“The juice is loose,” is what Michael Keaton’s Betelgeuse says once he has been summoned, but unfortunately for me, I think summoning him for a legacy sequel was truly a mistake, and you won’t hear me saying his name three times anytime soon. Legacy sequels have been quite the talk of town in Hollywood recently, with The Matrix, Bad Boys, Ghostbusters, and so many more returning to tell new stories in already established worlds, but I think sometimes we must take a look at ourselves in the mirror and ask the question, “When is enough, enough?” Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a great example of a legacy sequel that doesn’t have a clear direction which boils straight down to the writing and the many intertwining stories that they try to tell. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows three generations of the Deetz family who return home to Winter River after the unexpected death of Charles. Still haunted by Betelgeuse, Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life soon gets turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife. When someone says Betelgeuse’s name three times, the mischievous demon gleefully returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Is Way Too Messy
That synopsis of the film itself feels very misleading, as Astrid discovering a portal to the afterlife isn’t the only story being told here. There are in fact numerous stories that spin out of this film, but we’ll take it back to the beginning, where we get to see where Lydia is 36 years after the original Beetlejuice. She has now become the host of a supernatural talk show called ‘Ghost House’ with her producer and boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux). It is in this moment that we realise that Lydia is being haunted by Betelgeuse after all these years and is randomly seeing him all around her. The end of the original Beetlejuice doesn’t have enough time to show how badly Betelgeuse’s appearance affected Lydia, but its sequel wastes no time in doing so. This was an idea that I really wanted the film to focus on, and it also could’ve provided a different type of horror in the form of psychological while also keeping it a comedy, but instead it plays it safe.
We discover that Charles has died in a freak accident, and instead of bringing back Jeffrey Jones (for very valid reasons), they showcase the death with the use of stop motion, which was a creative way to tackle the situation. The film also doesn’t have the return of the Maitland family, meaning no Alec Baldwin or Geena Davis appearance, but the story covers well for why they’re no longer around. While they could’ve just never mentioned their lack of appearance, I prefer that they were able to give reasons for why these characters are no longer around.
Before we get to the new Deetz family member and set up her storyline, we get introduced to the antagonist of the film, Delores (Monica Bellucci). It’s here that we finally get the backstory of Betelgeuse, how he passed away, and the revelation that Delores is his ex-wife, who is a soul sucking witch and wants revenge on Betelgeuse. This is what I call subplot A. I personally have a rule that a film should only truly have two subplots going for it; this is just to make sure that there isn’t too much going on with the film. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t follow this rule I’ve put in place. As an ensemble piece, it’s fair that it has more than two subplots going for it: you have the relationship between Lydia and Astrid; you have the death of Charles affecting Delia (Catherine O’Hara) and how she deals with grief; you have Lydia and Astrid dealing with the death of their husband/father, Richard (Santiago Cabrera), who passed away; and finally, Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), who is on the hunt for Delores and Betelgeuse.
That is a lot of subplots, and they all do have endings, but I can’t say any of them really feel satisfying as it all comes together in what is really a messy third act. Some of these subplots, such as Delores searching for Betelgeuse, are rather disappointing, as it feels like the writers forgot about Delores while writing the film, as she only appears so rarely, and it’s only ever shots of her sucking the souls out of people or just her face as she walks down a corridor. Honestly, to cast Monica Bellucci and then waste her like this has to be a criminal offence, and I don’t think I’ll forgive them for this crime.
Jenna Ortega Shines In ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
Jenna Ortega is one of the other new additions to the film, and I’ve got to say that she fits perfectly like a jigsaw piece in this world that Tim Burton has conjured. Her character is very lovable and can be relatable, and the film solely should’ve focused on her relationship with her mother, Lydia, the new boy she comes across, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), and her ventures into the afterlife. When the film focused on those moments, I seemed to enjoy myself, but anytime it steered away to try to give us an update on one of the many subplots, I felt myself caring less and less about this film and lost a sense of what direction it was headed in.
Tim Burton’s Signature Touch Is Present Throughout ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
Aside from the extremely messy story that this film had, it still had Tim Burton’s touch. It’s full of life and colour that you fail to see in many blockbusters that have come out in the past few years. The set design was amazing, and it truly felt like an upgraded version of the original Beetlejuice, which is also heightened by Danny Elfman’s score. Michael Keaton also returns in the titular role; unfortunately, it feels like he’s only in the film for 20% of it, but he makes sure to steal the show each and every time he shows up. Not only does Betelgeuse bring laughs to the screen, but so does the Deetz family, especially Catherine O’Hara as Delia, who truly felt like the funniest character of the film, and at times had me letting out the loudest of laughs.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice may fail in the story department, struggling to tell a coherent story that says anything meaningful, but it shines when it comes to flairing its style with set design that screams Beetlejuice, and a colourful set of characters who all feel alive and are able to find their own moment in the overall mess that this film is. Tim Burton hasn’t had a project in the last 10 years that I think is worth talking about, and I think he just needs to take a long step back away from the director’s chair and rethink his direction, as while his style makes any film look good, it’s not enough to make a good film.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is now out in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
