Movie Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A very fun sequel to the 1988 classic. 

This is one of the most playful and fun movies that Tim Burton has made in decades. Though the film may not be perfect, it is simply a blast to watch. It accomplishes the most important part of any comedy. That is to say it is laugh out loud funny. This film is full of gags and yet nearly every one of them hits. The comedy in this sequel is even more over the top than the original to the point where at times it almost becomes a live action Tex Avery cartoon. This cartoon-y over-the-top comedic approach could have been off-putting, if it wasn't so darn funny. The humor here may actually be even funnier than the original. I was very pleasantly surprised by just how much I laughed watching this. Adding to the fun is the sheer creativity of the afterlife. All the scenes taking place there are incredibly creative and fun. This is the opportunity for the filmmakers to simply let their imaginations run wild and they do this in a specular fashion. The morbid humor in these scenes only adds to the wonderfully playful but spooky atmosphere. 

The characters in this film are also great, both old and new. Of course, Michael Keaton is back as Betelgeuse (the ghost with the most babe) and he is wonderful, retaining the pure comic energy of 36 years ago. While he receives more screentime in the sequel than in the original, he never overstays his welcome and stays the same fun to watch sleaze-ball that we enjoyed in the first film. The returning members of the Deetz family are just as great here, and I love how they made Lydia feel like the same character in some ways, while acknowledging how much a person changes in 36 years. And of course, Winona Ryder is wonderful. However, the new characters were a lot of fun as well. Lydia's daughter Astrid (played by Jenna Ortega, who Burton had directed in the TV series Wednesday) is a very likable character and one that is easy to relate to. Like Lydia in the first film, she is the emotional anchor here and she fills this role very well. However, the scene stealer is Bob (a guy with a shrunken head like the one we see briefly in the first film), who is truly hilarious and charming. 

This movie does fall into one trap that too many sequels do. The first film has a charming simplicity to it. The first Beetlejuice is a simple story simply told. This gives it almost the feeling of a dark fairytale. However, this sequel has too many characters and too many plot points, that it loses some of the simple charm that the first film had plenty of. Having subplots about Betelgeuse's ex-wife and an actor that use to play a cop, distract from the Deetz's story and rob the film of some of the simple charm of the first one. 

While this movie may get bogged down by too many subplots and characters, it is so darn much fun that you may not care.