Beetlejuice is a 1988 film that has since become a cult classic. It was directed by Tim Burton and starred Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, and Geena Davis. The film was a critical and commercial success and has since become a beloved classic.
Given the film’s popularity, it’s no surprise that a sequel was in the works for many years. In 2022, the long-awaited sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, was finally released. The film was directed by Tim Burton and starred Michael Keaton once again.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has been met with mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. Some have praised the film for its nostalgic charm and the return of the original cast. Others, however, have criticized the sequel for not living up to the original.
The long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic “Beetlejuice” has arrived in theaters. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” attempts to recapture the magic of the original film, but falls short in several key areas.
The new movie brings back Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, now grown up with a teenage daughter of her own named Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega. Michael Keaton also returns as the mischievous bio-exorcist Beetlejuice.
While seeing these familiar faces is nostalgic, the film struggles to justify its own existence beyond cashing in on audience goodwill for the original.
One of the biggest issues is the overcomplicated plot. Where the first “Beetlejuice” had a simple premise that allowed for visual creativity, the sequel piles on too many new characters and subplots.
Astrid alone is given multiple conflicting motivations – environmental activism, embarrassment over her mother’s TV show, boy troubles, and family drama. The movie never fully develops any of these threads.
New additions to the cast include:
- Justin Theroux as Rory, Lydia’s new love interest
- Arthur Conti as Jeremy, Astrid’s love interest with a secret
- Monica Bellucci as Delores, Beetlejuice’s vindictive ex
- Willem Dafoe as Wolf Jackson, an afterlife cop
With so many new faces, the film struggles to give anyone proper development. Even returning characters get short shrift – the absence of the Maitlands from the original is hand-waved away in a single line of dialogue.
The humor also fails to land consistently. Many of the jokes rely heavily on callbacks to the first movie rather than crafting new, clever gags.
For example, a scene featuring multiple characters with shrunken heads feels like a rehash of a single visual gag from the original’s ending, stretched thin.
Visually, the movie maintains Tim Burton’s signature gothic style. The production design and costumes are appropriately weird and eye-catching. But without a strong story to anchor them, these elements come across as style over substance.
Critics have been mixed on the film. Some praise it as a fun return to form for Burton, while others find it an unnecessary and inferior follow-up. The movie is expected to do well at the box office regardless, thanks to nostalgia and brand recognition.
Ultimately, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” seems to prioritize franchise building over storytelling. It exists more as a product than a creative work, aiming to revive the IP for potential future installments and merchandise opportunities.
For fans of the first film hoping for a worthy continuation, this sequel may prove disappointing. It lacks the tight focus and genuine weirdness that made “Beetlejuice” a cult classic. Instead, it offers a bloated, unfocused narrative that tries to do too much without succeeding at much of anything.
The movie’s treatment of the character of Charles Deetz, Lydia’s father from the original, is worth noting. Due to real-world issues with the actor who played him, Jeffrey Jones, the film goes to great lengths to reference the character without showing him on screen.
This leads to some awkward narrative gymnastics, including an animated sequence showing his demise and scenes with his headless corpse.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” runs for 104 minutes, which feels both too long and not long enough. There’s too much crammed in for the runtime to adequately explore all its ideas, yet the pacing drags in places due to underdeveloped plotlines.
The film’s approach to nostalgia is heavy-handed. Rather than using familiar elements as a springboard for new ideas, it relies on them as a crutch.
This results in a movie that feels more like a greatest hits compilation than a fresh story in its own right.
For younger viewers unfamiliar with the original, the constant references and callbacks may fall flat. The movie doesn’t do enough to stand on its own merits or introduce its world to a new generation.
In terms of performances, the cast does what they can with the material. Keaton brings energy to his reprisal of Beetlejuice, though the character feels somewhat neutered compared to his original appearance.
Ryder and Ortega have solid chemistry as mother and daughter, but their relationship isn’t given enough depth to resonate.
The special effects are a mix of practical and CGI work. While some sequences capture the handmade charm of the original, others feel overly polished and lack the same impact. The blend of old and new techniques is hit-or-miss throughout the film.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” serves as an example of the current Hollywood trend of reviving dormant franchises. While there’s potential in revisiting beloved properties, this sequel shows the pitfalls of prioritizing brand recognition over strong storytelling.
The movie’s attempts at world-building feel forced. New elements of the afterlife are introduced without much explanation or payoff.
The rules established in the first film are either ignored or needlessly complicated, robbing the setting of its quirky charm.
Despite its flaws, the film may find an audience among die-hard fans of Burton’s work or those seeking a dose of ’80s nostalgia.
Its box office performance will likely determine whether this marks a true revival of the franchise or a one-off attempt at recapturing past glory.
For those interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects, it’s worth noting the different approach to scripting compared to the original.
Where the 1988 film benefited from multiple drafts and collaborative rewrites to hone its concept, this sequel feels more like a patchwork of ideas thrown together without proper refinement.
The movie’s attempts at addressing modern themes, like environmental concerns, feel superficial and underdeveloped. These elements come across as lip service rather than meaningful engagement with the issues.
In the end, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” raises questions about the nature of sequels and the balance between honoring source material and creating something new.
While it may satisfy some viewers’ craving for more time in Burton’s weird world, it fails to recapture the magic that made the original a beloved classic.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures.
