Spooky and nostalgic, however it misplaced the plot

It is exhausting to imagine that it has been 36 years since Tim Burton’s iconic horror comedy, Beetlejuice, wowed audiences with its unimaginable type and really distinctive tackle the afterlife. Within the years since, the movie has spawned an animated collection, a musical that has the uncommon distinction of haunting Broadway twice, and aisles of Hot Topic merchandise. To say that Betelgeuse is a beloved character is an understatement, as he appears to have a popular culture endurance that I do not assume even creator Tim Burton might have imagined when he dreamed up the character over three decades ago.

With all this in thoughts, it appears little surprise that Betelgeuse has been delivered to life for a second outing in 2024, particularly as legacy sequels like Prime Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have had nice success bringing previous franchises again to life on the multiplex for brand new generations to expertise. And whereas I used to be cautiously optimistic about this movie, particularly since a lot of the artistic group behind the unique movie has returned for the sequel, I am unable to say that I actually loved Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Warning: Gentle plot spoilers shall be mentioned forward.

Launch date, ranking, and runtime

Right here for a great time, not a very long time

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is now enjoying in theaters. It clocks in at one hour and 44 minutes, simply 10 minutes longer than the unique movie. I caught the movie at a “fan preview” screening on Cinemark’s proprietary large-format XD display screen.

What I appreciated about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Tim Burton’s iconic type is on full show

The band is again collectively in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and in some ways, it feels identical to 1988 once more. Tim Burton is directing once more, for under his second sequel ever (his first was Batman Returns). Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara are all reprising their respective roles as Betelgeuse, Lydia Deetz, and Delia Deetz, and Danny Elfman is as soon as once more offering the rating.

The movie efficiently recaptures the type and tone of the unique, and for those who’re all about nostalgic vibes, you will discover loads to like right here. The returning solid delivers superb performances, particularly Keaton and O’Hara, who’re really in prime kind. The trendy manufacturing design completely recollects the look of the unique movie whereas well updating it for 2024, and the quite a few sensible results assist the movie obtain a grounded feeling, even because it explores the fantastical aspect of the netherworld.

One notably memorable setpiece is a literal Soul Practice, the place dancers groove to funky music whereas the not too long ago deceased board the final practice they’re going to ever journey. The idea is straightforward however good in its execution and serves as a reminder of how good Tim Burton could be when he’s in prime kind.

What I did not like about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

So many subplots, but so little substance

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s plot wastes no time catching up with Lydia Deetz, who’s now a psychic mediator along with her very personal TV present akin to Ghost Hunters, known as Welcome to Ghost Home. Although she insists she has moved on from the trauma of her adolescence, she continues to be secretly haunted by Betelgeuse, which majorly impacts each her relationship along with her daughter, Astrid (performed to perfection by Jenna Ortega), and her new boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), whom she met at a grief help group following the off-screen dying of Astrid’s father.

Although this could already appear to be loads of setup for a movie, there are much more plot threads to unpack within the movie’s overstuffed first act. Viewers study that Betelgeuse’s dismembered ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), has stapled her corpse again collectively and is out for revenge on her former beau, who we study is accountable for chopping her into bits whereas he was nonetheless alive. Added to the combo is Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a useless actor who’s now actually enjoying the position of his afterlife as a detective within the underworld, mugging his approach via crime scenes, posing dramatically with weapons, and briefing underworld law enforcement officials utilizing cue playing cards. After which, as if that wasn’t sufficient, viewers then flash again to the world of the dwelling to fulfill Astrid’s love curiosity, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), a mysterious younger boy who simply so occurs to have a duplicate of the Handbook for the Not too long ago Deceased mendacity round for no obvious motive.

As you possibly can inform, there’s lots occurring on this movie. And sadly, all these wildly disparate plot threads by no means fairly come collectively in a satisfying approach.

Whereas 1988’s Beetlejuice was a reasonably simple story a few blended household and a haunted home, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a cluttered mess that wishes to deal with familial relationships, the value of fame, how trauma is well exploited, and the implications of unfinished enterprise. A deft, targeted script might presumably have managed all of those components directly. Nevertheless, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t have that. As an alternative, what viewers get is half a dozen underbaked subplots that go away audiences questioning why they need to care about any of it. The movie’s unfocused plot could be very distracting, and regardless of some really nice performances from actors new to the franchise (Willem Dafoe is doing probably the most right here in one of the simplest ways doable), it’s exhausting to put money into a narrative that spreads itself so skinny.

One other problem this movie runs into is that it stops the motion useless (no pun meant) for lengthy, prolonged gags that do completely nothing to advance the movie’s overloaded plot. As an illustration, within the movie’s third act, it tries to recall the notorious “Day-O” scene from the unique with an prolonged musical sequence that includes “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer time. However as a substitute of being a fast quantity that will get amusing or two, the sequence feels overlong, with the motion seemingly simply on pause whereas the scene performs out over a number of minutes.

Verdict: Do you have to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

Good vibes are overshadowed by a weak plot

WB

It is unusual to be totally disillusioned by a film the place the actors are on the prime of their sport, the manufacturing stage is top-notch, and even the rating has you tapping your toes. However such is the expertise of watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a legacy sequel that had all of the ingredients for success, however finally ends up being much less than the sum of its parts.