Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review
Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. BEETLEJUICE!
When the iconic film was first released in 1988, almost no one had heard of director Tim Burton. Beetlejuice put him and many other talented individuals on the map. These days, everyone considers Tim Burton the master of the gothic and the macabre, but it all stems from his success with Beetlejuice. However, despite it spawning video games, merchandise, and a popular cartoon in the late 80s-early 90s, a sequel felt like nothing more than a pipe dream. Needless to say, the news about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has reignited Beetlemania across the world. And dare I say it, but despite a few flaws with the plot, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice shows us that the titular character is still the ghost with the most.
Beetlejuice Returns for a New Generation
Thirty-six years since the first film’s events, Lydia Deetz is hosting a popular talk show about ghosts. And she couldn’t be more miserable. Her ex-husband died in a trip overseas. Her daughter, Astrid, thinks she’s a quack. And she’s unsure if she’s hallucinating images of Beetlejuice or if he is haunting her. But when her dad’s sudden death reunites the Deetz family for the funeral, it turns out she’s not imagining things. Beetlejuice is stalking her from the afterlife. And when another ghost puts Astrid’s life in danger, he’s the only one Lydia can turn to for help to save her. The irony!
If it feels surreal to get a sequel to Beetlejuice, that’s because it is. There were talks of a sequel as early as the 90s, but Tim Burton and the others who worked on it kept moving on to other projects. But with his last film, the live-action Dumbo, losing money, it feels like Burton decided he needed to get back to his roots. And from the moment the film starts, it shows. Far from being a cynical cash-grab profiting off of nostalgia, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice proves just as macabre and comedic as the original, if not slightly more. Why? Because it’s not afraid to hide the fact that the events the Deetz’s experienced left long-lasting scars, especially with Lydia.
Winona Ryder doesn’t just seamlessly step back into her role as Lydia Deetz. She goes the extra mile to show us that, despite her happy ending dancing to “Jump in the line,” what Beetlejuice put her through did traumatize her. I kid you not, we even discover that she’s resorted to drugs to cope with the ghost messing with her. And to make matters worse, her own daughter thinks she’s a fraud, mainly because she doesn’t get why Lydia can’t speak to the ghost of her dead father. It’s still funny since we know that Lydia’s now on the receiving end of the same grief she put Delia through (which they both note), but the seriousness remains.
A Family Story at Heart
If Lydia was the heart of the original film, then her relationship with her daughter is the heart of its sequel. The shared experiences she and Astrid have in the land of the dead serve as a means for them to reconcile their problems. For Lydia, by confronting Beetlejuice, she makes peace with what happened, and that while she can’t fully get rid of her demons, she can control them. For Astrid, she realizes that her Mom isn’t crazy and she should stop giving her such a hard time. It’s a pretty heartwarming sight…unless you’re Beetlejuice.
Speaking of whom, if the trailers made you think that Beetlejuice is going to become a reluctant ally to Lydia, bury that notion six feet under and pour concrete over it. Then burn the notion that he might be toned down for the sake of more modern sensibilities next to the grave. Beetlejuice is still as perverted, disgusting, and offensive as ever and remains an absolute menace to the living and the dead. And that’s just how we like him.
The Ghost Still Has the Most!
I could tell that Michael Keaton must have had the time of his life getting to play his most famous role again, because it shows. Whenever he’s on-camera as the ghost with the most, he’s going to make people laugh. And despite the trailers and clips making it seem like he’s got bigger threats to deal with, like his angry ex-wife, when the time comes, they can’t handle the juice. By the time of the climax, it’s apparent any other threats are there for him to put in his place. In fact, my only complaint about the film is that the ex-wife thing could’ve been taken out altogether, and it wouldn’t have affected the outcome.
It actually makes me wonder how well he and Bill Cipher would get along…
So, what’s the verdict? Despite some saying that the sequel doesn’t live up to the original, and that some characters could be cut out and the plot wouldn’t change (like Willem Dafoe’s character), it’s still a good movie. Everyone who came back to make the film has still got it. Tim Burton still knows what he’s doing with gothic films. Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice is still hilarious and we will quote everything he says. And above all, it’s just a pretty good time. As for whether or not this movie gets a sequel, that’s up in the air. I think that it would be nice to get a third one to round everything out/complete the chant. If not, though, it’s still nice to see the characters again.
However, I still don’t get why Warner Bros didn’t wait until October to release this.
