Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Review)
Within the whirlwind beginning of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long awaited follow up to Tim Burton’s classic, it becomes clear that this is a movie that plans on entertaining fans with zany and hilarious weirdness, just like the original, and maybe doesn’t care too much about its connective tissue.
And you know what? That’s okay. In fact, it’s way more entertaining than I thought it would be. This is a fun, breezy time, filled with some truly impressive visuals and a committed and fun cast across the board.
Decades have past since the Deetz family dealt with the ramifications of saying Beetlejuice’s name three times. But when a tragic passing happens within their family, they find themselves back in Winter River. Among the returning family members are Lydia (Winona Ryder), the moody teen turned ghost hunting tv star, whose traumatic memories are rivaled only by her estranged relationship with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega, obviously). This isn’t all bad, though, as it allows Lydia to become closer to her mother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara), who is no stranger to a moody daughter. Joining the family is Rory (Justin Theroux), Lydia’s boyfriend/agent who takes the tragic situation and thinks “how can I make this about me?” Pretty soon hijinks ensue, and Astrid finds herself in the afterlife, causing Lydia to reluctantly summon everyone’s favorite demon (sorry Annabelle) to help find her.
That’s the barebones plot of this movie, but there is kind of a bunch more going on, including a literal soul-sucking ex wife (Monica Belluci) hunting down Beetlejuice, a police squad (led by Willem Dafoe) tracking down both Beetlejuice and the living beings in the afterlife, a potential love interest for Astrid, and a race against the clock wedding that everyone needs to get to because, shit, why not?
This, to me, is my biggest negative of the movie. Whereas the first Beetlejuice had a fairly simple plot to it, this one has so much going on. On one hand, I have to give props for not simply just redoing the same movie over again, which is exactly how I thought this was going to go. On the other, it actually kind of doesn’t feel like this movie doesn’t care much for some of the side plots it goes on. Much of the situations get resolved jarringly quickly, and some, more specifically the ex wife bit, disappear for such long stretches of time that I kept forgetting about it.
Fortunately, there is plenty to keep us entertained even if the movie finds itself in a lull. The cast is all around fantastic, and really commit to their roles, even if some of them don’t have a whole lot to do. While the ex wife bit is very much on the sidelines, Monica Belluci commits to her sinister character all the way. Winona Ryder is always reliable, and her turns when she’s desperately trying to stop her loved ones from going into the afterlife are hilarious. Jenna Ortega channels Ryder’s character in the original so well, it almost feels like her performance will be overlooked just because it feels so at home in this world. Justin Theroux’s Rory can be a little one note but still manages to get score some great laughs. Willem Dafoe is definitely having a lot of fun hamming it up as an actor-turned-afterlife cop, and if he’s having fun, then we are definitely having fun. And the legendary Catherine O’Hara is just as funny as she was in the original, even if she doesn’t get a whole lot to do. Nobody does freak outs better than her.
But, just like the original, the real star of the show is undoubtedly Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. It goes without saying that Keaton is one of the greats, and his performance in the original only solidified that. And I’m so happy to say his return to this character is just as fantastic. It could’ve been so easy to phone it in for this movie, yet Keaton remains just as committed as ever. He easily scores the movie’s biggest laughs, whether it’s pitch perfect line delivery or hilarious musical moments (something that occurs a lot here). You wouldn’t think it’s been 36 years since the original Beetlejuice, because this guy has the same zany and manic energy as back then. We get a little more of him this time around, but it never feels exhausting or annoying. There’s an extended musical final sequence that felt like it would normally annoy me, but because it’s Keaton as Beetlejuice, I was cracking up throughout.
The other star of the show here is the incredible and truly inspiring visuals throughout. Whether it’s the sets, makeup, costume design, or incredible commitment to physical props for the duration of the entire thing, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an absolute visual treat. I’m kind of stunned Burton still had this in him, but it’s a welcome surprise. Come to think of it, it might be his best film visually in quite a while. I really hope the crew gets some Oscar nods for their incredible work here. Like I said, there are some lulls that had me itching to have Beetlejuice back on the screen again. But the movie was too pretty, with giant sets filled with background characters decked out in hilariously gruesome detail, that the wait really wasn’t all that bad. As a side note, the movie does a great job of getting you into the spooky season mood, something that goes a long way for me.
In the end, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a fun time. If you’re looking for something a little more, then I think you will leave disappointed. But if you’re just looking for more fun Beetlejuice gags, then you’ll definitely have a good time here. Either way, it’s a treat to witness visually, and reminds us that Michael Keaton is an absolute legend in this role.
