by James Coulter
When Beetlejuice was first released in theaters in 1988, the dark horror comedy helped set the tone of Tim Burton’s unique macabre aesthetic. Since then, the director has released other horror-themed classics including Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride.
Now, more than 25 years later, Burton returns to the director’s chair to helm the sequel to the movie that helped kickstart his career. And with the Beetlejuice franchise experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to the Broadway musical adaptation, a sequel seemed almost inevitable in this nostalgia-fueled movie landscape. But was Beetlejuice worth bringing back from the dead? Or was this movie best kept long buried and forgotten?
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place several decades after the events of the first movie. Lydia Deetz has grown up to become a popular paranormal investigator with an estranged relationship with her daughter Astrid. The two are forced to mend their ties following the death of Lydia’s father, and matters only become more complicated when Lydia is proposed to the day of her father’s wake.
Meanwhile, in the Netherworld, Beetlejuice continues his career as a “bio-exorcist.” He soon finds himself in the crosshairs of a scorned former lover who is out for revenge, sucking up the souls of the dead and intending to hunt down Beetlejuice for his soul. Will he manage to evade the wrath of his ex? And will Lydia and Astrid tie up their severed mother/daughter relationship?
Undoubtedly, the best part of the movie is its visuals. The sequel manages to maintain the same uncanny German expressionist-inspired aesthetic that had since defined Burton’s signature style. And surprisingly enough, unlike most other modern films, it doesn’t rely heavily on CGI. Like the original, the movie relies mostly on practical effects and stop motion that helps the unreal elements feel all the more real. This movie could have been nothing but wall-to-wall CGI, but instead, it wisely decided to try a more “practical” approach. And the film looks all the better for it.
Many of the former actors do an excellent job of reprising their roles. Michael Keaton effortlessly reprises his role as the titular character, even while he’s now past 70 years old! Winona Ryder does an excellent job acting like the grown-up version of her original teenage character. Even Catherine O’Hara performs her role of an aging eccentric socialite well. (The only character who doesn’t return is the one played by Jeffery Jones. He’s not dead, but considering what he did, he’d probably be better off that way!)
Jenny Ortega plays the character of Astrid well. No surprise there! She nailed it as Wednesday Addams on the Wednesday Netflix show. And her performance as a jaded goth girl in this movie, while more muted than her Wednesday character, was nailed equally well in this movie. (There’s even a cute, clever reference to Wednesday in this movie. Let’s just say when you see it, it’ll “snap” into place for you.)
Admittedly, the only real “flaw” was the first act, which started the film at a pace slower than molasses. Not surprising, considering the movie clocks in at nearly two hours long. (Interestingly
enough, the original movie was only an hour and a half, which is rather “fast” compared to modern movies that can be up to three hours long!)
Another aspect against the film is its complicated plot. Whereas the original movie only had a single plotline following the two main characters, this movie has multiple storylines for multiple characters. For the sequel to a movie that was rather simple, this movie certainly wants to become more complex and complicated.
However, the slow start and needlessly complicated plot aside, everything eventually pays off when things start to pick up steam in the second act. (No spoiler: but let’s just say that the inciting incident involves a plot twist to a plot twist to a character. When you see it, you’ll know, and it’s quite a surprise.) And once the third act rolls around, every disparate plot line eventually comes colliding together in a pleasantly chaotic mess that certainly lives up to the chaotic spirit of the original movie.
Overall, while Beetlejuice Beetlejuice starts slow with a complicated web of plot threads, the remainder of the movie more than compensates with a manic kinetic energy that culminates in a chaotic third act that’s simply worth dying for. If you love the original movie, you’ll love the sequel.
