Thirty-six years after the events of the first film, the Deetz family returns home to Winter River following Charles Deetz's unexpected death. Lydia's life is turned upside down when her rebellious...
Director Tim Burton chooses to lean heavily on nostalgia and quirky charm to craft his sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” a film that manages to appropriately cater to fans of the 1988 original while introducing a new generation to the sarcastic humor of the ghoulish titular character. It’s fun enough, but not as good as most of us were hoping it would be.
Three generations of the Deetz family are reunited in the wake of a family tragedy. At home in Winter River, Lydia (Winona Ryder) is making a living as a medium who can commune with the dead while her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) is still creating outrageous works of art. Lydia’s life is thrown into further disarray when her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife. Desperate for help, Lydia calls out to Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), who comes back with a heavy dose of mischief and mayhem.
It’s admittedly a lot of fun to see these characters now, especially because where they ended up in present day makes total sense. The newly introduced cast (including Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe) fit in perfectly. It’s a shame the story is so simplistic, though, with a slow setup and equally muted payoff. There’s very little momentum to the narrative because it takes such a long time for everything to kick into full gear.
Burton thankfully doesn’t abandon the funhouse experience, chaotic energy, and wacky visual effects that set the tone of the original film, rooting his sequel in the realm of bizarre and macabre with creative costumes, grotesque makeup, sarcastic humor, and tongue-in-cheek references for devotees.
One scene sure to divide fans is Burton’s decision to recreate and update the iconic “Banana Boat (Day-O)” possession bit that has become one of the most beloved in modern cinema. He really should’ve left it alone, because the “new and improved” version stands out for all the wrong reasons (including a terrible song choice and abysmal choreography). Burton has effectively turned an homage to a classic cinematic moment into a pale imitation that lacks the fun he was probably going for.
Keaton, Ryder, and O’Hara comfortably slip back into their roles as if they never left, and Ortega is a logical (and wonderful) addition to the cast. The all take their work here seriously, and it shows. There’s a balance between the dramatic, macabre, and downright silly that works so well. The heavily snarky and sarcastic humor stays consistent with the tone of the original, and the mild horror keeps things deliciously weird. This is a strange movie, but then again, so was its predecessor – and that’s exactly what turned it into a cult classic.
Despite the film’s success in capturing the offbeat creativity fans expect, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is only a mildly effective continuation of a beloved franchise rather than an inventive standalone movie that carves its own identity. Ultimately, it’s a fun but flawed project that values style over substance.
