Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
review by Bobby Blakey
I love all things, Tim Burton. He has a style all his own and it’s almost always obvious when he is involved. In 1988 he unleashed his supernatural comedy Beetlejuice starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. The film spawned an animated series, toys, etc. and became a cult favorite. For years they have discussed a sequel that didn’t feel like would ever happen until now. Finally, Burton and Keaton have reteamed for the follow-up Beetlejuice Beetlejuice featuring the return of both Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara along with new cast members Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti and Willem Dafoe. Could this be a worthy follow-up to the classic original or should if have never risen from the dead?
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows three generations of the Deetz family who return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
Like every other fan of the original film, I have been waiting and hoping this sequel would eventually come to fruition, but also worried if it’s been too long. Let’s be fair, the original film in all its quirky dark glory is silly and nonsensical, but there is a magic there that is hard to replicate. I am happy to say that this new movie not only recaptures everything that works in the first film, but it also manages to expand on it to make it feel like it has something to say without saying much of anything. While it is a great sequel, it is all over the place at times as it fights through the chaos of this tale.
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The story is simple, doing a good job of bringing all the things fans love into a new story that pushes the original characters into new places. This sets the stage for bringing in these new characters and blending into this strange world. The cast are all great, but for this film to really work Keaton must be able to bring Beetlejuice back to life and he does so to perfection. It’s like he hadn’t missed a beat and brings all the usual high energy and witty banter to a character that fans love in all his horrible and hilarious glory. You can tell he is having a great time, and it elevates the film even when it doesn’t hit the mark.
Rider brings much of the same, but in a new way as an older woman not and embracing her abilities. This also creates the strained relationship with her daughter who is a great addition to the story played by the always awesome Ortega. I loved that O’Hara got even more to do this time around in her own arc. The biggest part of the story brings them together in the way they deal with Jeffery Jones character and works to revisit the underworld. I assumed they would just kill him off considering the circumstances of Jones, but they dived deeper into it and found a creative way to keep him vital to the story without Jones actual ever there.
We seemed to get to spend more time in the afterlife which always lends to some over the top ridiculous fun. I was so happy to see they used the majority of practical effects and keep things looking a lot like the original film while going all in and stepping up its game. Sure, it gets silly and all over the place, but it just works for this world. You have expectations from this universe, and it goes all in, and I loved it. It’s different than what I expected the sequel was always going to be but in the best way possible and both honor the original while making a worthy follow-up that will hopefully resonate with fans. This will be for sure on regular rotation for me like the original and so happy to see Tim Burton back in his iconic filmmaking style and hope this sets him back on this path that I love so much.
Return to the afterlife and check out Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in theaters now from Warner Bros Discovery.
