Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Even though I’ve respected Tim Burton’s work over the years, there’s only a handful of it I’ve genuinely loved. 1988’s “Beetlejuice” is not one of those films. Rewatching it prior to his new sequel, I appreciate its wicked dark comedy and brilliant visuals more than I have before. In “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” he’s not really aiming for anything beyond a vibe to connect us with. I enjoyed it.
First and foremost, Burton is looking to bring back some old-fashioned production design, makeup effects and puppetry. Sure, there’s no doubt CGI is being used as an augmentation of the world of “Beetlejuice’s” afterlife, but the sand worms are as distinctly realized through animation as they were in 1988, and there’s an authenticity to the undead workers in the afterlife that only feels this tactile when it goes with old school makeup, unless it needs to create something really striking, like a man whose upper half was eaten by a shark.
The man eaten by a shark is where our story takes off from. The man is Charles Deetz (played originally by sex offender Jeffrey Jones, who was not brought back), the husband who brought the Deetz family to the town of Winter River in the original film. He was on a trip for work when this accident that caused his death occurred. Now, his wife, Delia (the always fantastic Catherine O’Hara) and their sullen, goth daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder)- who’s now a television paranormal investigator- must return to take care of things. Joining them is Lydia’s daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who’s been distant from Lydia since the death of her father, and Lydia’s been unable to see him. At the same time, the ghost with the most, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), is having issues himself, as his ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), has found a way to regain her form, and she’s looking to take his soul. That’s a whole issue unto itself, but I promise they do connect.
When I say that Burton isn’t really interested in anything other than a vibe with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” it’s not intended as a knock on the film. As much as we would like more thematic and emotional heft to the story as it unfolds in the screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it understands that ultimately, what will connect more with the audience the film is aimed at is spending time with Keaton, Ryder and O’Hara again, and appreciating the film’s visual landscape. I feel like Burton said everything he really wanted to say about life and death with “Big Fish,” and while the film feels like it could tilt into maudlin emotion, it ultimately focuses on being a wild ride between the worlds of the living and the dead. That’s where this film had me.
If you like Danny Elfman and Tim Burton together, this one is for you. If you enjoy seeing actors just cut loose and enjoying making a film- it’s not just Keaton, O’Hara and Ryder, but Willem Dafoe as an undead police chief; Ortega as a great embarrassed daughter; Justin Theroux as Lydia’s agent (whom, in my headcanon, is the next step in arrogant evolution for the actor’s “Mulholland Drive” director); and Arthur Conti as Jeremy, a young man whom Astrid meets in town, this film is for you. If you love that old school Burton visual splendor, this “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is for you. Yes, it’s not as good as the original, but it’s still a good time that I enjoyed immensely.
