3.5 out of 5 bio-exorcists (above average)
The original Beetlejuice is one of my favorite movies. Tim Burton’s tale of wacky supernatural hijinks supported by a witty script and pitch-perfect performances captivated me as a kid and continues to today for its underlying message of accepting the weirdos of the world. Now, 35 years and a very uneven career later, Burton gives us this sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which retains the zany imagery of its predecessor while having more on the table narratively and character-wise, even if some of it overstuffs the plate. While it has a bit too much going on storywise, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a welcome sequel that left me smiling from start to finish thanks to wacky imagery, good work from its well-chosen cast, and a spookhouse vibe that shows letting the juice loose again was a good idea.
Ghost-seeing goth Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) was haunted by the demon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) as a teenager and is still reeling from the trauma of that while hosting a Ghost Hunters-esque TV show under her producer and nebbish boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux). Sadly, her relationship with teen daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is strained thanks to the latter being a supernatural skeptic, made worse when her mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) informs them that her husband has died and they’re having the funeral at the old house. Lydia’s old ghosts come to haunt her and her family whilst there, forcing her to face them head-on or lose all she cares about. Oh, and did I mention Beetlejuice’s vengeful soul-sucking ex Delores (Monica Bellucci) And a hammy actor (Willem Dafoe) are also here?
As you can tell by that description, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is far from the bastion of narrative succinctness. Tim Burton has never been the strongest storyteller, but unlike his previous film Dumbo, I felt like he was more engaged with the proceedings and characters. The movie takes a slower pace in getting the ball rolling and wisely makes the mother-daughter dynamic the undead heart of the story. Much to my relief, Michael Keaton is not overused as the doubly-named title character, but devours every iota of screentime given to great effect. Though wacky and funny, the film still rightfully views him as a villain and Keaton’s performance reflects that.
Many of the visuals in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are done practically and it’s all the better for it. CG is used when needed, but I felt like I could have stepped into this world and every place and creature looks hand-crafted with glee. The sets and ghosts are lovingly detailed and given more time onscreen with the film’s higher budget, with everything matching the original’s aesthetic. Like It: Chapter 2, the movie has a funhouse of frights approach that occasionally overtakes the story’s themes, but manages to marry the two satisfyingly by the end.
Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci’s subplots barely factor into the main story here and could have been excised for a tighter movie, but they give their all and are enjoyable despite their superfluousness. There are a couple other plot elements so quickly introduced and dealt with or dropped that mentioning them is needless, but the good stuff here had me smiling so big that the extra baggage didn’t bother me. Though the road getting there isn’t always smooth, this is a story about familial relationships and people moving on from demons of their pasts and I appreciated it for that. Lastly, I applaud writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar extra points for not filling the movie to the gills with callbacks and fan service to the first movie. Some is here, but it never distracts from what’s happening nor will it alienate newcomers. After a summer of franchise duds this was a breath of fresh, gothic air that I look forward to inhaling again in the future. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice compensates for an overly busy story with great visuals, good performances, and a sense of spookhouse joy that can sit comfortably next to its classic predecessor. See it!
Rated PG-13 for Violent Content, Macabre and Bloody Images, Strong Language, Some Suggestive Material, and Brief Drug Use.