Continuing with Hollywood’s nostalgia-train trend, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a fun throwback to the 1988 original.

Tim Burton returns as director, infusing his classic kooky spookiness, paired with music by Danny Elfman. Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and the ghost with the most himself, Michael Keaton, all reprise their roles.

A callback to the fans and visual feast are the strengths of this film. If you’re looking to get into your ’80s/’90s kid feels—great! This movie will mostly deliver. If you’re looking for a well fleshed out story—not as much.

In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz (Ryder) has grown into a timid, traumatized adult, with a ghost hunting show called “Ghost House.” After years of feeling that Betelguese (pronounced “Beetlejuice”) has been haunting her—because he has been—and a significant loss, Lydia is at a very fragile place. Her strained relationship with daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), further isolates her, but news from her mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), brings the three generations back to the Connecticut house where it all began. To keep Astrid from a horrible fate, Lydia is forced to call on Betelguese for help—and the hijinks ensue.

Now this alone, if well explored, could make for enough of a movie. But it doesn’t end there. One primary criticism—they try to do too much, and don’t really see much of it through.

The movie begins with a buildup of Monica Bellucci’s soul-sucking Delores on the hunt, searching for Betelguese, leaving a trail of bodies behind her. Then, they stop that storyline to focus elsewhere. When she finally reemerges, they do virtually nothing with the character or her story arc. Unfortunately, Willem Dafoe’s character Jackson, a living actor turned ghost detective, is entirely tied in with this narrative. While Dafoe is entertaining to watch, the whole subplot is useless to the movie. It just adds something else into an already bloated story—and takes up space that could instead be used to develop some of the more interesting plot points.

Another disappointment is Lydia. It’s sad to see such a strong-willed character become a shell of a person. It’s understandable, and realistic, that this can happen to someone who has been deeply traumatized, but it keeps Lydia as a bit of a one-note throughout the movie without much relief in the end. While this clearly isn’t a movie looking to dive deep into the themes of grief, it is there. They do allude to it, but never really go there.

The afterlife’s office of shrunken head employees in suits are humorous, and at one point they somehow escape into the realm of the living. In a less serious critique, it starts to look like they may run amuck, but then there’s nothing. What was the point of that? It’s a potentially funny concept, but nothing happened.

The world created is still incredible, with Elfman’s score immersing you from the opening credits. Burton’s stamp is all over this movie. His aesthetic of weird monstrous creatures, paired with humor, plenty of horror and practical effects, makes an unpredictable and exciting experience.

…And Michael Keaton hasn’t lost his stride as the wise-cracking, decrepit titular (times two) character. Keaton’s Betelguese is used far more in this movie than the original, but just enough. Another standout is Catherine O’Hara’s return as Delia Deetz. Even kookier than in the first movie, it seems as if she’s brought some of her Moira Rose energy into the role, and it works. Both characters steal every scene with their over-the-top antics and humor.

While this movie doesn’t quite have the heart of its predecessor, it is visually a fun watch. The afterlife is entertaining with a variety of characters who have all met an unfortunate demise—including a man who went too far in his final hotdog eating competition. When looking for something light and fun, this is a great watch. If you are looking for something more fleshed out you might leave feeling a little let down.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
2024
dir. Tim Burton
104 min.

Opens Friday, 9/6 @ Coolidge Corner Theatre, Somerville Theatre, and pretty much everywhere else