Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Burton's Back!
He's the ghost with the most
The Juice is Loose! Returning to the world of Beetlejuice after thirty-six years, Tim Burton is back for this much-awaited legacy sequel. Drowning in development hell for decades, Burton has escaped the clutches of Disney to return to his filmmaking roots. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice focuses on the Deetz family after they suffer the loss of the family patriarch (formerly played by Jeffrey Jones who are forced to sell the original Winter River house, picking up where they left off to confront the underworld in absurd fashion. Burton brings back much of the original cast, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keaton while adding much-welcome additions in Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and Jenna Ortega. Burton known for his idiosyncratic and commercial tendencies has been wasting away on dull, corporate products for the better part of 15 years. Returning to Winter River, is this an attempt at forced nostalgia or a return to form for Burton?
Lydia Deetz, made famous by Winona Ryder, is now a B-list celebrity who hosts an extra-terrestrial daytime television show capitalizing on her connection with the underworld. She begins having hallucinations of Beetlegeuse and other ghosts, undermining her commitment to her TV producer boyfriend, a sleazeball who covers his money-grubbing intentions with pseudo-progressive diatribes. Jenna Ortega plays Ryder’s daughter who’s emotionally estranged from her, disbelieving her ghost stories and blaming her for the death of her father who had separated with her shortly before his untimely death. Beneath the pavement, Beetlegeuse longs for Ryder’s character in the underworld. Unfortunately for Beetlegeuse, his ex-wife (played wonderfuly by Monica Bellucci) who killed him in his mortal life has returned for revenge after he had killed her in self-defense. In a series of hijinks that take place after the characters convene in Winter River, Ortega finds herself trapped in the underworld after trying to reach her father promptiong Lydia Deetz to enlist the help of Betelgeuse who gladly agrees in hopes of returning to the mortal world to escape the clutches of his ex-wife.
Burton broke through in the late 80s and early 90s when he could do no wrong, releasing hit after hit with films like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Mars Attacks!. His idiosyncratic story and visual style stood out, combining gothic and 50s B-movie elements to tell stories about quirky characters who navigate surreal, magical landscapes while searching for belonging. But, much of his visual style, cinematic obsessions, and sense of macabre humor have been missing in the blockbuster stage of his career. It might be hyperbole, but I’ve always thought of Burton as a commercial heir to Fellini with similarly distinct aesthetic obsessions. So, it’s a sigh of relief to see Burton return to characters and settings that are familiar. However, don’t worry if you haven’t seen the first film because Burton manages to make the film work for fans and novices alike. I hadn’t seen the original film in over three years and had forgotten all the plot details of the original, but it didn’t matter because once I was in that theater it felt like I never left. The world-building and skeleton of the plot are almost identical to the original, but the content and character development are entirely different. Stripped down, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice plays as a mother and daughter reunion film. Ortega and Ryder have great chemistry as the two break down the emotional barrier between themselves. Once they get sucked into the underworld, they each slowly choose to appreciate romance and life rather than obsess over the dead. Instead of relying entirely on camp, Burton attempts to tell an emotional story about characters coming to terms with death and toxic relationships. However, the film keeps things light and rarely sentimental, employing Burton’s trademark deadpan, macabre humor that veers into satire at times. There’s a sense of fun and goofiness that’s been missing from Burton’s films. Yet, it never draws serious attention to itself, telling the story straight without room for unnecessary callbacks, overt fourth-wall breaking, and lines that make you groan. Technically, Burton’s latest is a treat. The set design, costumes, miniatures, and all the production details are wonderfully conceived complemented by vibrant colors and beautiful cinematography. Most exciting is Michael Keaton’s comeback in the semi-titular role as the wise-cracking demon Beetlegeuse. Keaton comes back right where he left off, imbuing the same idiosyncratic humor that made the original so famous. Brimming with unpredictably divine comedic energy, Keaton balances humor and horror wonderfully. He doesn’t try hard to recreate the magic, instead just being Beetlegeuse. I’d also like to shout out Catherine O’Hara who’s similarly unhinged.
Yet, with all that’s wonderful about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, there’s something that doesn’t feel completely whole about it. The film has been rumored ever since the original, ruminating in development hell. Despite that there’s still no concrete reason for this film to exist. The first film captured lighting in a bottle, kick-starting one of the most interesting careers in film. We’ve already seen the house, the tricks, the characters before. So, seeing them do their thing again is nice but it’s not as exciting nor innovative as it once was. It’s hard to blame anyone for this feeling. I think a legacy sequel to such an iconic film is bound to fail even before the first frame is exhibited. I think if Burton wasn’t in “director’s jail”, he could have made a different film with the same emotional core and a different premise. However, returning to his IP allowed Burton to reclaim creative freedom. It’s this fact that allows Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to still somewhat stand on its own, never cheapening in quality for the sake of fan service. And, for a commercial film that’s being advertised everywhere you look, it’s great to see it adhere so close to a filmmaker’s vision and taste, something that was common during Burton’s rise to dominance in the late 80s and 90s. Even if the legacy sequel doesn’t reach the same heights or novelty the original had, all of Burton’s eccentricities are on display: a macabre sense of humor, lost souls, gothic exteriors, randomness, and most importantly, fun. It may be a cardinal sin to touch the classics, but thankfully Burton doesn’t get burned too hard, delivering a thoughtful, uber-fun, albeit unexciting film that’s still leagues ahead of the drivel put out by Disney, Burton’s former studio. [3.5/4]