Spooky and nostalgic, but it lost the plot

It’s hard to believe that it has been 36 years since Tim Burton’s iconic horror comedy, Beetlejuice, wowed audiences with its incredible style and truly unique take on the afterlife. In the years since, the film has spawned an animated series, a musical that has the rare distinction of haunting Broadway twice, and aisles of Hot Topic merchandise. To say that Betelgeuse is a beloved character is an understatement, as he seems to have a pop culture staying power that I don’t think even creator Tim Burton could have imagined when he dreamed up the character over three decades ago.

With all this in mind, it seems little wonder that Betelgeuse has been brought to life for a second outing in 2024, especially as legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have had great success bringing old franchises back to life at the multiplex for new generations to experience. And while I was cautiously optimistic about this film, especially since much of the creative team behind the original film has returned for the sequel, I can’t say that I really enjoyed Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Warning: Light plot spoilers will be discussed ahead.

Release date, rating, and runtime

Here for a good time, not a long time

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

What I liked about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Tim Burton’s iconic style is on full display

The band is back together in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and in many ways, it feels just like 1988 again. Tim Burton is directing again, for only 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 once again providing the score.

The film successfully recaptures the style and tone of the original, and if you’re all about nostalgic vibes, you’ll find plenty to love here. The returning cast delivers amazing performances, especially Keaton and O’Hara, who are truly in top form. The stylish production design perfectly recalls the look of the original film while smartly updating it for 2024, and the numerous practical effects help the film achieve a grounded feeling, even as it explores the fantastical side of the netherworld.

One particularly memorable setpiece is a literal Soul Train, where dancers groove to funky music while the recently deceased board the last train they’ll ever ride. The concept is simple but perfect in its execution and serves as a reminder of how good Tim Burton can be when he is in top form.

What I didn’t like about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

So many subplots, yet so little substance

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s plot wastes no time catching up with Lydia Deetz, who is now a psychic mediator with her very own TV show akin to Ghost Hunters, called Welcome to Ghost House. Though she insists she has moved on from the trauma of her adolescence, she is still secretly haunted by Betelgeuse, which majorly affects both her relationship with her daughter, Astrid (played to perfection by Jenna Ortega), and her new boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), whom she met at a grief support group following the off-screen death of Astrid’s father.

Though this would already seem like plenty of setup for a film, there are even more plot threads to unpack in the film’s overstuffed first act. Viewers learn that Betelgeuse’s dismembered ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), has stapled her corpse back together and is out for revenge on her former beau, who we learn is responsible for chopping her into bits while he was still alive. Added to the mix is Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a dead actor who is now literally playing the role of his afterlife as a detective in the underworld, mugging his way through crime scenes, posing dramatically with guns, and briefing underworld police officers using cue cards. And then, as if that wasn’t enough, viewers then flash back to the world of the living to meet Astrid’s love interest, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), a mysterious young boy who just so happens to have a copy of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased lying around for no apparent reason.

As you can tell, there’s a lot going on in this film. And unfortunately, all these wildly disparate plot threads never quite come together in a satisfying way.

While 1988’s Beetlejuice was a fairly straightforward story about a blended family and a haunted house, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a cluttered mess that wants to address familial relationships, the price of fame, how trauma is easily exploited, and the consequences of unfinished business. A deft, focused script could possibly have managed all of these elements at once. However, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does not have that. Instead, what viewers get is half a dozen underbaked subplots that leave audiences wondering why they should care about any of it. The film’s unfocused plot is very distracting, and despite some truly great performances from actors new to the franchise (Willem Dafoe is doing the most here in the best way possible), it is hard to invest in a story that spreads itself so thin.

Another issue this film runs into is that it stops the action dead (no pun intended) for long, extended gags that do absolutely nothing to advance the film’s overloaded plot. For instance, in the film’s third act, it tries to recall the infamous “Day-O” scene from the original with an extended musical sequence featuring “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer. But instead of being a quick number that gets a laugh or two, the sequence feels overlong, with the action seemingly just on pause while the scene plays out over several minutes.

Verdict: Should you see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

Good vibes are overshadowed by a weak plot

WB

It’s strange to be thoroughly disappointed by a movie where the actors are at the top of their game, the production level is top-notch, and even the score has you tapping your toes. But such is the experience of watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a legacy sequel that had all the ingredients for success, but ends up being much less than the sum of its parts.