Directed by Tim Burton, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice takes place 36 years after the events of Beetlejuice and follows three generations of the Deetz family who return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), 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.
The first Beetlejuice was the second film Tim Burton made in his career as a director and it was a wacky classic that won over many hearts over the years, as well as introduced everyone to the inventive worlds and fun characters created from the mind of Tim Burton. He would go on to create many memorable films for various generations but lately Tim Burton’s work has not been as popular or impactful as it has been in the past. Recently though it seems he gained back a bit of his creative spark when creating the show Wednesday, which was very well received and made many hopeful for a major comeback for Burton on the big screen with this sequel to the 36-year-old classic.
After getting the chance to watch an early screening for it I can say that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is absolute madness in the best possible way. It is just as random and bizarre as its predecessor but it kicks things up a notch as Tim Burton goes full unhinged for the first time in a long time, delivering a wildly fun sequel full of great performances, fantastic effects, and crazy dark humor that doesn’t hold back in the slightest.
It does a great job honoring the original film while expanding upon the story, world, and characters in such outrageous fashion that only an unrestrained Tim Burton could create. It may not be a film for everyone if you were not the biggest fan of the first film to begin with, but if you are a fan or are someone who’s been looking for the perfect film to kick off the spooky season then this film has everything you need from the weird to the bat shit insane.
When it comes to an unhinged Tim Burton film you need an insanely dedicated and talented cast to commit to the madness and make it work, which is exactly what we get from both new additions to the cast and returning faces of the past. Every character shines with their respective roles, putting their hearts into them and clearly having an absolute blast in the creative sandbox Burton puts them in.
Michael Keaton once again shines as the titular Beetlejuice who even after 36 years remains an absolute gem of an unhinged character that everyone loves and remembers. Despite being older Keaton gives his all in his return of this character, delivering unfiltered and outrageous dark humor that provides endless amounts of laughs. Interestingly enough though the character is not as heavily present in this sequel as it chooses to keep to tradition with how much Beetlejuice was used in the first film. Beetlejuice only had 17 minutes of screen time in the first film and while it certainly feels like he had a bit more screen time in this one he’s actually not overused as one would expect, and I can actually respect Tim Burton and his crew for that decision. Overusing the character to a certain extent can wear off the charm and humor really quickly, while using him in appropriate doses makes the laughs hit harder and the character’s presence feel far more impactful as well as satisfying.
Winona Ryder makes a fantastic return as Lydia Deetz, playing an older yet still compelling version of the character who gives the film its heart with her performance much like in the first film. She has a mostly great arc that takes a bit to get going but has a lot of solid points that show how much the character has evolved over the years compared to Beetlejuice who has never evolved or matured.
But by far the biggest standout amongst the returning cast easily has to be Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz. Catherine O’Hara retains her status as one of the OG comedic queens in film history with her energetic and hilarious performance in this film that delivered insane amounts of laughter for me that even rival that of Keaton as Beetlejuice. She was good in the first film but I can honestly say I thought she was even better here in so many ways that I think many people will agree with when they watch it.
The newer faces that join in are all very welcomed additions to the cast that blend in with the legacy cast extremely well. Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Lydia, is as brilliant and as fitting as people would expect in another Tim Burton production given her phenomenal work in Wednesday. And much like Winona as Lydia, she gives the film some of its heart with her performance, and while not as heavily present as other characters she is still a strong addition to the cast and story.
Justin Theroux as Rory, Lydia’s current boyfriend, excellently plays an absolute sleazeball of a character that you love to hate as well as desperately want to see get his comeuppance. This character could have easily been very annoying to watch in the film but Theroux’s performance makes the character immensely enjoyable and delivers a lot of laughs on his own.
Two other great additions that I wish we had a lot more of in the film are Monica Bellucci as Delores, a soul-sucking witch and ex-wife of Beetlejuice, and Willem Dafoe as Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective who, in life, was a B movie action star. Both are immensely committed to their unhinged characters, making for very entertaining supporting characters that fit perfectly in this unhinged world, but again I did wish we had more of both of them in the film.
The story is very much as random and bonkers as its predecessor, where it has a lot of things going on all at once and isn’t exactly a straightforward narrative, which may not be enjoyable for everyone especially if you didn’t enjoy this kind of story from the first film. I personally found the film to be mostly fun and entertaining for its chaotic nature and dark humor as it very much recaptures the old school and unhinged charm of Tim Burton back in his early days when he wasn’t so restrained by various studios, including one that gets made fun of frequently throughout this film.
It should be noted though that this film relies very much on you having seen the first film so I would highly recommend watching the first film again before seeing this one to refresh your memory with its story and lore.
If I did have one major complaint about the narrative I would say that it has a slow first act that takes a little too much time to get things going but then it hits the ground running after some fun twists and turns that make things better. Also, this film really pushes the boundaries of its PG-13 rating with not only the jokes and dialogue but also numerous sequences involving gruesome deaths and shocking amounts of uncensored practical gore that should have given this film an R-rating. I truly could not believe how much disturbing and outrageous stuff that Tim Burton and his crew were able to get away with and I absolutely loved it.
The other major aspect of this film that makes it so enjoyable besides its fun performances is the wacky and creative effects involved. Tim Burton’s unique visual style is something I always loved about most of his films in the past and it was honestly so great to see this style again with a high usage of practical effects, sets, costumes, and animatronics that fully absorb you into the weird and wild world of Beetlejuice.
Additionally, you even get to see stop-motion animation being used on the big screen after so many years, which looks absolutely fantastic. There is CGI present in the film on occasion and it may look very cartoonish to some but given that this is in a world that is very much like a cartoon with its style and tone it’s actually very fitting. Not to mention the CGI does provide some funny and disturbing visuals throughout the film that I think a lot of people will get a kick out of. The film has stellar cinematography that captures all of Burton’s visuals beautifully and again fully absorbs you into the world on screen.
Backing up all of this is not only a fun soundtrack of various songs but also a damn good score by returning composer and Burton regular Danny Elfman. The score truly elevates everything in this film even from the start with a phenomenal remaster of the original opening theme that gave me nostalgic goosebumps the moment I heard it.
This film feels like a major return to form for Tim Burton, at least in terms of his creatively unhinged era of filmmaking, which people will either love or feel mixed on. I think people who really loved the first film are definitely going to find themselves loving this sequel, and I recommend it to anyone who has a fondness for some Burton madness to kick off their spooky season on a good note. I’m going to give Beetlejuice Beetlejuice an A- = 93.
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