BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Justin Theroux,, Arthur Conti, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Writer: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Runtime: 105 min
Rated: PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), 4K Ultra HD, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it's only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice's name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

Review:

Who knew that a sequel to Tim Burton's 1988 horror comedy classic "Beetlejuice" would end up being the director's best movie in years. Of course, that's a pretty low bar to cross with films like 2010's "Alice in Wonderland" and 2019's "Dumbo" burdening the filmmaker's legacy, but the hilariously titled "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" marks a surprisingly engaging return to Burton's darker and quirkier fantasy films that built his reputation.

I won't go too much into the plot, because honestly, the damn thing is all over the place. Most of the original's cast returns, aside from Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, and for objective reasons, Jeffrey Jones. The main players in the sequel are the three generations of Deetz women: Lydia (Winona Ryder), her stemother Delia (Catherine O'Hara), and daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega).

Of course, afterlife-renowned bio-exorcist Betelgeuse, or Beetlejuice if you're trying to guess his name in a game of charades, is also back and once again played with unhinged energy by the ever-great Michael Keaton. The zany character was only on-screen for roughly 17 minutes in the original film, and Burton decided to give Keaton more or less the same amount of screen time in the sequel, as well. It's a brilliant implementation of the "less-is-more" concept, since the character's slapstick works best in small doses.

While Beetlejuice became a wildly popular character, it would be unfair to say that he was the only good thing about the first film. In "Beetlejuice", Burton built a vivid, hilariously macabre world populated with fun, quirky characters, and some surprisingly heartfelt moments. Keaton's Betelgeuse was just the cherry on top, the icing on the cake, the piece de resistance. The sequel pretty much carries over that same wacky charm, but is also faced with a new dilemma. Where can they take the story next ?

And, unfortunately, the story is where the movie kind of falters. It's not like the 1988 movie was some narrative masterpiece. It was relatively short and communicated plot points quickly and efficiently, but didn't stand out as a groundbreaking or profound narrative experience. The sequel moves just as fast, but is longer and more convoluted, branching out into several subplots that are fun in the moment, but add nothing to the overall plot. Also, expect lots and lots of callbacks to the original.

We have a villain, Betelgeuse's soul-eating (literally) ex-wife (Monica Bellucci), who returns to exact revenge on her former lover, but disappears for long portions of the movie. Willem Dafoe joins the fun as a ghost detective who is ultimately not relevant to the story and pretty much just a gag character. Justin Theroux is another new addition, playing Lydia's a-hole boyfriend/fiancee, a character written not so much as a villain, but as someone the audience can actively dislike. He too is completely wasted in the background of this overcrowded ensemble.

The whole narrative is incredibly erratic, and I think the writers were very aware of this, because at one point they have Ortega utter the following line: "I swear, the afterlife is so random". That's pretty much what I was thinking the entire time I was watching "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice". Still, there's a lot to appreciate about this sequel, including the fantastic cinematography, art direction, costumes and makeup, as well as Danny Elfman's darkly playful score. In the spirit of the original, Burton leans heavily into practical effects, deploying a wide variety of prosthetics, puppets and even stop-motion animation. A wonderfully retro black-and-white Italian flashback scene stands out as particularly memorable, and little touches like that make this film a treat for fans and cinephiles.

Despite its shortcomings, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is a solid sequel, and a fun fantasy comedy. All the performances are great across the board, with Keaton and Ortega standing out, the production values are amazing, and Burton and his team deliver a wonderfully creative adventure that won't make a lot sense if you're trying to pick apart its story, but can be a lot of fun if you're willing to let yourself go with the movie's offbeat flow.

SCORE: 7.5/10