least, we have a decent Halloween film to start off the spooky season. Beetlejuice is nostalgic, physically magnificent, yet a little bloated.
The picture begins with Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), now the host of a spooky talk show called Ghost House—and, surprise, surprise, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) is still lurking, now operating the afterlife's customer service contact center (since even the afterlife refuses to let him retire). Things heat up when Lydia notices the cheeky devil among her audience, just as her family is dealing with the death of her father, Charles. Astrid (Jenna Ortega), Lydia's estranged daughter, is dragged into the underworld's pandemonium following a bike accident, a romance with a mysterious boy, and, of course, a one-way ticket on the 'Soul Train'.
The main difference between ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is that the new movie has a plot — about five of them, in fact. There are some powerful concepts here. Betelgeuse has an ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), who seeks vengeance, and Astrid's romance subplot leads her directly into the afterlife's uncanny clutches. What's the problem? All of these threads fight for screen time, therefore none of them are completely developed. Astrid's voyage is entertaining, but it ends too quickly, and Bellucci's Delores is a standout, but her plot receives much too little screen time. Imagine unwrapping all of your Halloween sweets at once, taking one mouthful from each, and then throwing the rest. That's the vibe here—good ideas, but not enough time to appreciate them all.
For what it’s worth, the double-headed sandworms are back, and Keaton brings a scrofulous, lowdown energy that’s a delight to witness in a man well into his Medicare years. He’s still Betelgeuse; he’s never stopped being Betelgeuse, just as Ryder has never really stopped being Lydia amid all the stranger things in her career.
Catherine O’Hara, of course, is a living legend. She's in excellent shape as Delia Deetz. She provides all the snark and biting wit fans expect from the quirky stepmother, even if she is portraying a sad widow for much of the film. O'Hara brings every scene to life, reminding us why Delia is such a compelling character.
Jenna Ortega impresses as Astrid, providing emotional depth to the part. While the picture relies on her typical "spooky teen" demeanor, she nonetheless injects new vitality into the character. Astrid is definitely being positioned as the next-generation Deetz, but her performance feels a little predictable, as if the character is too snugly within Ortega's usual range, making her less different in a bizarre universe like this.
Willem Dafoe’s Wolf Jackson, a living actor turned afterlife detective, is a fantastic addition. He blends his signature intensity with just the right amount of humor, fitting seamlessly into this world of dead bureaucrats and bizarre specters. His scenes are some of the most engaging, adding depth to the film’s lore without bogging it down with too much explanation.
Where are the Maitlands? The absence of Adam and Barbara is obvious. While it makes obvious that they won't return (they're ghosts, and ghosts don't age), their absence creates a palpable void. Even a tiny tribute, such as a photo or a tombstone, would have been significant. Instead, we receive an unusual amount of emphasis on Charles Deetz, despite the original actor's understandable absence.
The film is a visual success. The settings appear to have been ripped right from 1988, with Winter River, the afterlife offices, and even Charles' old taxidermy-stuffed study providing familiar, creepy sensations. Tim Burton hasn’t lost his macabre visual flair and the look and design of the entire film truly pops. The Halloween setting and Tim Burton’s modern affinity for amping up the colors in his projects are on full display. Some fun choices, such as a stop-motion flashbacks and numerous uses of practical effects make for great laughs and terrific goth imagery.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice proves that the role is still both a great vehicle for Keaton and a viable franchise for Burton. Hopefully, if the talent involved decides to make the inevitably titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (which seems to be lightly teased), next time the film can spend more time on the supporting characters and deliver a more cohesive story.