Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is unashamedly imperfect but also somehow still brilliant in its own special, silly way.
It’s easy to cynically write off the current spate of legacy sequels to beloved 80’s movies as nostalgia-driven cash grabs. I tempered my expectations accordingly from build-up to release.
However, I have to admit, I was thoroughly impressed by the teaser poster which hilariously implied Beetlejuice was still in the waiting room all these years later. That, and I thought the title was just inspired! The original was a childhood favourite of mine so I was always going to watch this but the marketing department totally got 2 over on me.
I correctly guessed the basic setup beforehand: The Deetz family return to the picturesque town of Winter River following the (minor spoiler) death of Charles.
The writers clearly had fun filling in the 35-year gap in the original characters lives: Lydia (Wynona Ryder) is a TV medium and ghost hunter, romantically involved with her douchebag producer Rory (Justin Theroux) and trying to navigate motherhood with her own moody goth teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Eccentric mother Delia (a scene-stealing Catherine O’Hara), is now a successful artist in hilariously pretentious form.
Meanwhile, in the afterlife, the ghost with the most has been amusingly, working as an afterlife call centre manager and waiting earnestly for the chance to remarry “the love of his life”, just as his soul-sucking ex (Monica Bellucci) reanimates and goes on a revenge rampage with former actor and afterlife cop Wolf Jackson (Willem Defoe) on her case. (Super)naturally, his jinx ensues but I won’t get any further into spoilers.
As is the case with most sequels, the writers fall into the trap of spending the time saved on world-building and setting up too many subplots. Ideas are thrown at the wall thick and fast and not all of them stick. Sure there are plenty of Easter eggs and callbacks but none feel too strained given the ridiculousness of the premise.
There’s no question that much of the cast is underserved but nobody should really be coming into a Beetlejuice sequel expecting profound character development. However, they do try a little bit here and there and that’s where it struggles most. On the flip side, because it’s so overstuffed, the pace is zippy and it never gets boring.
The good news is it’s made in the same gloriously silly spirit as the original. After a period of relative mediocrity, Tim Burton is in his element. Unlike his previous adaptations of other people’s material, this is Burton revisiting Burton and fully in his comfort zone.
He leans hard into all of the quirks and idiosyncrasies that have become his hallmarks: morbid fascination, cartoonishly grim character designs, the clash between quaint American and expressionist set designs, colourful lighting, stop motion animation, an OTT Danny Elfman score and needle drops that clash in the best possible way. It’s all here and it’s great to see him on form again.
It feels like his enthusiasm was infectious. Speaking of which, Michael Keaton seems to be having an absolute blast as Beetlejuice. He made maximum use of limited screen time in the original and absolutely shines here, landing many more laughs than he managed back in 1988. Seeing him deliver lines this on point makes me wonder why he hasn’t done comedy roles more often.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is much like the original; it’s unashamedly imperfect but also somehow still brilliant in its own special, silly way. My lowered expectations definitely made for a very pleasant surprise and my 11-year-old daughter absolutely loved it too. If you were on board with the original, there’s plenty more to like here. Overall it’s a worthy and much funnier successor.
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