After 36 years, the ghost with the most returns to the big screen with a lot of personality but far too many plotlines in Tim Burton’s newest creation, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The return to one of Burton’s most beloved comedic films, the sequel follows Lydia Deetz, played by Winona Ryder, as she navigates parenting and maintaining a relationship with her rebellious teenage daughter Astrid Deetz, played by Jenna Ortega. An unexpected family tragedy leads the Deetz family back to Winter River where Astrid is tricked into joining the afterlife forcing Lydia to join forces with her past demonic tormentor Beetlejuice, played by Micheal Keaton, to get her back.
The film often harkens back to the original with its use of practical visual effects, creative costumes, makeup and wild set design. Even the background characters shine in their visual designs and effects, catching the audience’s eyes no matter which character you’re looking at.
For long-time fans of the original film it is nostalgic seeing the sequel not straying far from the roots set by the original film. It’s refreshing to see a sequel not completely uproot the legacy set by the original film.
One of the biggest highlights of the movie was the characters the film reprised and created. Keaton gives a hilarious performance for his return as Beetlejuice, giving the audience a much needed welcome back to the sleazy demon that charmed audiences so many years ago. He also gives us a new take on the character as he plays less of an antagonistic role in the movie.
Ryder also shines in her return to Lydia, giving us a new take on her character as she is no longer a teen herself but now dealing with her own teenage daughter. Another star who reprised her role is Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz who gives another great performance while even giving more comedic scenes to her character.
The new characters in the film, while entertaining, aren’t given enough time to be fleshed out properly. Ortega’s character Astrid isn’t given much outside of being a rebellious teen, but her dynamic with Lydia remains entertaining and interesting. Another character added to the cast is Lydia’s partner Rory, played by Justin Theroux, who has his comedic moments but lacks much personality.
While the film shines in many aspects, the major flaw of the film is the many plotlines throughout the film being rushed by the run time. Within the hour and 44 minute runtime there are several plot lines that are quickly resolved.
Outside the main plot line, the film also follows Beetlejuice’s ex-wife Delores, played by Monica Belucci, who is searching for her demonic ex-husband. Given the short time, Belucci gives a great performance as Delores but is too easily wrapped up by the end of the movie without much explanation. Many of the other plotlines also find themselves ending similarly as each villain given within the film is too quickly defeated.
Overall, the film stays very loyal to its predecessor throughout with its comedy, characters and world building, yet found that the many plot lines created were not given enough time to be resolved in a satisfying way.
