Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sequel film 36 years later, what could possibly go wrong?

Before the 1988 Beetlejuice, the brainchild of the recently minted Hollywood Walk of Fame star receiving director, Tim Burton, there was nothing quite like it.

Burton made his mark in movie history with Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, after entering the movie group chat with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure in 1985.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past three decades, dark comedy has seen some highs and lows.

From Birdman to Bodies, Bodies, Bodies Beetlejuice Beetlejuice still finds a way to be totally original and like nothing we have ever seen since 1988.

Maybe it’s the dance sequels, creating musical earworms that will rival Kate Bush’s running up the hill in Stranger Things 4. Maybe it’s Winona’s Lydia Deetz who became the poster child for the goth girl.

Perhaps it was the unpredictability of when the antagonist, whom you hated yet somehow loved, would appear. Or maybe it’s because they started the three-time rule, which originated in folklore and would go on to be used in films such as Candyman and countless others.

Whatever it was that made the original Beetlejuice an incomparable cinematic masterpiece, attempts to replicate it resulted in catastrophic failures. (See drop-dead Fred.) Tim Burton and most of the original cast, plus the addition of the Gen Z scream queen Jena Ortega, accepted the task of doing it again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jena Ortega plays Astrid Deetz, the teenage daughter of the now famous Lydia Deetz.

Like a lot of teens, Astrid is not the president of her mom’s fanclub at all. Coupled with the tragedy of dealing with the death of her father, they have a strained relationship.

She dreads being recognized at school as Lydia Deetz’s daughter, even as she watches her mom become the lead member of the Beatles due to ghost whispering in Winter River, Connecticut.

 

Now that Betelgeuse has lain dormant for 30 years, everything is normal—paranormal, but normal—until Lydia’s father’s death forces her to face the tension with her daughter and stepmother.

 

Charles Deetz passes away in a hilarious manner, leaving a megalodon-sized chuck in his wake.

Missing in action are both actresses Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin. The film explains they have officially passed on. But the movie loses nothing in their absence, fortunately.

Newcomers Justin Theroux of The Leftovers plays Rory, a pseudo-new-age thinker that you can smell bull on from a mile away. He is Lydia’s trauma-bonding partner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we have Arthur Conti in his debut film, which features glimpses of Johnny Depp from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Finally, we have the legendary William Dafoe as Wolf Jackson, a deceased actor who is acting in the afterlife as a detective. Yes, you read that right.

 

 

There are a few tricks that do not work but lots of treats that do, with the best treat being the return of Catherine O’Hara’s character Delia Deetz. O’Hara steals every scene she is in and brings the original recipe from the first Beetlejuice film, giving the sequel the flavor the O.G. fans will savor and maybe even demand a spin-off of her character.

While the Deetz family is grappling with the aftermath of Charlie Deetz’s death, Betelgeuse, still resentful of Lydia’s refusal to marry him, finds himself juggling a different toxic ex-girlfriend, Monica Bellucci’s Delores.

Delores is a big boss unlocked. She has the ability to absorb the souls of even deceased individuals, and Betelgeuse is at the top of her list. The film explains the two met hundreds of years before we are introduced to him in the 1988 film. They fall in love and prepare for marriage, but Betelgeuse changes his mind, decides he wants to keep his soul, chops her up, and puts her in a box. What a gentleman.

 

She bursts out and embarks on a soul-sucking spree in the afterworld. Meanwhile, in the afterlife, Astrid reads Rory, Lydia’s boyfriend, for filth, prompting him to propose to Lydia just hours after her father’s funeral.

He proposes they get married on Halloween, which is the next day. She reluctantly agrees, despite the disapproval of Astrid and Delia.

 

If that was not bad enough, Betelgeuse is sending signs that he is back, much to Lydia’s chagrin. The film reveals that Lydia has the ability to see ghosts but is unable to see her ex-husband, Astrid’s father, which also causes a rift between them. Upset with her mother’s decision to marry Rory, she takes off on her bicycle and crashes into a tree house that belongs to Jeremy, Arthur Conti’s character.

Naturally, they experience an awkward adolescent moment where they think, “Well, I’m a boy teen, you’re a girl teen,” and they should probably be in a romantic relationship.

After setting up a date to see each other again, Lydia and Astrid have a bonding moment at home before Astrid abruptly interrupts by showing Lydia a paper about Betelgeuse and nearly calling his name three times.

 

She successfully counted her off before getting to the third time. Astrid still calls Cap and walks about. When Beetlejuice encounters Wolf Jackson, he receives instructions to remain hidden; his ex manages to locate him and creates an afterlife hashtag for him.

Then, thanks to Rory, who believes it’s all in her head, we have our big reunion, Betelgeuse vs. Lydia.

The reunion is great; it shows the chemistry between Rider and Keaton still stands.

 

Back in their world, Lydia is occupied with her wedding, and Astrid has a Halloween date.

Meanwhile, Delia is getting ready to sell the house, and Betelgeuse is attempting to distance himself from his ex due to her unpleasant odor. Literally.

This is the point where things start to shift towards the otherworldly.

The movie does a good job balancing all the storylines, but the Astrid character at times felt like an afterthought until now. Lydia drives Astrid to Jeremy’s house for her date.

She inquires, “Should I go in and meet the parents?” The correct answer is always yes, but she allowed her teenager to talk her out of it.

Jeremy meets Astrid at the house, and they head upstairs to his room while the parents are preoccupied. Astrid recommends they give out candy, but Jeremy says he would rather stay upstairs in his room with her.

Jeremy is “sus” but—not to enter her underwear, but to transport her to the underworld.

At the same time, we find out Jeremy is a ghost and that Astrid, like her mother, has the ability to see ghosts. Lydia discovers the truth about Jeremy and his abandoned home from their realtor, who reveals that Jeremy was a terrible Douchbag who murdered his parents and died after falling from his treehouse.

 

By the time Lydia returns to Astrid, Jeremey has already led her to the other dimension, where he promises to show her her father in return for her soul.

Here in the afterlife, we learn about the soul train, where the dead crossover to the “Great beyond”. AKA dead, dead.

Evil Danny Phantom tricks Astrid into giving up her life soul.  This way he could get his back and she would be sent off on the soul train.

Despite being the main antagonist of the film, Monica Bellucci’s character doesn’t have much to do. They give her just enough screen time to ensure you don’t forget she’s searching for Beetlejuice. Her character is the biggest disappointment of the film.

 

Lydia travels to the afterlife, where she strikes a deal with the juice to enlist his assistance in saving Astrid. They succeed in saving Astrid, but before departing from the afterlife, Astrid has a reunion with her mother and her deceased father, whom she has finally found.

 

Betelgeuse makes good on his end of the bargain; they save Astrid, and he drops Jeremy to Hades. Now Lydia must face the consequences of her decisions, for she agreed to marry Rory, and then she agreed to marry Betelgeuse.

In the midst of all this, Delia has accidentally killed herself by purchasing poisonous snakes. She finds her husband in the afterlife with a shark-shaped bite missing from him.

 

Then we reach the song bit. Undoubtedly, we are attempting to replicate the musical segment from the initial movie. At first, it was funny. Betelgeuse, after outing Rory as a phony who was out to get Lydia for her money, forces Lydia to make good on their agreement and sets up the wedding.

This time, the song is titled “Donna Summers MacArthur Park.” Indeed, during the initial two minutes, I thought the song was good, but it seemed to go on forever.

I think they spent way too much time on that scene. When Delores arrives, Betelgeuse is attempting to finalize the marriage, but Astrid manages to find a loophole, which allows her mom to escape the agreement. Delores and all its pieces are locked back where they came. Interestingly, a mid-credits screen attempts to resolve an unresolved early joke. The ending is super weird and cringeworthy.

My rating for this film is a 7.5/10. It’s fun, and Catherine O’Hara is brilliant, and Keaton has not lost a step.