Beetlejuice Beetlejuice- The Ghost With The Most Unnecessary Side Characters
What was the last great Tim Burton movie? I think that is probably why so many years later, Tim Burton finally jumped on the legacy sequel train and made beetlejuice beetlejuice, which brings back a handful of original players and puts them in the mix with some new faces. Once again, despite the title, Michael Keaton is still not the star of this film. I will concede that he does feel somehow in more of this film than the original, which probably could have expanded even further if this was actually a good script.
not that I wasn’t entertained. The movie brings Winona Ryder’s Lydia back into the center of a lot of things at once. She’s a TV host of a paranormal show, since she can see ghosts. She has a daughter (Jenna Ortega), who isn’t even out of high school, but they are somehow estranged. And, Lydia’s husband died years ago, which is the major point of contention, that she’s never been able to see him. One thing is for sure, Tim Burton did see the 1995 film Casper, and by God, he’s gonna run with it.
So, Lydia gets an unexpected call from Delia (Catherine O’Hara), that her father (formerly played by Jeffrey Jones) died, in a comically awful way so that even ghost version of him doesn’t require Jones to set foot on set. Nevertheless, Lydia and her daughter return for the funeral, along with Lydia’s pointless manager (Justin Theroux). It is here that the plot gets going finally, when Jenna Ortega’s presumed new lead allows herself to be drawn in by an oh so cute boy who may not be someone with the best intentions. This means Lydia has to rescue her daughter, and she can only think of one ghost with the most to help. Casper. I mean, beetlejuice.
That should be enough. I shouldn’t have to tell you that the movie is plagued by a criminal misuse of Monica bellucci as a murderous ex of beetlejuice, or Willem Dafoe as a detective trying to locate her. That entire subplot is pointless, and doesn’t need to exist. There’s enough here, and even a new character with Justin Theroux, that they had plenty to develop. Instead, it comes across as a hodgepodge of ideas, like a cinematic buffet where you’re expected to eat all of it, even though the cuisines don’t mix.
the audio description is really pretty good, as it has some unique ghosts to describe. But, aside from being an exercise in audio description, this film lives and dies basically by the original cast. Ryder, Keaton, and o’Hara are the draws. To be fair, Jenna Ortega is a really nice fit, and she doesn’t feel like a retread of either Wednesday or Winona’s original Lydia. Keaton surprisingly hasn’t missed a beat, and is damn near as energetic and frenetic as he was some 36 years ago. Considering how underdeveloped the new characters are, you have to wonder if anyone had a serious conversation about bringing back Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin. Say what you want, but they would have made a lot more sense than Bellucci/Dafoe. Even Justin Theroux’s character is one note, and never feels like he’s ever a potential love interest for Ryder. he is always out of place.
They do give O’Hara her own thing to do, so her talent isn’t wasted. She’s just as kooky as ever before, and that works well into the B-plot she has. there is a recurring theme between some of the ghosts that felt lazy, especially when the movie finally reaches its Casper emotional peak. It is so hard to take that scene seriously, when I’m spending more time wanting to know how he’s being eaten by piranhas. And, if so, did the piranha’s die too? Simultaneously? Because there’s another character with a fish related death whose top half of his body isn’t just a giant shark. So, why are the little fish there, but not the big fish? And same goes for the cat lady still actively being eaten by the cats. Are the cats dead? Make it make sense.
I don’t think it is quite a legacy sequel that knocks it out of the park. I’d give those honors to Top Gun Maverick, certainly, or even David Gordon Green’s very first foray into Halloween. Those films worked, and they worked in their own and as a mirror of what once was. This only works to remind you of something you once liked, and that you might have liked a sequel, but likely one that came out in the early 90’s, not years later with a contrived plot and the most unnecessary side characters in any film this year. This is the one film I’d love to see a ‘director’s cut” happen, but a cut that completely removes Dafoe and bellucci. I’d be so interested in what that looks like. probably a tighter film that stays closer to the vibes of the first movie.
I should mention, I did see this theatrically, just a while back. And, my experience with audio description is near the same. I either am in a theater too loud that the headphones lose the battle, or the Bluetooth struggles to find my receiver. Or both. I used to love going to the movies, but at home, my balance is perfect, my technology isn’t failing me, and I don’t have to sit through a bunch of commercials and seven previews to see the film. Seven.
Final Grade: B-