Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

by Mike McGranaghan

It’s surprising to rewatch the original Beetlejuice and discover how little the title character is actually in it. In fact, he doesn’t formally enter the story until the 47-minute mark, and even then, he’s a supporting character whose function is to be an antagonist to the married couple played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. The long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t waste much time bringing him into play. It does, however, avoid the temptation to deliver non-stop Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton’s signature creation is used strategically – a wise choice that helps this follow-up feel true to its predecessor.

Winona Ryder is back as the now-widowed Lydia Deetz. She’s the host of a paranormal TV show, overseen by her boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux), a guy who is pretentiousness personified. Lydia and estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) are summoned to the family home in Winter River by Lydia’s stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) after the death of her husband Charles. (The film has a very clever way of getting around the Jeffrey Jones problem.) Astrid quicky finds herself in otherworldly danger, leading Lydia to reluctantly call on Beetlejuice for help. He’s got his own issues, as his ex-wife Delores (Monica Belluci) has risen from the undead and is seeking revenge against him. Willem Dafoe plays Wolf Jackson, a deceased actor who works as a cop in the afterlife.

“Legacy sequels” have become a big deal in recent years. The ones that really work, like Top Gun: Maverick and Twisters, do so because the people making them took advantage of the intervening years to figure out the true appeal of the originals. Had we gotten a Beetlejuice sequel in, say, 1990, it likely would have been an hour-and-a-half of nonstop insanity from the character. The original succeeded because it had a humorous perspective on death and a solid story to accentuate it. Returning director Tim Burton and his screenwriters make certain to replicate those qualities the second time around.

As a result, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is rightly Lydia’s tale. The plot revolves around her efforts to reconcile her troubled past experiences with the paranormal so she can create a healthier future for herself and for Astrid. All the wackiness – of which there is no shortage – is here to support that idea, just as it supported the tale of Barbara and Adam Maitland coming to terms with their own passings in the first installment. Ryder credibly updates Lydia to adulthood without losing the dark eccentricity that defines her, sharing effective scenes with appealing newcomer to the series Jenna Ortega in the process.

Around the edges of that plot, Keaton comes in to deliver the crazy. He’s every bit as funny in the role of Beetlejuice as he was thirty-six years ago. Being more than three decades older has done nothing to dim his skill at manic comedy. The movie also has plenty of the macabre humor viewers have come to expect. One of the most amusing things is noticing the odd ways minor characters have died. I laughed out loud when Wolf is helped by a woman whose body has been pierced by a javelin.

Tim Burton has spent the last two decades or so trading, often unsuccessfully, on his oddball filmmaking style. In pictures like Dark Shadows and Dumbo, he almost felt like a parody of himself. The director makes a massive return to form by shrewdly embracing honest-to-goodness weirdness again. Although some visual ideas are understandably repeated, Burton brings fresh concepts to the table, as well, especially during a riotous musical number that is to this film what “Banana Boat (Day-O)” was to Beetlejuice. Using glorious practical effects in favor of CGI whenever possible allows his imagination to be free.

The one element that doesn’t work is the subplot involving Delores. She isn’t developed as a character, and the arc ultimately doesn’t lead anywhere significant. It’s a notable misstep in a sequel that’s otherwise incredibly entertaining. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice may have that flaw but being able to recapture the tone and attitude of the 1988 classic makes the movie a legacy sequel that satisfies.

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