September 5, 2024 Samuel Hames 0

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ – Review

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It’s showtime! After what has felt like an eternity, the Ghost with the Most is back on the silver screen with the long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s classic 1988 hit horror comedy Beetlejuice, in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and this is a spooky tale with all the laughs, and it’s a fiendishly good time out at the movies!

Thirty-six years after the events of Beetlejuice, the Deetz family returns home to Winter River after Charles Deetz’s unexpected death. Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened, releasing Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton).

When it comes to filmmakers who carry their own singular vision, Tim Burton stands out above the rest. As an artist through and through, Burton has brought his singularly unique creativity to the big screen for more than 50 years, and now he returns to the world of what some would call his quintessential film in, Beetlejuice. Long noted for its signature performances, a crazy mix of horror-comedy and striking visuals, Beetlejuice was a wholly original piece of cinema, and fans have long wanted to know what happened to the Ghost with the Most! Now, thirty-six years later, Burton has returned to provide us with this answer, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice provides a wildly original sequel with plenty of surprises. Burton again throws the Deetz family directly into the path of Betelgeuse and a trip deep down into the Afterlife, and with his fresh sense of creativity and completely goth aesthetic, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an absolute treat of a movie!

While Burton does let demonic ‘bio exorcist’ Betelgeuse loose again to wreck his own kind of unique sense of havoc on the Deetz family once more, he’s also handling some deep themes of the passing of time, the heaviness of loss and whether it’s really the dead who haunt the living, or the other way around. Even though it’s entirely fantastical and completely out there in its presentation and aesthetic, audiences will feel just how personal and reflective this film is for Burton, and watching it, you feel as if the filmmaker is going back home in a way. It also allows him to unleash his inner creativity, and every frame is permeated with his unique ink-pot palette of goth glam, and the kookiness of the Afterlife leads to some incredibly bizarre yet brilliant moments on screen. Burton also gets to dial up both the horror and the comedy of this piece, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits with a solid whack this time around!

Michael Keaton gave a lightning-rod performance as Betelgeuse back in 1988, and for years, fans have longed for him to return to this classic! Now we get our wish, and he smashes it out of this park as our favourite kooky, perverted, devious ghoul. Banished back to the bureaucratic slog of the Afterlife, Betelgeuse is still offering up his ‘bio-exorcism’ services to the living, and when disaster strikes the Deetz family, he finds his way back into the world of the living and into the arms of his ‘beloved’ Lydia (Winona Ryder). For Keaton, Betelgeuse is a second skin for the actor, and he cranks up his performance as he brings Lydia back into his world while also trying to stay away from his ‘vindictive’ ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci), who has her own score to settle with the Juice! Keaton’s comedic timing is spot-on, and it’s a lot of fun to watch him as he wrecks his own unique type of chaos, as only he can, in a damn lively performance.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a family saga, and once again, the Deetz family are pulled into a macabre predicament as death is in the air, and they return to the ghost house! Thirty-six years later, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) has made a life for herself as a wildly popular medium, with her own Hollywood show that has set her up with preening sycophantic producer Rory (Justin Theroux), and she is still haunted by her near-marriage to Betelgeuse. She’s also still dealing with the flamboyant outbursts of her step-mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), who is left distraught by the sudden passing of her husband Charles, and seeking a new way to court the limelight with her art, and then there’s Astrid (Jenna Ortega), Lydia’s precocious and sullen teenage daughter, who can’t stand her mother and falls into a predicament that leads to a reunion between Lydia and Betelgeuse… much to his enjoyment. Ryder, O’Hara and Ortega have fantastic chemistry together, and it’s a lot of fun watching them together on screen. This sequel allows new sides to be revealed from our characters, and drama does ensue, and it all leads to a very intriguing watch.

Tim Burton ups the ante with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and he helps audiences descend into the wild, colourful, and completely off-the-wall landscape of the Afterlife. And what follows is a groovy, disco-led fun time! While not wanting to run into spoilers, I will say that the narrative of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice leads to some pretty interesting moments, and the schlocky shock value of this sequel will leave you wide-eyed and giggling in your seat. This is a wildly unique picture, courtesy of Burton’s unique goth vision, and the screen sparkles with his moody use of neon-fusion-lit lighting and his ghoulish set dressing. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice also has a fantastical musical element to it, and this is a picture that surrounds its audience from all sides and is one of the most original cinema events of the year! There’s a balance of both nostalgia and something that is strikingly fresh, and the characters literally jump off the screen. I personally have to give kudos to Keaton and Ryder, while O’Hara is the unmistakable scene stealer as the completely unfiltered Delia, and seeing Betelgeuse wreck his own unique brand of havoc will leave you smiling.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a wildly fun cinema experience that will leave you smiling and shrieking in equal measure. It’s a complete gift from a director who is fully expressing his unique filmmaking style, and for those audiences needing a ghostly bit of fun, you’ll find it with this gothic gem.