BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (2024)

Are you troubled by the living? Are you having trouble adjusting to the afterlife, with the oppressive weight of eternity bearing down upon your mortal shoulders? Then you should call Betelgeuse! Again!

The infamous bio-exorcist is back, 37 years after his first incarnation. When Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) receives a phone call from her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), informing her that her father was killed in a terrible plane-crash-shark-attack accident, she’s distraught. Together with Delia, her manager Rory (Justin Theroux), and her estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), she drives back to their old house in Winter River. Before long, strange things begin to happen, and an old nemesis who goes by the name of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) seems to be nearby…

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice may well be Tim Burton’s most entertaining film in 20 years. With a predictably macabre subject matter, hilarious performances, a gleefully Gothic aesthetic, and sets that appear to have been taken straight from Théâtre du Grand Guignol, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice succeeds. While it might not best the original, it certainly proves itself to be a worthy successor.

With the increased prevalence of sequels and reboots in Hollywood, one could be forgiven for entering Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with doubts. Revitalising iconic works after such a long intermission feels like a dubious decision. However, while we have been subjected to a plethora of lazy cash grabs, this is by no means one of them. It’s a delightful return to form, a very amusing farce of the ghastly and grotesque.

The vision on display is present in practically every frame. There’s a vivid imagination, with the focus on practical effects being one of the film’s crowning achievements. Reportedly, Burton wanted to avoid using CGI entirely, but it appears that taking advantage of modern innovation was inevitable. However, that’s not a demerit; the original film featured some questionable special effects, which are absent from this sequel. When VFX is used, it’s not overdone, nor does it outstay its welcome.

Most of the film relies on practical effects, which are just as charmingly grim as they were in the original. The shrill screams of whatever dwells beneath Betelgeuse’s face make another appearance, insectoid legs darting out in a frightening number of directions. People’s insides erupt in a display of the superfluously gruesome, while the recently deceased congregate in the afterlife’s waiting room, sporting all manner of grisly injuries: shark bites, cat bites, piranha bites, a dozen hotdogs jammed into one poor unfortunate’s mouth. The list goes on.

The writing provides the film with a strong foundation to indulge in such ludicrous detours. Both the characters and the story work well, and the humour is suitably daft throughout. Betelgeuse amuses every time he’s on screen, with the others (especially Justin Theroux) delivering their ridiculous lines with such sincerity that it’s difficult to keep a straight face.

While the film is suitably entertaining, it’s not as brisk as the first film. It could be that the story is clogged with one too many narrative interests, but it occasionally feels as though there’s too much going on that doesn’t revolve around the central predicament or our eponymous anti-hero. As a result, the pacing occasionally threatens to lull.

The primary culprit is a somewhat redundant romance plot, which probably should have been shaved. I imagine it was written to give Ortega’s character a bit more screen time, a tactical decision allowing an old blockbuster to ingratiate itself with a younger demographic. However, it would have made better narrative sense to incorporate her more into the primary story, much like Winona Ryder’s character did in the first film. The arc doesn’t take up much time—perhaps only 15 minutes—but these deviations in narrative direction do more harm than good.

The music in the film is just as hectic, mysterious, and exciting as it was in the first. Danny Elfman’s work continues to thrill: his original score is used once again for the main titles, and the effect is fantastic. It has the effect of transporting you back to the original, doing a superlative job of eradicating the distance of 37 years.

There are few examples I can think of where the music matched the set design quite as well. It’s as though Elfman’s tunes were written precisely for the off-kilter house atop the hill of Winter River. There’s a feverish aspect to the music: it’s not quite a marching anthem, nor is it a classical piece. It’s somewhere in the middle, a demonic rhythm announcing the arrival of calamity and misfortune.

As can be found in the majority of Burton’s work, the art department has demonstrated an exceptional attention to detail. Whether it’s Hell, purgatory, or just Betelgeuse’s office, there’s always something that catches your eye. Indeed, it’s one of the more pleasurable aspects of the film; there’s imagination to be found on every corner of the screen. Watching it on an IMAX screen was very enjoyable.

Burton’s direction should be commended, too. His stylistic choices often serve to enhance the humour, such as having Betelgeuse speak in Italian or Spanish seemingly just for the fun of it. Other staples of his auteur style can be found throughout, such as a black-and-white segment, a doomed love affair between the undead, and a Frankenstein-inspired ghoulishness with a hint of absurdity, the likes of which can be found in the wonderfully sickening bodies in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Corpse Bride (2005).

However, the star of the show (once again) is Michael Keaton. He always looks like he’s having the best time in his role as the immortal trickster from another dimension. Considering the original film ranks as his favourite from his filmography, I imagine that he’s having a lot of fun. Truthfully, there’s not enough of him or his hijinks in this sequel; the narrative probably would have enjoyed more zany misadventures had it featured the titular bio-exorcist in additional scenes, or if the story had fewer character interests.

Still, Keaton excels in what is probably his funniest role (though he was equally brilliant as Captain Gene Mauch, the New York City Police Captain who moonlights as a manager at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in 2010’s The Other Guys). He’s aided in his performance by a similarly hilarious performance from Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive), whose dramatization of a pseudo-intellectual New Age opportunist is very amusing. His performance never becomes overdone; it’s perfectly daft.

Meanwhile, Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) remains as hysterical and theatrical as ever—to great comedic effect—and Willem Dafoe (Kinds of Kindness) provides hilarious support as a deceased actor who carries his role into the afterlife.

Winona Ryder is great, as is Jenna Ortega (X), though their performances are hampered by a rather trite plot line of fraught mother-daughter dynamics. I think the first film succeeded in establishing Ryder’s teenager as misunderstood, completely eschewing the need for her to bond with her parents and gain acceptance.

I do not believe this film needed to become a family drama in part. It required an even more confident dive into the surreal, with morbid absurdities and greater narrative momentum. If Lydia and Astrid had been woven into the central story more, as opposed to having their own, distinct drama, it probably would have been a more entertaining flick.

Having said that, the film is still very enjoyable. It’s a serviceable blockbuster, with fantastic wordplay, great performances, and a wonderful sense of style. Even if it does not top the original, it is riotous fun at parts, providing additional appreciation for the world and characters without cheapening them.

USA | 2024 | 104 MINUTES | 1.85:1 | COLOUR • BLACK & WHITE | ENGLISH • SPANISH • ITALIAN

Cast & Crew

director: Tim Burton.
writers: Alfred Gough & Miles Millar (story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar & Seth Grahame-Smith; based on characters created by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson).
starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega & Willem Dafoe.