Beetlejuice is Back!

He’s back! Thirty-six years later, Michael Keaton returns to the big screen as Beetlejuice in the creatively titled sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (yes, I’m being snarky). I was able to see it at a pre-screening a few nights ago; if you are averse to plot spoilers, please do not continue!



Theater-goers were able to use a QR code while they waited to have their face superimposed on the movie art. I skipped that bit of fun. The burning question: who is back and who is not? Obviously Keaton in the title role, followed by Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder as Delia & Lydia Deetz, this time joined by Lydia’s daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega). And that’s it folks. Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are not back (explained in a line of dialogue that “they found a loophole and moved on to the next plane”), and neither is Jeffrey Jones as the patriarch of the Deetz family.



The death of his character, Charles Deetz, is the catalyst for the events that follow. A claymation sequence shows how he died, and a photo of Jones is used on the character’s tombstone. In the afterlife, because of the manner of his death, we see Charles Deetz only from the shoulders down. Although Jones is still alive, he did not participate in the sequel. One can only surmise that it has to do with the legal troubles that have surrounded Jones since his arrest in 2002. Now let’s focus on who has been added. To the right, we see Justin Theroux as Rory, Lydia’s boyfriend and producer of her TV show about haunted houses.



Monica Bellucci plays Delores, the soul-sucking succubus who was married to Beetlejuice during the Black Plague and has returned for revenge. A bit of a plot continuity gaffe as Beetlejuice states in the first movie that Lydia is his first wife.



Willem Dafoe is Wolf Jackson, a B-movie actor who now assumes his TV role as a detective in the after-life. On his left is Nick Kellington as shrunken-head Bob (I really adored this character).



Arthur Conti joins the cast as Jeremy, a handsome young boy from Winter River that Astrid meets when she returns there for her grandfather’s funeral. Sparks between the two fly quickly!



Now that we have all that out of the way, here are my thoughts. I went into the theater with zero expectations. The first movie was a classic and self-contained; it didn’t feel like any of the characters required further story-telling. Because of this, I was surprised to learn that a sequel had been made after all this time. In a nutshell, it’s a decent film. Like so many sequels, it repeats many plot points of the first film but does manage to get in a few surprises and classic lines. Keaton is almost as good as he was in the first film, but offers nothing new. He does the best that he can with what he is given.



Too much of the film is about contrived conflict, including the strained relationship of Lydia and her daughter. The character of Rory is baffling; I normally like Justin Theroux, but he seems completely lost in this role, as if he couldn’t figure out what to do with it. In all fairness,  the writing and plot construction are probably to blame. The audience is bluntly told that Rory is an opportunist and very much in touch with his feminine side. Over. And over. And over…which is why it is hard to understand why the previously sharp and cynical Lydia is the only one that fails to see this. It’s a significant character deviation that doesn’t have enough explanation. The character of Delores is the perfect example of what I found wrong with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The original movie was colorful, twisted, and wickedly funny; almost like visiting an old-fashioned funhouse. The sequel is all over the map, going from comedy to contrived drama to gory blood-spattering. Delores wanders in and out of the movie, adding a layer of faux seriousness that doesn’t add any value. Her character could have been written for dark comedy and leveled out the overall proceedings to achieve a more enjoyable film. As for the blood-spattering, it really was a problem for me and a huge tonal change from the first film that wasn’t necessary. There were no deaths in “Beetlejuice,” only comic violence, such as when Otho (Glenn Shadix) was made to wear polyester. Shadix died in 2010; his brand of humor is sorely missing from this film. He was an excellent source of comedy who played very well with Catherine O’Hara.



Thankfully Danny Elfman is still on hand for the music, with the Richard Harris and Donna Summer versions of “MacArthur Park” added to the mix. Harry Belafonte’s “Jump in the Line” felt organic to the original; disco does not. The wedding sequence goes on way too long and is just a tired repeat of the “Day-O” dinner from the first movie.



The highlight of it all is Catherine O’Hara. Delia Deetz has delightfully merged with Moira Rose (“Schitt’s Creek”), giving the film some of its best comedic and dramatic moments.



Do I recommend it? Yes…as long as your expectations are tempered. It’s an interesting addition to the Beetlejuice story with a few original moments that allow the movie to shine on its own. Here’s the trailer:



See more Classic TV/Movie photos at my main website.