Review: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
Over 35 years since the original movie, Michael Keaton finally returns as the Ghost with the Most in the long-anticipated sequel to Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
Taking place in the present day, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is now a reality TV host with a teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), and a boyfriend/manager, Rory (Justin Theroux). When Lydia’s father, Charles, dies on a bird-watching trip, the entire family, including Lydia’s stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), returns to Wind River and the home formerly haunted by The Maitlands and Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse has been running a call center in the afterlife, but he goes on the run when his ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) returns looking for revenge. There are quite a few plots set in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice but the movie feels a bit stretched thin, as most of them feel like the beginning of an idea. There’s not a lot of cohesion drawing them all together, and the ending especially feels rushed to try to end the various storylines in the fastest way possible. If the movie had focused on one or two ideas, it probably would have been much stronger plot-wise. The Delores plotline, for instance, feels like an afterthought; instead of the driving force, it should have been with an entity that was more dangerous than Betelgeuse. Monica Bellucci has almost nothing to do despite seeming like she’s game to vamp it up. Luckily for the movie, there’s so much going on visually, and the cast is so game that you can forgive the sloppiness and unsubstantial nature of the plot for the most part.
Michael Keaton slips right back into Betelgeuse’s crass and disgusting shoes and is around for much more of the movie this time compared to his legendarily short screen time in the original film. He is fully committed to all the insanity, lip-syncing to several songs and delivering some hilarious one-liners. Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe are also both crushing it, with O’Hara making Delia somehow even more self-deluded and selfish but hilarious, and Dafoe is fantastic as Wolf Jackson, an Afterlife cop who was an actor in his real life and still in that frame of mind while investigating cases. Justin Theroux also gets plenty of laughs as Rory, who insincerely tries to show how sensitive he is but only cares about money and fame. Jenna Ortega perfectly captures Winona Ryder’s tone in the original movie as a moody teen, but Ryder herself isn’t given anything interesting or funny to do. She’s mostly just the straight man or reacting to things passively, and she and Monica Bellucci are the two characters that are definitely underutilized.
Along with the cast, the other highlights of the movie are the insanely creative visuals and set design. After delivering some of the ugliest CGI abominations for years, Tim Burton is finally back to the aesthetic that made everyone fall in love with his style, and it’s all on display here. There are tons of practical effects, stop-motion, and all the other trademarks of his movies that have been sorely missed, and it’s all fantastic, macabre, and hilarious. The various denizens of the Afterlife, the insane set design, the Sandworms, and everything else seem to have so much love and thought put into it. It’s a worthy successor to the original Beetlejuice in that regard.
Despite its narrative shortcomings, “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” is a visual feast that captures the original’s quirky charm. It is a must-watch for fans of Tim Burton’s unique style and a welcome return to form for the prolific director.
