Reel Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Tim Burton’s long-awaited “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” resurrects the beloved ghostly trickster but struggles to recapture the original’s magic.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a film fans merely dreamed about getting. Rumors abounded for years about the possibility of its existence, but it took 36 years for Tim Burton to formally announce the film. The countdown to release began with a robust social media campaign, advertisements, and merchandise.

As I sat down in a packed cinema to watch the film I had been anxiously awaiting, the fanfare was no surprise to me, given the significant cultural impact of the original Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice begins as we see Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), who is all grown up and now a paranormal investigator/ psychic medium. Her husband has died in a boating accident, and she’s a single mom to the surly teenage Astrid (Jenna Ortega). The two have a strained relationship, mirroring Lydia’s relationship with her dad after her mom’s death in the original.

Astrid is having a tough time with her dad’s death, her mom’s weird public persona that gets her teased at school, and her mom’s shady new manager-turned-boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux).

The film fully begins when Charles’ sudden passing reunites Lydia with Delia Deetz for the funeral, bringing Lydia and Astrid back to the infamous home where Beetlejuice first made his appearance. When Astrid goes looking for reminders of her father in the attic, Beetlejuice creeps his way back into the Deetz’s lives.

In the afterlife, which takes up much of this film, we meet Beetlejuice and his gang of shrunken heads being alerted that his dearly beloved ex-wife Delores has returned. Played by the ever-beautiful Monica Bellucci, we did not get enough of this excellent character. The film struggles to decide who the villains will be, which is a shame because Delores’ soul-sucking ways and ethereal beauty make her the perfect choice for the big bad.

Sadly, they end up doing nothing with her. She floats in and out of the film periodically, and that’s about it. When she was on screen, she brought some great body horror and effects with her.

It is tough to summarize the plot of this film without writing a ridiculous amount of words.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice struggles to embrace one solid story. It could have wisely followed in the footsteps of the original, which was fantastical but still had a centered plot, a few core characters, and a cohesive narrative. Instead, we end up with about four distinct plotlines, each running alongside each other but lacking strong connective tissue. They become so convoluted that you really lose track of what is happening.

One such plotline involved Wolf Jackson (played by the fantastic Willem Dafoe), a dead actor turned afterlife cop. This was another example of a compelling character that didn’t get the attention it deserved. Dafoe delivers a stellar comedic release whenever he’s around but is woefully underutilized.

By the time we get to the bizarre ending, the film honestly makes no sense at all. Somehow, it even leaves open the possibility of another film, even though Burton has stated he will never return to the franchise.

Lastly, I want to address the issue with Charles Deetz, who was initially played by (Jeffery Jones) not being recast due to criminal convictions, which are too horrific to mention. I think they dwelled on it too much, illuminating his absence and surrounding the film around his character’s demise. I’d have preferred them to gloss over it and move on. Instead, it was overdone and a constant reminder of the actor, which surely nobody wanted.

Of course, it certainly wasn’t all bad.

The special effects and cinematography, especially in the afterlife realm, were really on point.

Coupled with Danny Elfman returning to score the film, it felt like nostalgic joy.

I loved seeing Winona Ryder pass the strange and unusual torch to the next generation of weirdos. Jenna Ortega is a breath of fresh air the franchise needed after all these years. Both Ryder and Ortega delivered standout performances and exuded a believable mother-daughter bond (no doubt aided by how well the two actors seemed to have gotten along on set).

Then, of course, there’s the return of the titular icon himself, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the beloved character and bringing the personality, charm, comedic chops, and magnetic appeal only he can provide. Keaton was not here to phone it in, and he gave the material his all.

Last but definitely not least, we have the always amazing Catherine O’Hara, who carried most of the film on her back.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as much as I hoped; as a die-hard fan of the original, maybe I had too high of expectations.

The cast shined brightly, and the technical talent was exactly what you’d want and expect from a Burton joint. But something was missing; the quirky magic of the original simply couldn’t be recaptured.

The first film is still a classic that will live forever and well into the afterlife. Don’t expect the same sort of lasting power for this somewhat fun but flawed sequel decades in the making. It’s not a bad time at the movies, but it doesn’t deliver enough to be worthy of such a long-awaited resurrection.