The fall film season kicks off with a bang as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters, following its premiere at the glitzy Venice Film Festival. The sequel is clearly possessed by the spirit of Tim Burton’s 1988 original, which is exactly how it should be. Not everything worked perfectly back then, and there are some rough spots this time around, too. But when it clicks, it’s an absolute blast.
Michael Keaton returns in his funniest role ever as Betelgeuse (pronounced Beetlejuice), the fast-talking, decaying corpse and mischievous demon who turns being grotesque into a comedic art form. The original Beetlejuice won an Oscar for makeup, but Keaton himself was snubbed—showing the Academy’s lack of appreciation for comedic genius. His portrayal of Beetlejuice is truly iconic.
Winona Ryder is also back as Lydia Deetz, the former goth teenager who now hosts a reality show about haunted houses. Lydia’s daughter Astrid, played brilliantly by Jenna Ortega (of Burton’s Wednesday fame), thinks her mom is a little crazy, though their bond is never in doubt. Catherine O’Hara reprises her role as Delia, Lydia’s wickedly hilarious stepmother.
The plot, crafted by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, centers on Lydia dealing with Beetlejuice, who’s still bitter about being left at the altar by her years ago. To wreak havoc on Earth again, Beetlejuice needs to marry a human—so naturally, chaos ensues when the Deetz family gathers at their haunted home in Winter River, Connecticut, to mourn a family death. Without spoiling too much, this sequel has more heart than the original ever dared to explore.
And it’s loaded with laughs, big ones, paired with surprise visual gags that astonish. Beetlejuice gets summoned from the afterlife when someone inevitably repeats his name three times, and suddenly, there he is—our favorite bio-exorcist. Alongside him is his vengeful ex-wife, Delores (played fabulously by Monica Bellucci), who hilariously staples her dismembered body parts back together to the tune of the Bee Gees’ “Tragedy.” Burton is in full force here!
Look out for a hilarious black-and-white Italian film parody, recapping Beetlejuice and Delores’ romance, and Willem Dafoe, who steals scenes as a ghost detective. The technical elements shine, especially Haris Zambarloukos’ cinematography, Colleen Atwood’s outlandish costumes, and Danny Elfman’s score, which will have you tapping your feet. And don’t miss the uproarious lip-sync scene set to Richard Harris’ rendition of “MacArthur Park.”
While the film’s practical effects are a nostalgic treat, beating out typical CGI, the movie does suffer from overstuffed subplots. Lydia’s sleazy boyfriend (played by Justin Theroux) and Astrid’s Dostoyevsky-loving love interest (Arthur Conti) don’t add much. The biggest flaw? Keaton only gets 17 minutes of screen time. But he makes every second count.
Ultimately, this sequel delivers on its promise of letting Beetlejuice unleash his full freaky glory. And as he says, “The Juice is loose.” You’ve been warned