Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

SHOWTIMES 2049403

The ghost with the most returns after three decades in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Three decades after nearly being forced to marry Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) puts the her powers as a medium to use as the host of the paranormal TV series Ghost House, with her dating the show’s producer Rory (Justin Theroux). After being informed by her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) that her father died in a tragic accident, Lydia goes to pick up her estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) from school and returns home to Winter River for the funeral.

Meanwhile, Betelgeuse is informed by afterlife detective Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe) that his literal soul-sucking ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) is back from the dead and out for revenge. Betelgeuse finds his chance when Astrid gets herself into trouble and Lydia desperately needs his help. Together, they make the trip into the afterlife to both save Astrid and stop Delores.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Synopsis

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the 1988 film, once again directed by Tim Burton. Much of the original cast make their return, including Michael Keaton as the titular Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz. They are joined by Jenna Ortega (Scream), who previously worked with Burton on the Wednesday Netflix series, as Lydia’s estranged daughter Astrid, who is extremely skeptical of her mother’s ability to see ghosts. When Lydia’s pompous boyfriend Rory, played with much sleaze by Justin Theroux, proposes in the middle of her father’s funeral, Astrid runs off and ends up befriending local boy Jeremy (Arthur Conti), who invites her to hang out with him on Halloween.

Meanwhile, in the afterlife, Betelgeuse has expanded his bio-exorcism business into a full-on call centre, occupied by a group of shrunken-headed men led by Bob-Shrinker (Nick Kellington). While he still holds a flame for Lydia, Betelgeuse is shocked when his chopped-up ex-wife Delorous, played with much wickedness by Monica Bellucci, pulls herself back together and begins seeking revenge. With Delorous able to suck up the dead’s souls, leaving their shrivelled skin, Betelgeuse has to remain one step ahead of her, while also trying to fulfil his afterlife-long dream of marrying Lydia.

My Thoughts on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The original Beetlejuice from 1988 was the second feature film by Tim Burton and it arguably established the macabre and gothic style that he would use for his nearly four-decade-long career. Various ideas for sequels were floating along throughout the decades, including one idea reported titled Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian. While Tim Burton was considering retirement after 2019’s Dumbo, the success of his Netflix series Wednesday revitalized his career somewhat and a sequel to Beetlejuice finally surfaced after 36 years.

While most of the original cast returns for this sequel, conspicuous in their absence are Geena Davis and Adam Baldwin, who played the original film’s undead protagonists, Barbara and Adam Maitland, whose absence is explained away in a single throwaway line. Not as surprising in his absence is Jeffrey Jones as Charles Deetz, due to Jones’ criminal offences from two decades ago. His character ends up being humorously killed off in a stop-motion flashback sequence.

While there is an argument that can be made that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reuses many of the beats from the original, including a possession dance sequence, this time set to the song “MacArthur Park,” the film is still a fun and macabre supernatural comedy. Tim Burton seems to be enjoying himself returning to this world, resisting the urge to modernize the effects too much. Many of the macabre afterlife effects are surprisingly gory for what is otherwise a family-friendly film.

Another smart choice for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is not to expand the role of Betelgeuse too much. While Michael Keaton has more screen time than the 17 minutes or so he appears in the original, he doesn’t overtake the narrative, which is still dominated by the Deetz family. At 74 years old, Michael Keaton does a good job of slipping back into the role, even if there are a lot more visible wrinkles underneath the makeup.

Despite arriving perhaps a few decades late, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is still a fun legacy sequel from Tim Burton. If this turns out to be Burton’s final feature film, it would be fitting to end his career with a sequel to one of the films that started it. I also expect to see “MacArthur Park” see a return to the charts after its use in this film.

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Trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice