Spooky and nostalgic, however it misplaced the plot

It is onerous to imagine that it has been 36 years since Tim Burton’s iconic horror comedy, Beetlejuice, wowed audiences with its unbelievable fashion and really distinctive tackle the afterlife. Within the years since, the movie has spawned an animated sequence, a musical that has the uncommon distinction of haunting Broadway twice, and aisles of Hot Topic merchandise. To say that Betelgeuse is a beloved character is an understatement, as he appears to have a popular culture endurance that I do not suppose even creator Tim Burton may have imagined when he dreamed up the character over three decades ago.

With all this in thoughts, it appears little marvel that Betelgeuse has been delivered to life for a second outing in 2024, particularly as legacy sequels like Prime Gun: Maverick and Ghostbusters: Afterlife have had nice success bringing previous franchises again to life on the multiplex for brand new generations to expertise. And whereas I used to be cautiously optimistic about this movie, particularly since a lot of the artistic group behind the unique movie has returned for the sequel, I can not say that I actually loved Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Warning: Mild plot spoilers will probably be mentioned forward.

Launch date, ranking, and runtime

Right here for a great time, not a very long time

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

What I favored about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Tim Burton’s iconic fashion is on full show

The band is again collectively in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and in some ways, it feels identical to 1988 once more. Tim Burton is directing once more, for less than 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 as soon as once more offering the rating.

The movie efficiently recaptures the fashion and tone of the unique, and in the event you’re all about nostalgic vibes, you will discover lots to like right here. The returning solid delivers superb performances, particularly Keaton and O’Hara, who’re really in prime kind. The fashionable manufacturing design completely recollects the look of the unique movie whereas well updating it for 2024, and the quite a few sensible results assist the movie obtain a grounded feeling, even because it explores the fantastical facet of the netherworld.

One notably memorable setpiece is a literal Soul Prepare, the place dancers groove to funky music whereas the lately deceased board the final practice they will ever experience. The idea is easy however excellent in its execution and serves as a reminder of how good Tim Burton could be when he’s in prime kind.

What I did not like about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

So many subplots, but so little substance

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s plot wastes no time catching up with Lydia Deetz, who’s now a psychic mediator along with her very personal TV present akin to Ghost Hunters, referred to as Welcome to Ghost Home. Although she insists she has moved on from the trauma of her adolescence, she continues to be secretly haunted by Betelgeuse, which majorly impacts each her relationship along with her daughter, Astrid (performed to perfection by Jenna Ortega), and her new boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), whom she met at a grief help group following the off-screen demise of Astrid’s father.

Although this might already seem to be loads of setup for a movie, there are much more plot threads to unpack within the movie’s overstuffed first act. Viewers be taught that Betelgeuse’s dismembered ex-wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci), has stapled her corpse again collectively and is out for revenge on her former beau, who we be taught is answerable for chopping her into bits whereas he was nonetheless alive. Added to the combo is Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a lifeless actor who’s now actually enjoying the position of his afterlife as a detective within the underworld, mugging his manner by way of crime scenes, posing dramatically with weapons, and briefing underworld cops utilizing cue playing cards. After which, as if that wasn’t sufficient, viewers then flash again to the world of the residing to satisfy Astrid’s love curiosity, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), a mysterious younger boy who simply so occurs to have a replica of the Handbook for the Just lately Deceased mendacity round for no obvious purpose.

As you may inform, there’s lots occurring on this movie. And sadly, all these wildly disparate plot threads by no means fairly come collectively in a satisfying manner.

Whereas 1988’s Beetlejuice was a reasonably simple story a couple of blended household and a haunted home, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a cluttered mess that desires to handle familial relationships, the value of fame, how trauma is well exploited, and the implications of unfinished enterprise. A deft, centered script may presumably have managed all of those components without delay. Nonetheless, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t have that. As an alternative, what viewers get is half a dozen underbaked subplots that go away audiences questioning why they need to care about any of it. The movie’s unfocused plot may be very distracting, and regardless of some really nice performances from actors new to the franchise (Willem Dafoe is doing probably the most right here in one of the best ways doable), it’s onerous to put money into a narrative that spreads itself so skinny.

One other problem this movie runs into is that it stops the motion lifeless (no pun meant) for lengthy, prolonged gags that do completely nothing to advance the movie’s overloaded plot. As an example, within the movie’s third act, it tries to recall the notorious “Day-O” scene from the unique with an prolonged musical sequence that includes “MacArthur Park” by Donna Summer season. However as an alternative of being a fast quantity that will get fun or two, the sequence feels overlong, with the motion seemingly simply on pause whereas the scene performs out over a number of minutes.

Verdict: Must you see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

Good vibes are overshadowed by a weak plot

WB

It is unusual to be completely disillusioned by a film the place the actors are on the prime of their recreation, the manufacturing stage is top-notch, and even the rating has you tapping your toes. However such is the expertise of watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a legacy sequel that had all of the ingredients for success, however finally ends up being much less than the sum of its parts.