Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is so much riotous fun – a zany hoot. The 36-year wait for the sequel to the beloved Beetlejuice has well and truly been worth it. Just seeing Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara “doing their thing” again is joyful. I relished the addition of Jenna Ortega as the third-generation member of the ditsy Deetz family and as the storyline goes, the only sane member of the clan.
Lydia Deetz (Ryder), who nearly married Beetlejuice (Keaton) in Beetlejuice, hosts a supernatural TV program called Ghost House. She’s spooked out by recurring visions of the unkempt “trickster demon”, as she calls him. To make matters worse, she receives the shocking news from her artist stepmother Delia (O’Hara) that her father has died.
Lydia’s grounded, environmentalist, teenage daughter Astrid (Ortega) has no time for her mother and her visions. Astrid is still grieving the passing of her dad in a boating accident in the Amazon. Lydia pulls Astrid out of school to attend her grandfather’s funeral in his hometown of Winter River. There circumstances see Beetlejuice return, relentlessly pursued by his soul-sucking former wife Delores (Monica Belluci). He remains the same old mischief-making apparition and still wants to marry Lydia. Meanwhile, Astrid’s world view shifts when she discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife.
But there’s so much more to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The one liners and sight gags come thick and fast. The writers have done a fine job. The wacky characters include Bob, the lead shrinker zombie, and his colleagues. They work for Beetlejuice at the Afterlife Call Centre. I loved the cameo of Danny DeVito as a gruff janitor, while Willem Dafoe is cast as a former actor turned ghost detective.
Director Tim Burton has done beautifully with the plentiful material. The action moves quickly and I couldn’t get enough of its playful nature. The film’s unearthly production values are solid. The musical choices are ear-pleasing.
Seeing Keaton don the black and white stripes again is like putting on a pair favourite slippers. He does it so well and seemingly effortlessly. It is also great to see a wide-eyed Ryder back to her star billing; while O’Hara has a wow of a time as Charles’ grieving widow. Ortega adds heft as Astrid, while Belluci terrorises all as Delores.
Importantly, you can see and relish Beetlejuice Beetlejuice without having seen the original; but for those who did, the experience is even sweeter. This is a sequel you need to see.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.