Many years have passed since Lydia Deetz and her family first encountered Betelgeuse, the Bio-Exorcist. She’s now a single parent to a daughter who doesn’t believe in the paranormal, and in a romantic relationship the producer of a TV show she appears in. Her mother Delia is a successful artist, but who finds herself in a depression following the death of her husband/Lydia’s mother. Traveling to the old house for the funeral, Lydia is haunted by visions of Betelgeuse, someone she hoped to never encounter again. And in the afterlife, Betelgeuse has his work cut out for him – His estranged wife from centuries ago has put herself back together again (literally!), and is out for blood, as Lydia’s daughter Astrid finds herself intrigued by a boy she met in town who may not be all that he seems.
It seems like legacy sequels have become a big business these days, with many filmmakers revisiting their classic universes and characters. The original BEETLEJUICE was only Tim Burton’s second feature film, but it certainly established his stylistic tone and love of macabre and gothic elements. Even his longtime musical collaborator Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo Fame (who scored every Burton film with like three exceptions) has returned to score the film, with Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder reprising their parts. How does it fare?
I’ll give BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE credit for looking and sounding amazing. Tim Burton clearly hasn’t lost his touch in terms of world building as only he could do. And the returning cast members reprise their classic roles without missing a beat. Sadly, the script and narrative structure are a bit of a mess, with the film bringing in too many characters and plot beats and elements to the point that the title character feels like a supporting character in his own movie.
Where I can give this movie the most credit is that it’s Tim Burton’s through and through. He hasn’t lost his touch, and in many ways the BEETLEJUICE sequel is a return to form. The opening credits sequence and its accompanying Danny Elfman score are a great throwback to the original. The environments and characters explored are as interesting and funnily scary as you’d expect, with this vision of the afterlife as funny as ever. I especially appreciate how the effects still look mostly “of the period” of the original 1988 film, with no over-the-top CGI.
The trio reprising their roles from the first film are all great. It’s fun seeing Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse, having never gotten over being unable to marry Lydia in the first film, and Catherine O’Hara’s over-the-top overdramatic beats as a woman struggling to make great art but also mourning her late husband (Jeffrey Jones doesn’t return for the sequel for reasons I won’t go into here, but they do find some creative ways to bring the character back). Winona Ryder as a troubled single parent is simultaneously dramatic and hilarious in all its own ways. Jenna Ortega does a fantastic job playing her estranged daughter, and seeing what unfolds between these two remains interesting.
Sadly, the movie goes off the rails because it tries to juggle far too much. The movie takes a great deal of time to develop and introduce an estranged former bride of Betelgeuse, played by the beautiful Monica Bellucci. Even with staples in her face, this woman is absolutely gorgeous, but no less menacing. So why does the movie take the time to introduce her with a lengthy prologue, complete with hilarious foreign subtitled dialogue and black and white cinematography (the movie needed more of this), only to basically forget about her until the very end of the movie? It’s such a waste of a character. Likewise, the subplot of Astrid falling in love with a boy who isn’t all he seems at first glance feels ripped off from GHOSTBUSTERS FROZEN EMPIRE, released earlier this year. The movie jumps from one plot beat to another haphazardly with little breathing room. Sadly, Betelgeuse himself ends up feeling like a supporting character in his own movie (to be fair, this was true of the original film to an extent as well). New faces like Willem Dafoe feel like afterthoughts, which is truly disappointing.
This trip back to the afterlife is a seriously mixed bag. Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, and the returning cast members do a great job with what they’re given. Even Jenna Ortega is great as a new younger character. But the script and the story are a mess. The movie’s a fun one in all its own ways, but it has no idea what it wants to be. A movie called BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE needs more of its title character and a more focused script. Watch it when it hits streaming but don’t rush to the theaters.