Many people grew up with the weird, campy, and gothic horror-inspired works of Tim Burton. We all remember our first glance at one of his madly visionary creations, whether it was Edward Scissorhands or Frankenwenie. It was like a distant feeling at first, yet as you spent more time in those worlds, accompanied by eccentric beings, it changed to a welcoming sensation. These places, characters, and looks will always have a place in your mind due to the cultural impact he made with his distinctiveness and tendency to always stay true to his style. Unfortunately, the gothic filmmaker has not had a decent or mediocre picture in a long while.
Beetlejuice Returns by Act of Desperation and Search for Creativity
Since “Sweeny Todd” and his stop-motion “Frankenweinie” remake, he has been unable to capture that feeling his works in the ’80s and ’90s did. Falling into a slump, one live-action Disney remake after another, Burton failed to bring his gothic magic touch and ventured into the vast void of lifeless Hollywood creations. Although his first foray into “Alice in Wonderland’s” world had some spark (mostly from Mia Wasikowska’s allure and on-screen magnetism), the overall composition felt empty. The more he tried, the less everything came together. Will Burton ever get his groove back? In desperation for box office success and inspiration, the man sought help from his friend in the slimy afterlife. If you say his name three times, he will appear. No, it is not TNA wrestler Joe Hendry.
Beetlejuice is back to haunt our cinemas in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” yet another unneeded legacy sequel that does nothing to serve its existence. But rest assured, it contains some vibrancy from the cast’s performances and well-crafted techs. Kooky sensations and a heightened score by Danny Elfman accompany the opening credits as we travel through the model of Winter River. We reach the “ghost house” of the Deetz to find Lydia (Winona Ryder) in a recreated version of its attic. She speaks to a crowd about ghosts, spirits, and the dead in her usual whispered voice with a Vincent Price-like pronunciation. The young goth we once knew is now a ghost whisperer. She sees dead people and helps strangers recover from their grief and trauma on a televised show.
During one of her tapings, Lydia sees Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) for a fragment of a second. It leaves her traumatized, worried about why he is appearing after all of these years. Death has brought him back into the Deetz’s lives, where her father has tragically passed away in a shark attack after his airplane crashed into the sea. Do you think that is tough? Then, wait until you see his headless torso wandering around while blood spills out when he talks. Nobody is taking his passing well, particularly her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara)—who is going to make an artistic showcase of her grief—and daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega).
The Impression of a Story is Provided in Beetlejuice’s Ventures
While in the original ’80s flick, Lydia and her stepmother didn’t get along, the roles are reversed for the sequel. Lydia’s daughter resents her after her father’s death, who coincidentally also passed away in a tragic accident at sea. These events lead the Deetz to the ghost house where Beetlejuice’s essence resides. A funeral for the beloved father turns into a wedding at witching hour two days later. Family separates literally and figuratively as a path opens up for reconciliation. The dead go to the real world as the humans travel through the labyrinthine afterlife. Comedy and horror intersect as a family drama tries to happen. Many things occur in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”—feeling like a bloated bag of subplots and narrative threads—yet nothing actually happens.
The impression of a story is provided; there are no character arcs or thorough narrative paths. All of this culminates with a laughless climax. That is the hole the film can’t escape, no matter how hard it tries to climb up the “stakes” and emotional stepping stones of lazy storytelling. And we have yet to mention Willem Dafoe’s Wolf Jackson and Monica Bellucci’s Delores. Narrative and story-wise, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a lackluster work. Sometimes, you feel Burton does not care to write his characters a sense of self or an arc for their emotional and psychological growth. He only wants to do his comedic quips and gags via the titular dead guy’s vehicle of remorse and goofiness.
You never know what you will get with the film. That is part of the excitement, whether it is Danny Devitto saying “toots” in a very Frank Reynolds way or a baby version of Beetlejuice chomping on Lydia’s leg. But most often, the punchline waiting at the end of each thread is not worth it. This makes the story even weaker than it entailed. Without the charismatic, sharp actors playing these roles, the film would have been a void of nothingness regarding its heart and soul. Having said that, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” contains a certain charm and allure in the creations Burton creates or revisits anew. Burton explores the afterlife and its many crevices, trap doors, and token figures.
Visually Entertaining, Yet Without Much to Chew On Narrative-wise
There’s a great use of the division between practical and visual effects. This underground world the dead manage is colorful and has a uniqueness to it. Contradictory to its inhabitants, it is alive, even more so than the real one. In the scenes set there, we see Burton finally doing what he does best visually. His mind is beautiful. After many years at his lowest creative point, I have missed seeing him in this form. When the end credits arrive, your mind is between enthusiasm and disappointment. You are charmed by the afterlife yet want more out of its humanist story about grief and parenthood.
It is upsetting that, even when Burton has come out of his melancholy shadows to the creative light, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” does not justify its existence by its lacking, rushed narrative centered on cheap gags and stilted emotions. The original fans will get a kick out of the references placed. However, I don’t see them being enamored by the film overall because of the haphazard state of the screenplay. Many ideas and concepts are toppled, one on top of the other, and the outcome is poor. I guess if you are willing to excuse the empty mother-daughter, life-death, and grief-rehabilitation prompts of excuse story-wise, then you have something to chew on.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hit theaters across the U.S. on September 6th, 2024.
