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After 36 years in development hell, Tim Burton returns to the director’s chair in the long-awaited Beetlejuice sequel, appropriately titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. However, is 36 too long a wait? Does the sequel surpass the original in any way? Let’s take a look.
Following the real-world timeline, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place 36 after the original. We are quickly reacquainted with Lydia Deetz and Delia Deetz (with Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara reprising their roles) who have become celebrities in two different worlds. Delia is an accomplished performance artist, while Lydia hosts a television show that showcases her psychic abilities. These same powers have caused her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), to become estranged from her.
Yet, the death of patriarch, Charles Deetz (originally played by disgraced actor, Jeffrey Jones, who is fortunately absent from the picture) spurs the Deetz family to return to Winter River and the haunted house they left behind. Multiple dangers force the Deetz to summon the dreaded Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) and ask for his help.
Welcome Returns and Legacy Sequels
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the latest instalment in the recent “legacy sequel” fad currently passing through Hollywood (e.g. The Craft: Legacy, Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters) but unlike most of them, this second Beetlejuice film is a true sequel to the original with the principal cast returning for more than a cameo. The best part of any sequel is seeing who returns from the previous movie(s) and while only three actors return, they make the movie worth the watch. Ryder and O’Hara jump right into their respective character’s shoes (and hair if you’re Ryder) and they have become a far better duo here than they were in the first.
I always found Delia to be funny in the first movie, though somewhat insufferable. Still, Burton allowed O’Hara to turn up her charm and comedic chops, making her not just likable but lovable and thrilling to watch whenever she’s on the screen. O’Hara’s occasionally over-the-top performance matches the uniqueness of Tim Burton’s style and is a nice living world counterpart to the weirdly wonderful goings-on in the Afterlife.
Winona Ryder’s PTSD-stricken Lydia has become a little too similar to her character in Stranger Things, the two characters even share a similar “gotta rescue my kid from this other world” storyline going on. That being said, Ryder’s impeccable natural talent helped me look past this after a little while.
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Tim Burton also returns as the director bringing his eccentric flair back to the table. After a string of duds, this Beetlejuice sequel pulls Burton back into his usual filmmaking style. His flair is actually used more effectively this time around because he draws a fine line between the real world and the Afterlife. The living world is firmly in reality while the Afterlife takes full advantage of Burton’s style. This is a stark contrast with the original where the flair blurred the lines between the two worlds with its overtly B-Movie style.
Of course, this is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and we can’t talk about B********e without talking about Michael Keaton who is not just back but he – is – BACK! Keaton is so good in the movie (as most might have expected) that it feels like he stayed in costume all these years, in character, waiting for the sequel to be greenlit. His performance is wilder and even zanier than before and it just works brilliantly. If Ryan Gosling can get a slew of Best Supporting Actor nominations for Barbie, then I see no reason why Keaton can’t be put into consideration. He literally steals every scene he is in and made me convinced that a Beetlejuice Beetlejuice B********e has got to be made.
An Afterlife Special & Wasted Villains
The original movie spent most of its time inside the house haunted by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis (both of whom do not appear), giving us mere glimpses of the Afterlife. By comparison, the sequel opens up that world, allowing us a wider look into how it works as well as the spirits who occupy it. The iconic waiting room and crooked hallways return, alongside new locations like my personal favourite: THE SOUL TRAIN! It is one the funniest and most brilliant scenes in an already humorous movie, though what the Soul Train scene entails is best left as a surprise.
Some may be afraid that the movie reveals too much of the Afterlife, but what we really see is more of the “junction” spirits go to before they pass on to the other side. It is here where Betelgeuse and his shrunken head employees are working. It’s also where we’re introduced to the villain, who is desperate to find Betelgeuse so she can enact some sweet, sweet revenge.
Where Beetlejuice was the villain of the first movie, it’s Monica Bellucci who takes the villainous reigns as a soul-sucker capable of killing the dead, and she wants Betelguise! Bellucci’s wonderful Frankenstein-esque design is wonderfully introduced to the tune of “Tragedy” by Bee Gees.
There’s a good performance in Bellucci somewhere in this movie, however, I’m afraid to say that she is absolutely wasted. Her presence, along with another villain, is pointless and Bellucci spends 99% of the movie walking. She looks fucking amazing doing it and Haris Zambarloukos’ cinematography makes it interesting to watch but it’s ultimately all that she does until the finale. Yet, even her appearance in the final scene seems rushed beyond belief. Her presence simply feels like Tim Burton trying to fulfil his trademark of spotlighting his current real-life girlfriend. Her presence seems to build up to something but after one million shots of her walking, I started to suspect that this was all we were going to get of her.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still a great outing to the cinema, wonderfully funny with plenty of callbacks to the original film that fans will love.
3.5/5 stars
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This article was edited by John Tangalin.