“BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE” Review: Exhilarating Comedy For New Generation, But Much Is Lacking

Back in 1988, Tim Burton unleashed the film “Beetlejuice” to the world. This dark fantasy horror comedy shook the film genre as a whole. From its inception to this day, the film has been a pop culture phenomenon that spawned an animated TV series, a few video games, and a hit stage musical.

Now, in 2024, Burton is set to unleash the Juice once more, this time to a wider range of audiences, from the classic enjoyers to the newer kids looking to get a taste of the macabre. With access to the digital age’s CGI and much more tech, we get to see our favourite trickster in his craziest form yet. The question is, will this film be able to let Beetlejuice re-enter the public consciousness once more, or will he be devoured by the sandworms, never to return again?

The story takes place 36 years after the original film, and three generations of the Deetz family return to Winter River, after Charles Deetz’s unexpected death, to say one last goodbye. But this time around, Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder) is a widow and famous medium. Not only that – she has a daughter named Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega), a rebellious girl who wants to detach herself from the paranormal and eccentric life that her family is known for, mimicking the relationship Lydia had with her stepmother, Delia Deetz (played by Catherine O’Hara), when she was her age.

However, this maternal relationship is put to the test when Astrid slips into and is trapped in the land of the dead. To rescue her, Lydia has to call upon a familiar face for help – Beetlejuice (played by Michael Keaton), who re-enters their lives, and turns everything upside down.

“BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE” is a hysterical dark comedy with a lot of fun moments, but it’s not like that all throughout the film. The story opens quite awkwardly with Lydia being a host of a show called “Ghost House with Lydia Deetz”. Five minutes into the film, there is a rather uncomfortable scene where her new boyfriend, Rory (played by Justin Theroux), acts a little too familiar, even by boyfriend standards, though it is intentional.

This slow start gives us the sense that the film is slowly easing us in, albeit painfully, to this board game where every piece has its place. It’s a nice attempt, and we get to see it slowly come together halfway through the film, but it doesn’t have much of a payoff by the end.

But once you move past that opening sequence, everything is fair game, and we get to enjoy Tim Burton’s brand of unapologetic, crazy comedy that plays everything from shark attacks to exploding guts and baby ghouls for laughs. One of the more exciting sequences of the film is when one of the big bads of the film, Delores (played by Monica Bellucci), comes back to life, stapling herself together in an incredible scene that, overall, re-emphasises the entire tone of the film as we revisit the land of the dead.

With that in mind, the film naturally expands on the land of the dead, delving deeper into the chaotic bureaucracy that prevails over the place and how far it goes, something absent in the original film. Furthermore, with a bigger set and bigger expectations, the film boasts a star-studded supporting cast, which includes Willem Dafoe, Danny Devito, Burn Gorman, and more.

Of course, Tim Burton never fails to deliver the over-the-top macabre aesthetic that he is known for. We get to see stunning costumes and designs in the mortal world, but we’re also wowed by true artistic genius as we delve deeper into the realm of the dead. We’re exposed to twisting corridors of organised chaos that are fitting for an underworld government system.

From severed humans to funky trains, we’re treated to Burton’s unrestrained creativity dialled up to 11. One of the main strengths of the original film was its use of practical effects to create stunning illusions that were ahead of their time. This was brought about by the extreme budget constraints the crew had to work with at the time, forcing those behind the camera to think outside the box. Now with a much bigger budget, we obviously get to see more CGI, which is great, as the film absolutely deserves it, especially if it means expanding its world.

One thing we found quite jarring about the film was how the CGI scenes were executed, as some still carry that stop-motion/claymation vibe, which is not bad, but obviously quite janky. A best example of this is the “plane crash” and “sandworm scene”; the film might have greatly benefitted if the former were simply 2D animation or perhaps better-rendered CGI, and the latter, if it were made with animatronics or puppets, with CGI added later.

Moving on to the characters, a gripe many had with the original was that, despite being the titular character of the film, Beetlejuice was only on screen for a fraction of the original film’s screen time, and even then, he made his first appearance somewhere in the second half of the film. In the sequel, Keaton gets to absolutely revel in his role as the demonic trickster, as he is given more screen time. Some may say that he should have had a bit more screen time; some say it’s just enough; but people unanimously agree that they have a blast whenever he appears thanks to the veteran actor’s bombastic presence.

Of course, how can we forget Winona Ryder’s Lydia, the only person who can stand up to Beetlejuice? She shares the limelight alongside Jenna Ortega as the only one who is his match. It’s this trio that takes the film and brings it to a whole new level. The movie could have exclusively focused on these three alone, but luckily, it manages to avoid the “decades later” sequel trap that focuses too much on the original cast and gives ample attention to the other cast members.

But that isn’t to say that the film is flawless — far from it. Once again, this features a large cast of decorated actors and actresses, but they feel underutilised, with some having their established subplot points wasted by the end. A clear example of this is Monica Bellucci’s Delores, Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, who wants to find her former husband and suck his soul. Her introduction is so epic, we genuinely thought that she was the main antagonist of the film, only for her to be unceremoniously dropped by the end. Same goes for Willem Dafoe, who is simply played up for laughs and more eccentricity — those are welcomed, don’t get us wrong, but it largely feels like a waste of an incredible talent.

They all congregate by the end of the film in one final climactic scene where all the wackiness is supposed to be unleashed, as if mimicking the “Day-O” scene from the original. Unfortunately, it never reaches that high, as the film drops the ball when it comes to their characters, save for Beetlejuice and the Deetz family.

This sort of reminds us of Dreamwork’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” where the film introduced — and actually took the time to establish — rest of the supporting characters/antagonists. In the animated film, we get to see each of the secondary characters’ motivations and what drives them throughout the film, which culminates in a satisfying climax and ending. The film feels so rushed in so many aspects that we question whether or not the final act was indeed final.

But what is truly irksome is the ending. Despite my gripes, it could have ended with a nice cherry on top, and all might have been forgiven. Instead, it concludes with an open ending, which is obviously setting up for a potential sequel if it does well. If that is the case, the filmmakers should have simply extended the run time and focused on whatever the story should have been rather than break it apart, for we assume it to be another nostalgia cash grab.

Overall “BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE” is a nice revisit to the sleepy town of Winter River, with all our favourite characters and more. Unfortunately, it seems as though the movie fails to maximise the use of its characters, as some move on to the cinematic afterlife without finishing their subplots or not influencing the main plot enough. But if you’re here for the insane thrill ride and dark comedy the original is known for, then step right up as this film might just be for you.

“BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE” will be hitting theatres this 5th September.

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