by Kevin Muller

Thirty-six years ago, the original Beetlejuice kicked the door down with its fantastical design, oddball charm, dark humor, and one hell of a performance by Michael Keaton, who played the title character. Since then, we have had a cartoon and Broadway musical based upon everyone’s favorite demon. Over the course of the near forty-year gap between the first one and the new film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, there have been talks about a sequel, but no one ever took it seriously. Apparently, when signing on to Stranger Things, Winona Ryder’s contract specifically said that if the film did go forth with a sequel, that she would be granted the time off, just in case it did happen. Well, now that the new film has released, this maybe one of the reasons why the new season of her hit Netflix show is taking so long. So, was it worth the wait?

Ryder is back at Lydia, who in the first film was the brooding daughter of Delia and Charles Dietz. Here, she has grown up to be a conflicted person with her own show about the paranormal. Every now and then, she sees brief flashes of Beetlejuice. Her boyfriend Rory, Justin Theroux, condescendingly assures her that it is all in her head and tells her to practice the methods that they learned at their mediation class.  Beetlejuice isn’t even the biggest problem that is on her plate. As soon as the film starts, we find out that Charles has been involved in an unfortunate accident that has ended his life. Now, she must put together a funeral and go back to the house where she experienced the events in the first film. Though the worst problem that she has is the strained relationship with her daughter, Astrid, who mocks her mother’s supposed gifts and holds a resentment for her own father’s mysterious death. Soon after, Astrid gets mixed up in the paranormal surrounding the house and the town it sits in. In desperation, Lydia calls to the one person that she doesn’t want to interact with….Beetlejuice.

Much of the success of this movie is the cast, both new and old, who get to the play in Burton’s fantastical world, including the director himself. Burton’s popularity and skill have grown since 1988, and the director has more cred and juice since then. The original film’s impact has been felt within the film industry, and I take it that many of the production team were influenced and honored to work on this one. The need to explain the world isn’t a concern this time, only to build upon it. Even though the tone isn’t as sharp, or controversial, as last time, the scope of it is way bigger. Burton’s version of the underworld is a visual feast. The production design is epic and creative as hell.

Ryder can still pull off that goth fashion. As with Burton, she has grown as an actress and holds her own as the lead. Despite the script not being as strong as the original, it still gives Ryder some worthy acting to do. Catherine O’Hara brings the same chaotic energy to this movie that she brought to her character the first time around. Her insanity generates some good laughs. Jenna Ortega, who jumped on the Burton train with Wednesday, maintains the same deep pan snark that she carried through the Netflix series, as Astrid. Theroux is perfectly slimy in a role that is predictable, but effective. It is always nice to see Willem Dafoe, but the role seems oddly placed.

How is Keaton? To no surprise, he has the same energy that he possessed when he introduced the world to Beetlejuice. As with the overall feel of the film, the character is a bit neutered, but Keaton is so damn fun to watch. We see his origin story, and it is a hilarious sequence, that includes a wasted Monica Bellucci, that shows what makes the character memorable. For a guy near 70, he has the drive of an actor more than half his age. Burton doesn’t throw him right away either but maintains him in just the right amount of screentime.

The one actor who isn’t back is Jeffrey Jones. I won’t mention why, google it, but the character of Charles, who was Lydia’s father, is back. Of course, Jones isn’t, but the way they work around this dilemma is one of the highlights of the film. Burton’s choices to retain as many practical effects as possible, especially the sand worms, are what makes this feel in tune with the original. There was a period in his career where he relied too much of computer-generated imagery, which took away from what made his style memorable. One character that is tangible is Bob, who belongs to a sector of people with big bodies, but tiny heads. For a character who doesn’t speak, but just makes noises, he will steal your heart. In fact, he is far more memorable than Bellucci’s Dolores. This a character that is set up so well, but ultimately loses momentum by the end of the film. The actress is fine as the vengeful reincarnated ex of Beetlejuice, but the writing does not give her much to chew on.

As far as legacy sequels go, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, isn’t at all a failure. Though it isn’t a sharp or mean, as the original, it is still an impressive return to form for all that come back. Keaton is one of our greatest actors, and to see him up there having a great time, is the biggest selling point for this project.

I am giving Beetlejuice Beetlejuice a 3.5 out of 5 Hairpieces!

Uncle Bob and Uncle Kevin share their thoughts on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which earned a whopping $110 million in its opening weekend and shows no signs of slowing down. Do our two wild guys believe this film has the staying power to keep the momentum going? Check out their review below.

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“After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife.”