The first “Beetlejuice” is far from perfect, but its charming appeal is rooted in its commitment to irreverence. Tim Burton’s 1988 film has a great marriage of spook, oddball, and comedy that seems missing in the director’s line-up of work in the past few decades.
The sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hearkens back to the same old playbook that has worked well for the first time, which is a welcoming yet refreshing sight to see on the big screen. This follow-up continues to bank on the world-building of the afterlife, where the dead interact and abide by their environment’s mechanics.
Beetlejuice’s version of the afterlife feels alive and moving, complete with impressive production design, as well as individual costumes and make-up for all the background actors. It’s fun to see this unfold, especially in settings that may not have been technically possible thirty-six years ago like sandworms in a desert.
Everything is presented to look like it’s practical. Michael Keaton pulling off a terrifying monster look has the texture of a claymation, and the otherworldly characters felt tangible that a computer-generated effect seems off the table.
As a sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is highly enjoyable but the film’s attempt for something bigger by having extra plot points felt convoluted. The film had to jumble Keaton’s return as Beetlejuice, his search for Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), and the emerging presence of a villainous former wife (Monica Bellucci). Lydia on the other hand had to deal with the death of her father, an upcoming marriage, and her rocky relationship with her daughter (Jenna Ortega). And it’s not even half of what the film had to deal with.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” swiftly resolved a lot of it in one sequence, but its laziness to go for an easy sweep can be excused by the end. Tim Burton is having fun with his cast and crew, and you’ll be mainly remembering how the film made its lapses work by the sheer enjoyment of the whole thing.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is now showing in cinemas nationwide.
Featured images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
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