And here we are, with yet another legacy sequel. Thankfully, with much of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice being preoccupied by the rightfully prominent presence of Burtonisms and Keatonisms, there is little to no need for nostalgia to drive the film.
That isn’t to say that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t employ throwbacks, or doesnt seek to serve fans of the original 1988 film–it’s just that it does so far more subtly, as opposed to the usual in-your-faceness to which many legacy (or even long-lived franchise) sequels succumb.
Perhaps it’s the lack of an excessive number of returning actors–it’s primarily just Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Michael Keaton who return–or the almost entirely new writing team, but Beetlejuice Beetlejuice seems less interested in re-treading familiar ground and, instead, invests a fair bit in both its new characters as well as new stati quo for its old ones.
However, the selection of said writing team may have contributed to some tonal unevenness of the film. Along with Jenna Ortega, the creators of Netflix’s Wednesday, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar assume writing duties on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Seth Graham-Smith accompanying them for a ‘story by’ credit. And, while the movie never turns into a Wednesday clone or some odd Beetlejuice-skinned fanfic, Gough’s and Millar’s proclivity for teenage drama (something dating all the way back to Smallville) remains.
But, some tonal differences aside, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice largely delivers the same quirky adventure those familiar with Burton’s ‘80s and ‘90s outings would expect. The inclusion of new characters played by Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, and Willem Dafoe are all reminiscent of the performances by Jeffrey Jones and Glen Shadix in the original. Dafoe in particular, is both the surprising but not unexpected scene-stealer throughout the film.
Unfortunately, Monica Bellucci is somewhat wasted as a third-act MacGuffin whose entire presence seems to be driven by the need to realise a live-action Emily (of The Corpse Bride). While her character does serve to justify Betelgeuse’s less-antagonistic involvement in the plot, Bellucci herself is largely wasted. Indeed, the emptiness of the role would have been far better served Helena Bonham Carter, whose brand would have easily fleshed the character out a little more. All puns intended.
Regardless, despite these little missteps and the occasional lapse in pacing, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s cast pulls the film along enjoyably. Sadly, Burton’s stylism is a little suppressed, perhaps by design, with his visual quirks emerging only sporadically for the first two-thirds of the movie before finally gripping the screen in the third. It’s a little too neatly positioned to be unintentional, but it does feel like a bit of a let down given Burton’s pessimism regarding a third film.
Nevertheless, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a surprisingly sincere and delightful return to a beloved franchise which remembers exactly what it was meant to be, and updates itself in the most organic ways possible.