BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE. A Cool Return to the Past, with a Small “But” [REVIEW]

Is it possible to have a great time watching a movie while also having numerous reservations about it? The example of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” shows that it definitely is. Another entry in the “sequel nobody asked for” category, it kicked off the fall movie season with a bang. Though it’s a spectacular film that borrows heavily from the original (as well as from the still-popular trend of nostalgia), it’s hard to call it a completely successful return for Tim Burton.

The continuation of the cult black comedy from 1988 hits screens 36 years after the first part premiered. Although potential sequel scripts were written just two years after “Beetlejuice” debuted, as recently as 2021 it seemed that Warner Bros. had given up on trying to make a follow-up to Burton’s film. In the meantime, the director himself repeatedly abandoned and then returned to the project. It wasn’t until 2022, when Brad Pitt and his production company decided to get involved, that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” started to take shape. The result is a film that features most of the original cast, including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. The remaining question was whether the story told in the sequel would be good enough to justify returning to the world of “Beetlejuice” after almost four decades…

My answer to that question is ambiguous. Revisiting the Deetz family for “Beetlejuice” fans is certainly intriguing, especially since the paranormal events of the first film undoubtedly left a mark, particularly on Lydia (Winona Ryder), who was a teenager at the time. Now the mother of adult Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and host of a TV show about ghosts, our protagonist remains a black-clad neurotic, whose memories of “Beetlejuice” seem more vivid than ever. A death in the Deetz family provides Lydia with an opportunity to reconnect with both her rebellious daughter and her eccentric stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara). What role will Michael Keaton’s striped-suited demon play in all this? Well, you can definitely expect a lot of chaos from the afterlife, intensified by supporting characters played by Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe, among others.

Fans of Tim Burton have been waiting over a decade for their favorite director to return to his highest level of phantasmagorical form, and in terms of props and practical special effects, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” should be more than satisfying. The dark afterlife inhabited by the titular demon is portrayed as convincingly as it was in 1988, and the creativity in depicting the dead and various locations in the afterlife reaches new heights. All of this, complemented by the fantastic music of Burton’s regular collaborator Danny Elfman, makes a great impression and provides an immersive experience, especially for fans of “Beetlejuice”. For them, it will be a visually amped-up nostalgic journey to a time when a few scary puppets and German Expressionist-inspired sets were enough for Tim Burton to create an extraordinary atmosphere.

However, there is a problem with the plot of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, which is filled with secondary characters but doesn’t really focus on any development of the main ones. Lydia’s character, in particular, may be a disappointment, as she seems to lack determination and agency. Likewise, Astrid and Rory (Justin Theroux), Lydia’s love interest, feel a bit tacked on—though the mother-daughter relationship is supposed to drive the story, it lacks the emotional weight needed to make their bond believable. When you add in the completely unnecessary (though visually impressive) characters like Delores (Monica Bellucci) or Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), who seems straight out of a Wes Anderson universe, it creates a sense of chaotic menagerie where everyone is meant to be “something,” but it’s unclear what the point of that “something” is. Fortunately, the action in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” moves from one spectacular sequence to another, making the viewing experience fun, even despite the narrative shortcomings. A large part of this is, of course, thanks to Michael Keaton and his titular character, who—though not overused—always guarantees a good time.

The “Beetlejuice” sequel won’t become as iconic as the 1988 original, but it should satisfy fans of the character, and younger viewers, who may not be familiar with Burton’s classic, will likely find it enjoyable, especially on an audiovisual level. However, unlike the recent “Top Gun” sequel, another hit from the ’80s, I don’t think “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” adds anything to the original story or even meaningfully expands on it. It’s a fun, entertaining production with significant nostalgic value for many viewers. For others, it will simply be another well-made movie starring Jenna Ortega.