Tim Burton notably burst onto the cinematic scene with the surprise success of Beetlejuice in 1988. The cast was tremendous, but Winona Ryder as Lydia and Michael Keaton in the titular role were the clear standouts. For the last few decades, there have been rumblings of a sequel, but few believed it could happen. Well, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has arrived, and it delivers laughs, fun, and love that any fan of the original will surely eat up.
Lydia returns home to Winter River with three generations of the Deetz family after a tragedy befalls them. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, things go from bad to worse when her teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), opens a portal to the Afterlife, and Lydia has to make some tough choices to save her family once again.
Burton made a name for himself with his impeccable set design and costumes, and that aspect is on full display in this sequel. One clear standout of this movie is the use of practical effects. The combination of the model of the town, the Afterlife, and the house from the first film alone are enough to praise the production design. However, the various ghosts and their designs are all extremely cool. As one may expect, there are some stop-motion animation sequences that call back to much of Burton’s earlier work. The movie looks great as a result and feels like a solid throwback.
Keaton stepping back into the role that helped make him a household name is not uncommon. He also reprised his other character that was also a Burton collaboration as Batman in last year’s The Flash. Apparently, slipping back into the striped suit is just like riding a bicycle. Keaton channels the ”ghost with the most”, and has no problem delivering the next phase of Beetlejuice’s afterlife. The movie manages to evolve the characters from the first film while not just rehashing everything we remember.
Ryder and O’Hara are also fantastic being back in their roles. Ryder quickly finds and delivers elements of Lydia from the original film while taking the mannerism to the logical place it would be now. O’Hara, though, truly steals the show here. Her character is absolutely hilarious and was the most pleasant surprise of this film. Not to repeat the same idea, but Burton very much found a way to make these characters feel like the first movie never ended, and they kept living their lives.
Ortega has gained so much popularity over the last few years, even becoming a meme from Burton’s TV series, Wednesday. It made complete sense to cast her as Lydia’s daughter for this film, and the conflict between them is the major issue the film has to tackle. There is an understandable hostility set up by the loss of Astrid’s father. Ortega gets some things to do, but it’s definitely not her movie.
There is a lot of plot in this movie that gets us to the final sequence. Some of the story threads get resolved too quickly, and if you overthink anything too much, it’ll totally fall apart. However, the story acts simply as a vessel to deliver us some fun and creative set pieces. The third-act finale is masterful, and will probably be the moment that makes or breaks the film for each individual audience member.
Ultimately, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel I’ve been waiting for. After rewatching the first film, I am happy to report that this one delivered what I wanted. It’s not as good, but it’s certainly better than many sequels we’ve been given in the past. There are some incredible performances to behold in some awesomely designed sets. At the end of the day, this film proves that making a sequel 36 years later isn’t just about raking in the dollars.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters everywhere on September 6.
Rating: 3.5/5
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