Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega
Rating: [3.5/5]
Legacy sequels typically exist for one reason and one reason only: to make a boatload of money for the studio. Sure, there can be some well-meaning artists involved, but at the end of the day, the financial reasons dictate its existence. Therefore, if we are to receive these legacy sequels, we should at the very least receive something entertaining for the trouble and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice certainly achieved that in bringing us back into this wacky world.
Now running a paranormal talk show, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) struggles with the appearances of the undead before her, including one who shall not be named. As she returns home for her father’s funeral, she must also contend with her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who does not believe in her mother’s abilities but gets wrapped up in some paranormal complications anyway.
As cynical as most of these legacy sequels has made me regarding their existence, the announcement of this particular film filled me with dread. Here we have a filmmaker in Tim Burton who is struggling to make anything good and a story that had its cultural moment in the 1980s that did not need any further exploration. It left the questions of what would this film provide to justify itself, and I had my fingers crossed that it would not be downright awful. With all of that cynicism in mind, this film certainly did work its magic in helping deliver Burton’s best work in an unfortunately long time.
While we integrate new characters like Astrid with an actor of the moment in Jenna Ortega, this film very much belongs to the pair at the center of the first film: Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) and Lydia. Existing as both a one-sided romance and one-sided hatred, seeing these two somehow team up with each other for the purposes of finding Astrid in the afterlife brought a different dynamic and one that allowed the two lead actors to have fun with these characters. In addition to their team up, we got the opportunity to follow them, navigate and explore more of the afterlife than we ever saw in the first film. This meant more time with that weird worm and some intriguing logistical hoops these dead individuals have to traverse. In the preceding film, we knew of the hilariously long waiting system in order to be seen and processed but that continues in several other facets down there displaying that death will not differ too much from the real world in regard to waiting in lines.
Keaton and Ryder ultimately exemplify what makes this film work, but especially Michael Keaton. The man just knows how to bring it to every role and it felt like an impossible task for him to re-enter the world of the titular character and spark the same magic he did the first go-around but he did it once again. Every line delivered worked and it reinvigorated why we like this character so much to begin with. He pairs well with everyone he has a scene opposite of, and once again serves as the crown jewel of these films.
As we get into the supporting characters is when we hit a bit of a rough patch with this feature where we have some entries such as Catherine O’Hara returning as Delia Deetz. There was never doubt she would bring something tremendous in her reprisal and she knocked it out of the park. However, we also have those characters who did not nearly get the runtime they deserved, and undercooking them came to the detriment of the film. This happens almost entirely with Monica Bellucci, who portrays the villain of the film, Delores LaFerve. While having a cool introduction, this character gets paid dust, especially when considering the weight her presence should have on the film given her relationship with the titular character and the abilities she wields. Delores mostly remains absent for the entirety of the film. You simply cannot waste Monica Bellucci like that and not expect me to have a problem with it.
Bringing in the new and the old all under one roof, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does just fine as a legacy sequel and given the recent track record of Tim Burton films, it feels like a miraculous success. It brings much of what we could enjoy from the original 1988 film while also expanding and building upon a world that truly did not need any further exploration but did well in providing it. All of the cast did well and Tim Burton delivered something worthwhile, which certainly makes me happy.
Films with Josh 