Over three decades after the original “Beetlejuice,” the long-awaited sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was released. Tim Burton returned as the film’s director, alongside the film’s original leads. The sequel featured the titular character Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), but focuses primarily on Lydia’s daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) as she becomes entangled with a teen ghost and finds herself trapped in the Neitherworld.
The original “Beetlejuice,” released in 1988, quickly became a favorite in the collection of spooky season media, rising to such popularity that it spawned an animated series and a Broadway musical. The film follows the recently deceased couple Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) as they navigate their newly found ghosthood. The couple struggles to come to terms with the fact that the Deetz family has reoccupied their home, and they summon Beetlejuice to force the Deetzes out. Lydia discovers that she can see the Maitlands and calls upon Beetlejuice once more to help them stay in the real world as ghosts, only to get tricked into agreeing to marry him in exchange for his service.
Released on Sept. 6, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” starts off with the death of Lydia’s father, drawing her, Astrid and her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) back to the Maitland house. Astrid’s meet-cute with the local 90s aesthetic heartthrob Jeremy (Arthur Conti) quickly sours once she realizes that not only is he a ghost, but he has also swindled her into exchanging her life for his. Lydia resorts to calling upon the chaotic Beetlejuice to save her daughter from getting stuck in the land of the dead.
The relationship between Lydia, Astrid and Delia is central to this addition to the “Beetlejuice” universe. Unlike the first film, in which Lydia helps the Maitlands due to a supernatural unlikely friendship, the protagonists are driven purely by familial connection, one that is firmly planted in reality. This is a much more relatable dynamic than what was previously exhibited.
Giving significantly more screen time to the title character and making him more of a help than a hindrance was a welcome change from the first film. Beetlejuice’s antics were only funny to the audience in the first film, but his new role is entertaining to both audiences and the characters.
His chaotic attempt at couples counseling Lydia and Rory (Justin Theroux) was well-intentioned and he was ultimately the lynchpin in the operation to help Astrid escape the Neitherworld. Beetlejuice learned from the mistakes that we saw in the first film and now can stir up some mischief without going fully overboard.
This new addition to Beetlejuice’s story has allowed for further exploration of the Neitherworld, the otherworldly dimension of the afterlife from which Beetlejuice emerges once summoned. We meet Beetlejuice on his turf, getting a closer look at his job as a bio-exorcist — a professional human ejector. Astrid’s accidental venture into the Neitherworld allows audiences to understand the nitty gritty processes involved with dying, like the customs line from hell and Soul Train to the Great Beyond.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is incredibly visually compelling. As with any Tim Burton work, the film is a masterclass in stylistic filmmaking, bringing his signature aesthetic back and better than ever in this latest work. Black and white color blocking is a defining feature of the scenery and costuming, most memorably in the checkerboard-patterned hallways of the afterlife and in Beetlejuice’s iconic striped suit.
While the first film was set almost entirely in the Maitland house, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” delves further into the small town of Winter River, Conn. The Maitlands’ hometown is brought to life. The scenery is equal parts eerie and comforting, perfectly matching the temporal setting of this story, which primarily takes place on Halloween night.
The juxtaposition of haunted houses in the middle of a sprawling suburbia or countryside town has long defined Burton’s work; the pure white Maitland house surrounded by the autumnal palette of Winter River falls in line with this theme. This contrast is balanced by the use of practical effects to create fantastical images.
The film notably relies significantly less on the distractingly heavy CGI of some of Burton’s other live-action works, as seen in “Alice in Wonderland” and “Dumbo.” The lean toward practical effects in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” feels authentic to the original story, not just evoking nostalgia for fans of the original movie, but signifying a return to Burton’s traditional filmmaking and storytelling.
With all its merits, a glaring low point of the film is the half-baked villain Delores (Monica Bellucci). The concept of Delores is intriguing; Beetlejuice’s literal soul-sucking ex-wife poses a significant threat to Astrid’s successful escape from the Neitherworld. However, her intimidation is highly exaggerated. Her character and the damage she causes spend very little time on screen, and only a small portion of that is of her interacting with the protagonists. Delores is an underutilized character, feeling unnecessary to the story.
Astrid’s struggle with her father’s death also stands as an unexplored path. In a film that is built around grief and death, it seems like a missed opportunity not to delve into this. There are passing moments in which Astrid directly grapples with the death of her father, but these are quick, and little to no substantial progress can be made in dealing with her grief.
Still, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is one of the better sequels of a revived story produced in recent years. It is just different enough from the original to stand on its own, but just familiar enough to seamlessly expand upon the original story. While it may not surpass the surprising ingenuity or classic timelessness of the first entry in the series, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a refreshing and predominantly successful attempt at a revival of such a beloved film.
Camille Robinson is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. She can be reached at camilllr@uci.edu.
Edited by Alaina Retodo and Annabelle Aguirre.
