Talented Leads Propel a Satisfactory Sequel

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice recaptures the macabre humor, ghoulish fantasy, and literally eye-popping visual effects of the classic original film. What’s noticeably missing in a satisfactory, if not spectacular, sequel is the ensemble cast’s overall chemistry and a truly innovative plot that wowed 1988 audiences. The new supporting characters are hit or miss. Willem Dafoe’s B-movie cop nearly steals the show, while a goth-gorgeous Monica Bellucci’s soul-sucking villain and Jenna Ortega’s teenage-angst, Wednesday-light impersonation lacks creativity. Thankfully, a still devilish Michael Keaton, the brilliant Catherine O’Hara, and director Tim Burton haven’t lost their freaky mojo.

Lydia Deetz (Ryder) continues to see ghosts but has cashed in on her abilities with a popular paranormal talk show. Rory (Justin Theroux), her clingy boyfriend and TV producer, keeps the visions flowing at all costs. Astrid (Ortega), her disbelieving daughter, hates his guts and considers her mother a total fraud. Why can’t Lydia conjure a meeting with Astrid’s deceased father if she really has such an extraordinary gift?

Delia (O’Hara), Lydia’s stepmother and now a famous performance artist, calls with tragic news about her beloved husband. Charles Deetz has been killed in a plane accident. Everyone must return to the family home in Winter River, Connecticut, for his funeral. They pick up Astrid at boarding school and trek to the “Ghost House” that inspired Lydia’s fame. She’s uneasy as memories of her youth and its demonic prankster come flooding back.

A Funeral in Winter Haven

Meanwhile, in the afterlife’s complaint call center, Betelgeuse (Keaton) still has his sights squarely set on Lydia after all these years apart. He wants to marry her and escape into the realm of the living, and he senses a fiendish opportunity now that the Deetz family is back in his rotten grasp. But other apparitions also have dastardly plans, including Betelgeuse’s angry ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), and a mysterious newcomer (Arthur Conti).

Beetlejuice has to be seen before watching the sequel. Neophytes won’t be completely lost, but prolific screenwriting duo Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville, Into the Badlands, Spider-Man 2) spend little time recapping the first film. Nostalgia is key to familiar sets, sight gags, returning monsters, and ghosts, like Shrunken Head Bob. Delia’s hilariously awful sculptures are also back and shown prominently throughout. They’d just be weird, random objects if you didn’t know what they were. This is especially true with the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, which is again integral to the story.

The gulf between Lydia and Astrid drives both characters to make poor decisions. It’s a bit of a comeuppance for her as a mother after making Delia’s life hell. Some of the film’s best bits have Delia gloating as the shoe is now on the other foot. Lydia loves her daughter unconditionally but doesn’t know how to find common ground. This changes dramatically once Astrid realizes that Lydia isn’t lying. There’s a tad of heartfelt poignancy with Astrid struggling to accept her father’s loss. Lydia doesn’t understand why she can’t see his spirit. This is a question that’s answered in a climax that takes too long to get to despite the film’s relatively short runtime of 1 hr 44 min.

Soul-Sucking Delores

Astrid’s bleak demeanor, morbid fascination, and cute boy-crushing could have been taken from Ortega’s hit Netflix show Wednesday, which Burton also directs. She doesn’t have a murderous attitude in pigtails, but the characters are awfully similar. Ortega’s pretty much a toned-down version of The Addams Family’s cynical scion. She’s not bad here, but Astrid needed other personality traits instead of being a Wednesday clone. Ortega is a talented actress with range. She risks being stereotyped in this role.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice struggles with finding a legitimately threatening antagonist. Bellucci, who looks exactly like a black-haired Sally from Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, vanishes from the entire second act. She’s introduced as a soul-sucking badass, then plays a game of Betelgeuse hide-and-seek trying to find him. There’s no method to her madness. Delores walks around slurping spirits until she conveniently gets her man in the climax. Was this character really necessary? Or did Burton just want to see Sally as a real person instead of a puppet? No clue, but she’s got an awesome costume design.

Dafoe’s turn as Wolf Jackson, an afterlife detective with half of his skull blown off, is by far the best new character. He gets the film’s biggest laughs with everything from a good cop, bad cop routine to cleverly satirizing method acting. Dafoe’s deft comic timing bats in the same league as Keaton and O’Hara, who don’t miss a character beat after 36 years. They’re better in every regard and rescue the film with wonderfully engaging performances — the script plods along until the leads spread a liberal amount of kooky spice. Ryder, just as in the first film, is the straight woman reacting to a whirlwind of craziness. She has the most screen time and works well as the protagonist. How can you not root for Lydia?

Burton can be criticized for recycling and repurposing proven commodities, but that’s kind of what his fan base wants to see. Beetlejuice was a unique cinematic experience. The sequel piggybacks on what works for entertainment success. Of course, Danny Elfman is also back with his great score. The only part of the film that totally falls flat is Theroux’s Rory, a boring and predictable character we had better not see again. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a production of Plan B Entertainment and Tim Burton Productions. It will be released theatrically on Sept. 6 from Warner Bros.

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