Rating of
3/4
A Sequel So Nice They Named It Twice
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/08/24
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is like getting a big, warm hug from an old friend - and that old friend also happens to be that creepy uncle who no one really wants to invite to family functions. A sequel that reminds you of the good that came before as well as welcoming in some new faces who just fit right in - sometimes a sequel feels unwarranted, unjustified or a greedy cash-grab but with TIm Burton back at the helm, this feels like a proper addition to a cherished, fun classic.
We pick up several years after the events of the first film with Winona Ryder's Lydia Deetz now a TV medium and attached to a rather slimy agent/director Rory (Justin Theroux, oozing with the opposite of charm) which has caused her to become estranged from her own daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega - who seems tailor made for the role). Meanwhile, Delia (Catherine O'Hara, back again) has taken her art to the next level but is still as out there as ever. It takes the death of family patriarch Charles to bring everyone together. Now, for those following the news, Charles - originally played by Jeffrey Jones - didn't return because of some personal issues - and the film comes up with some novel ways to address the part he plays - including an animated sequence and a headless afterlife. He does have some speaking lines but because of the way he died, it's played more for laughs.
Returning to the town of Winter River, the family prepares for a funeral - which also turns into an impromptu wedding when Rory - to no one else's pleasure - proposes to Lydia who very reluctantly agrees. Back in the afterlife, however, our old friend Beetlejuice (Betelgeuse?) - - Michael Keaton in top form - realized his one, true love is back and seeks to rekindle their relationship - too back his own ex-flame, Delores (a Corpse-looking Bride in Monica Bellucci) has managed to pull herself together and the soul-sucking (literally) demoness will stop at nothing to get Beetlejuice back.
While Astrid makes a connection with a local boy, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), in the afterlife, actor-turned-undead cop Wolf Jackson (a delightfully over-the-top Willem Dafoe) seeks to track down Beetlejuice following a series of the dead turning up, well, dead.
While the film could have given a bit more depth to Bellucci and even Astrid herself, the story moves along at a brisk pace, and everyone just looks and feels like they're having a hell of a time - and even under what has to be some punishing makeup, Keaton is once again the shining, vulgar star. The film even manages to throw in a great musical number in MacArthur Park. It also gives homage to the classic Harry Belafonte Day-O song used in the original as a boys choir version during Charles' funeral. The film is also top-notch when it comes to the afterlife with a lot of great visual gags among the dead - and a nice Soul Train reference - and I'm sure going back to watch it will reveal even more Easter Eggs.
While I don't think it can quite top the original, this sequel is still a fun ride and everyone on board seems to know what to give and how to play things and thoroughly enjoy doing so. You can't say that about a lot of sequels, especially these days, so it's nice to see one play out this way.
