Warner Bros. Pictures presents Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in UK cinemas from September 6, 2024.
Synopsis
Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected 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 rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
Review
The juice is loose in cinemas once more…
After 36 long years, Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara have reformed the band for a sequel to 1988’s Beetlejuice. But with the weight of an entire generation on its shoulders, can returning to Winter River bring with it the kind of joy fans are hoping for?
Both Burton and Keaton has been vocal in interviews that Betelgeuse is only returning to our screens because the right story has been found. That first film is exemplary of Burton’s signature style. It’s off-kilter design work. Its mix of stop-motion animation and practical effects. Most of the techniques involved in making such a tangible film feel lost to the ages in the world of green screen we now live in. Fans have arguably been looking for more from the Bio-Exorcist’s story since the original film first released. But Burton isn’t on to bow to outside pressures and so it’s clear from even the opening frame that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a labour of love.
In returning to Winter River it seems there were conditions the studio needed to meet. Firstly, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of the most practical films I’ve seen since the original. Whilst there are flourishes of CGI dotted throughout. They’re merely enhancing what has been practically constructed on set. Because of this the film is one of the most visceral experiences in decades and its performances are all the more authentic because of it. There’s a feeling of tangibility to all of the film’s grotesque jokes that so many others films completely lack. When Keaton’s Beetlejuice is counselling Lydia (Ryder) and manager-cum-fiance Rory (Justin Theroux), he offers to go first in spilling his guts. He rips open his shirt and his intestines spill forth as Lydia and Rory – or perhaps Winona and Justin – recoil in horror. Their reaction isn’t beset with misplaced eye lines and forced imagination.
It’s the kind of attention to detail which made Burton a household name in the 80s and 90s. To think the original Beetlejuice was only his second film out of the gate and arrived before he ever took on Batman is mind boggling. His legacy is one which should underpin the curriculum of any film student’s education. A lesson in true originality and filmmaking prowess. But whilst his more recent films have struggled to find that strength of identity as Hollywood enforces a more computer-generated than practical approach. This film feels like a complete disregard of modern filmmaking and wins over hearts and minds in doing so.
Add to that the level of commitment from the film’s cast, which also includes Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Amy Nuttall, Arthur Conti and the latest Burton-stalwart Jenna Ortega. The dedication to the craft is that of a cast who truly believes in and loves working with a director like Burton. Much of the narrative hangs on Keaton, Ryder and Ortega. Keaton slips back in to the role 36 years later like he had never been away. Beetlejuice’s slimy yet somehow lovable character is completely in tact and gets further exploration thanks to this film’s core storyline.
Those expecting Ortega to repeat her performance from Wednesday may be disappointed. Astrid is a fully original character who in no way resembles Wednesday Addams. Ortega spends some of the film resigned to being a moody teenager but it’s all in service of the larger narrative. There’s a darker side to Astrid which plays in to childhood grief and strained relationship with her mother. This allows Ortega to bring plenty of different shades to Astrid, showing us what she’s capable of in a full-blown Burton bonanza.
Ryder once again proves why she conquered Hollywood the first time and why she deserve her current renaissance. Lydia has grown up a lot since 1988. No longer the cavalier goth teenager. The self-proclaimed “strange and unusual” girl is a woman haunted by her gift of speaking with the dead. Though she now fronts a popular ghost-hunting show with producer/manager/lover Rory. Her strained relationship with Astrid and her inability to connect with the living trouble her greatly. Ryder imbues the older Lydia with a lot of grief. Grief for Astrid’s father. The pain of the constant connection to the dead. It’s only added to by the loss which brings her back to Winter River.
Writers Miles Millar, Alfred Gough and Seth Grahame-Smith plot out a neat arc for Lydia. Across the film she’s able to make peace with her past and her grief. She’s also able to make amends with Astrid and begin to form the healthy kind of mother-daughter bond she missed out on as a child. The whole arc is nearly reflective of Lydia’s own journey and breaking that cycle. Ryder sells every second as she always has when working alongside Burton.
Where Beetlejuice Beetlejuice frays is in its multiple storylines. Millar, Gough and Grahame-Smith somewhat overload the sequel with a series of standalone plots. In addition to Lydia and Astrid reconnecting, Astrid pines for her long lost father (Santiago Cabrera), the only ghost whom Lydia has never seen. She also falls for local emo boy Jeremy (Conti) in a storyline which is resolved with a moment’s notice, As for Betelgeuse, he’s being hunted by his succubus wife Delores (Bellucci). Delores is introduced ingeniously in one of the film’s best sequences. But after being setup as the potential villain is reduced to aimlessly wandering through scenes – looking incredible I might add – only to find her storyline similarly resolved without a satisfying conclusion.
Its tendency to undercook its plots is thankfully not a deal-breaker. In the moment there are no drawbacks. There is only pure Tim Burton escapism and that is absolutely worth the price of admission alone. Add in to this that original composer Danny Elfman is back with an incredible continuation of the musical landscape he created for the first film and this should be a license to bring (purple and black striped) money.
Verdict
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the shot of cinematic adrenaline that I’ve been searching for. A true classic Tim Burton fairytale for the Hot Topic generation. All its wonky corners and unconventional choices are perfectly placed to make this a sequel worth almost four-decades of waiting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
