Every Oscar season, cinephiles argue that the “Best Acting” awards are really the “Most Acting” awards. They claim that actors aren’t always rewarded for their most heartfelt and nuanced performances, but rather for bold, intense, or flashy roles that scream, “Look at how much acting I’m doing.”
This thought crossed my mind more than once as I watched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the highly-anticipated follow-up to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic. Burton’s sequel may not be the best version of a Beetlejuice movie fans could hope for in 2024, but it’s without a doubt the “Most Beetlejuicey.”
Burton takes everything people loved about the original Beetlejuice and dials it all up to 11, delivering a frenetic supernatural bacchanal guaranteed to slap big silly grins on diehard fans’ faces.
WHAT’S BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE ABOUT?
It’s been decades since the demonic bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), terrorized the Deetz family. The teenage object of his affection, Lydia (Winona Ryder), is now a middle-aged woman with a child of her own. She’s made a career out of her ability to speak with the dead, and she now hosts a popular, albeit trashy, ghost-hunting program.
Lydia can commune with the dead, but she can’t connect with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), a sullen teenager currently residing in a fancy boarding school. When Lydia’s father dies in a violent accident, she and Astrid return home together for the funeral.
If only the Deetz family were left to grieve in peace. Lydia’s narcissistic boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux) uses the funeral as an opportunity to get married, which is awkward enough. But Beetlejuice’s return further complicates their codependent relationship.
The ghost with the most still pines for Lydia, and her return to Winter River offers a prime opportunity to win her over. It’s no spoiler to say nothing goes as planned as supernatural forces once again throw the Deetz family’s lives into chaos.
WHO STARS IN BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE?
Keaton hasn’t lost a step as Beetlejuice. He slips back into the role so naturally, it’s hard to believe he hasn’t played this character in over 30 years. He gives off the manic vibes of a coked-up Tasmanian Devil, while brimming with the same brash and quippy energy as Deadpool.
As much as fans are here to see Beetlejuice, Burton wisely doesn’t give them too much of a good thing. Keaton tears through the movie like a wrecking ball, crashing through scenes and sowing chaos. He energizes the film every time he steps on screen, but he’s portraying an exhausting character. Any more screen time and he would wear out his welcome.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice boasts an exceptional cast. Catherine O’Hara, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, and Danny DeVito round out the stellar lineup. It’s clear they’re all having the time of their lives, chewing the scenery and delivering delightfully hammy dialogue. They shine when they’re on screen but don’t always feel essential to the overstuffed plot.
HOW DO THE FILM’S VISUALS COMPARE TO THE ORIGINAL?
As a lifelong Beetlejuice fan, I was most excited to once again immerse myself in its kooky supernatural vibes. Burton adeptly recreates Beetlejuice’s iconic look and feel (including the excellent use of stop motion) while sprucing things up with modern special effects. Beetlejuice’s world still feels tactile and lived-in with minimal use of computer effects and greenscreen.
Burton brings his gallery of ghouls and creeps to life with fiendish makeup, intricate costumes, and impressive puppetry. The digital effects enhance the practical ones rather than overshadow them. It’s the right choice given no one prefers watching actors speaking with globs of pixels on the screen.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice flaunts Burton’s signature gothic style, pushing its PG-13 rating right to the edge. Each apparition’s look reflects their traumatic death. And let me tell you, this movie features its share of gnarly fiends. There’s a guy in a Santa suit who burned to a crisp in a chimney. And I couldn’t believe my eyes as a shark attack victim missing his upper torso casually strolled across the screen.
WHAT ARE BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE’S THEME’S?
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice delves into the lives (and afterlives) of people struggling with the past. It’s a story about people who can’t let go and others who don’t know how to move forward. Seen through this lens the film takes on a meta quality. Thirty-six years between sequels is eons in the film industry. But by returning to this universe, Burton places himself in the same boat as his characters who can’t let go.
I call this movie the “most Beetlejuicy” because it spends much of its runtime rehashing concepts from its predecessor. It returns the characters, settings, and comedic hijinks they loved in the original, but executed on a grander scale (with a major studio tentpole film budget). Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it just gives you a bigger, shinier wheel.
Some moments of fan service work better than others. During a funeral scene, a child choir sings Day-O, the song used in Beetlejuice’s iconic possession sequence. While the audience may enjoy the reference, this choice doesn’t make sense for the characters. Would someone haunted (and possessed) by Beetlejuice really want to hear that song again, let alone played at their funeral? It’s a funny bit as a viewer, but it should trigger these characters’ PTSD. It’s a moment of fan service that does the story a disservice.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is a film about people fixated on the past, directed by someone revisiting his previous work, and made for an audience obsessed with reliving their past. But, and this is a huge but… Beetlejuice Beetlejuice isn’t the work of a lazy filmmaker replaying the hits for an easy paycheck. Instead, it’s the work of a savvy auteur commenting on Hollywood’s anathema to new ideas. He’s serving up the type of sequel viewers crave, while subversively commenting on our collective yearning to recreate past experiences.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice offers plenty of fun for longtime fans and those who don’t know Beetlejuice from Beetle Bailey. This stylish, funny, and blithely morbid sequel is one of Burton’s most enjoyable films in years that I’m eager to add to my next Halloween movie marathon. Burton has once again crafted a devilishly fun dark comedy that luxuriates in the macabre.
Fuelled by Keaton’s madcap energy, I was swept up by the story’s momentum, pulled back into its vibrant world while indulging in ample hits of nostalgia. Burton takes audiences on a fun ride, but I still would have preferred going on a journey — a story that embarks from familiar ground, taking us somewhere new. For 104 minutes, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice creates the illusion of forward motion, as it rockets from scene to scene. But by the end, it’s more like a merry-go-round, guiding you in circles, until the music stops and you’re right back where you started.
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