ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Legacy sequels are becoming more of the norm in recent times (“Top Gun: Maverick” and “Twisters,” among others), and recently, another 1980s cult classic got the legacy sequel treatment with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
The film takes place 36 years after the original 1998 “Beetlejuice” and reunites viewers with the Deetz family as they return to Winter River following a tragedy. While in Winter River, Lydia Deetz’ daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is tricked into opening a portal to the afterlife, leading Lydia (Winona Ryder) to reluctantly call upon demon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) – who’s dealing with problems of his own – to help her save Astrid, and there are other shenanigans that happen along the way.
If the above description sounds like it has too much going on, that’s almost nothing compared to the actual movie. I found the movie’s overall story a mess and there were multiple times where I was left scratching my head and wondering ‘And ... WHY was that included, precisely?” One prime example of this is the whole subplot with Beetlejuice trying to avoid the wrath of his ex-wife, Delores (Monica Belluci), who’s trying to get revenge on him for killing her after she poisoned him on their wedding night as part of some weird ritual. It ultimately ends up having absolutely no relevance on ... anything, really, and if it had been cut from the movie, I might have found the finished product more enjoyable. I feel like if the movie had narrowed its focus on Lydia teaming up with Beetlejuice to save Astrid from the afterlife and then the aftermath of that adventure, that would have made the movie good. Unfortunately, to me, it felt like the writers wanted to focus on spectacle instead of substance, and it did NOT work out.
Keeping with the movie’s overall story, I also felt like there were multiple opportunities missed to do a deeper dive into topics like grief and PTSD. There are a few tiny nuggets here and there throughout the movie, but nowhere near what could have been. For example, Lydia is still haunted by her initial encounter with Beetlejuice (as seen in visions and nightmares, which are actually pretty well done), but her obvious PTSD is only barely touched on. Another example is Astrid, who’s still mourning her father and blames Lydia for the end of their relationship. That need to express her feelings and anger/sadness is there, but again, it’s barely touched on. There were multiple scenes that went on and on without any point or anything else that would help move the story forward, and the multiple plot points don't mesh together, making the finished project almost feel like multiple partially completed films. Overall, there were multiple improvements that could have been done with the writing to help make the movie much, much better.
While the writing could have been much better, I can at least give props to the cast. Winona Ryder is great in her return as Lydia Deetz and is able to convey her fear of being haunted by Beetlejuice again and her frustration in dealing with a stubborn teenage child, but again, she could have been given SO much more when it came to the writing. Michael Keaton is also great in his return in the title role and I could tell he had a lot of fun, and his comedic timing is just as good as ever. He's still unapologetically obnoxious, and Keaton plays him with the same mischief as the original film, with great results. Catherine O’Hara is absolutely hilarious in her return as Lydia’s stepmother, Delia Deetz, and every time she was on the screen, she made me laugh out loud – there was literally not a single scene when I was rooting against her. Jenna Ortega was a great addition to the “Beetlejuice” family, and she was able to convey grief and overall teenage angst in a great performance. Like Ryder, she could have been given SO much more when it came to the writing, because there was A LOT that could have been explored. Willem Defoe was also perfectly madcap as as Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective who, while alive, was a B-movie action star, and there were a couple moments where he almost stole the movie. The only actor I had a problem with in the movie was Monica Bellucci as Delores, Beetlejuice ex-wife – and my main problem wasn’t even with her performance, my issue was the fact that she’s given literally nothing to do throughout the movie except look hot and menacing, so she was rather wasted. Overall, the casting crew did a great job with putting this ensemble together.
I also have to give some praise to the movie’s overall visuals, because everything looks like a perfect mix of spooky and crazy and fits director Tim Burton’s overall filmmaking vibe. While there were a lot of aspects of the movie I found to be a mess, the visuals were one of the few aspects that seemed to work out really well, so the people in charge of the set design deserve a bit of a shoutout themselves.
Overall, there was A LOT that could have been improved with Tim Burton’s return to the “Beetlejuice” universe, and I would give the movie an overall “C-minus” grade. There were a lot of improvements that should have been made with the overall writing, and I also felt there were MANY missed opportunities to address topics such as grief and PTSD. These topics are somewhat skirted around, but had there been a focus on them, it would have made the movie way more palatable. While the writing/story was rather a mess, I do have to give praise to the cast, because everyone involved put forth a fantastic performance. The overall visuals were also done really well and fit Burton’s overall vibe. Die-hard “Beetlejuice” fans will probably enjoy this, but if you haven’t seen the 1988 original, you won’t be missing out if you skip “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
