Betelgeuse, the bio-exorcist made famous by Michael Keaton in the 1988 film of (almost) the same name, thinks of himself as 鈥渘ightmare material.鈥�
But for fans of the much-loved original movie, his reunion with director Tim Burton is a dream.
The new film, 鈥淏eetlejuice Beetlejuice,鈥� returns to Winter River, along with three generations of the Deetz family. They are: wacky artist Delia (Catherine O鈥橦ara), mother of goth TV personality Lydia (Winona Ryder)鈥�"The Living. The Dead. Can they coexist? That's what we're here to find out,鈥� she says鈥� and grandmother of the rebellious Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who thinks her mother鈥檚 clairvoyance is a sham.
Brought together by the passing of Deetz family patriarch Charles (originally played by Jeffrey Jones), the trio becomes a quartet when Astrid opens a portal to the afterlife, releasing the ghostly presence of Betelgeuse (Keaton). 鈥淭he juice is loose!鈥�
Lydia, now engaged to greasy television producer Rory (Justin Theroux), must reckon with her past betrothal to Betelgeuse.
鈥淲hen I was a teenager, a trickster demon terrorized our entire family and tried to force me to marry him,鈥� says Lydia, while the rambunctious spirit has marital troubles of his own. His ex-wife, the soul-sucking Delores (Monica Belucci), has pulled herself together鈥攚hen we first see her, she鈥檚 reassembling her dismembered body鈥攁nd is looking for revenge.
Flip flopping between past and present, our world and the otherworld, 鈥淏eetlejuice Beetlejuice鈥� explores Astrid鈥檚 crush on emo local boy Jeremy (Arthur Conti), the adventures of B-movie-action-star-turned-ghost-detective Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), and the power of the 鈥淗andbook for the Recently Deceased.鈥�
A sequel to a movie released when Ronald Reagan was the president of the United States, 鈥淏eetlejuice Beetlejuice鈥� is in some ways a back-to-basics Tim Burton movie.
A return to the pop pastiche style that made his name, it鈥檚 an eye-popping collection of influences. From the German Expressionism of 鈥淭he Cabinet of Dr. Caligari鈥� and classic 50s kitsch to exaggerated dreamscapes and the gothic 鈥淕ashlycrumb Tinies," his energized visuals will make your eyeballs dance. It鈥檚 a welcome return to the marvellously macabre window dressing that defined the original and made it so much fun.
But sequel culture, being what it is, means that the follow-up to a beloved hit must be bigger than what came before. So, 鈥淏eetlejuice Beetlejuice鈥� is longer, louder and unrulier than the original. In its attempt to recreate the magic of the first film, it tries too hard, stuffing the story with side-stories, new characters and callbacks to 1988. It鈥檚 a new 鈥淒ay-O鈥� for Betelgeuse, and the effort is evident, but the extra stuff doesn鈥檛 do much in terms of freshening up Mr. Juice鈥檚 mouldy corpse.
Still, although bigger is not better, it brims with humour and heart, courtesy of a handpicked cast of Burton regulars. Keaton has an expanded role鈥攈e only appears for 17.5 minutes in the original鈥攁nd goes for it. The character isn鈥檛 exactly subtle, but both Burton and Keaton use restraint, so the wild-and-wacky "ghost with the most" doesn鈥檛 overstay his welcome.
The Deetz family dynamic, the film鈥檚 beating heart, is well represented in the relationship between Ryder, O鈥橦ara and Ortega. Canadian national treasure O鈥橦ara is reliably hilarious, stealing every scene she鈥檚 in, while Ryder and Ortega do the dramatic heavy lifting.
You may not have the time of your afterlife at 鈥淏eetlejuice Beetlejuice,鈥� but it鈥檚 far from a dead end for Burton and company. It doesn鈥檛 have the charm of the first film, but does deliver enough laughs, fan service and new ideas to cast its spell.
