You’ve waited a lifetime for this claims the poster. But in this case, we really have.
Ever since Michael Keaton’s bio-exorcist arrived on the scene in Tim Burton’s beloved 1988 supernatural comedy, we all seem to have been sat in that afterlife waiting room, with the longest number, waiting to see if we would ever venture back into the world of the recently deceased. From a cult animated series to Hawaiian set sequel canned ideas, it really seemed like the ghost with the most was never being conjured again on the silver screen. But never underestimate a director who feels creatively handcuffed and a crew desperate to return. As the man himself might say…”it’s showtime”.
This sequel catches up with a now adult Lydia (Winona Ryder), who is a ghost hunter TV star, but family tragedy brings her, and her estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), back home. But the living and the dead are set to clash again, as events begin to spiral out of control with a familiar face at the centre of the chaos.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is not just Tim Burton returning to his creation for money, nor ease, it is a resurrection, a filmmaker dusting off the handbook that made him, and relishing going back to old school macabre magic, resulting in one of the year’s craziest, most enjoyable and irresistibly bizarre films of the year. And the best.
This sequel delivers on the promise of not compromising on what we loved about the first film, and yet does not just rehash the hits, it takes 12a pushing big swings constantly and delivers the kind of madcap bonkers creative energy that you rarely see on this kind of scale anymore. Some might be encouraged to say Burton is back, but he never went anywhere, he’s just being himself, and being allowed to again by studios.
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s screenplay works hand in hand with Burton’s vision, as this sequel avoids the traps of so many, using Betelgeuse (Keaton) perfectly, not over whisking the mixture and allowing for its many interesting plot strands to all play out and clash in glorious mayhem, with an infectious sense of fun and some deep belly laughs, as well as some whizcrackingly inventive sight gags.
The stop motion and practical effects are eye-poppingly effective, welcoming us back to this wonderfully weird and distinctive world of the living and especially the dead. With some fantastic music from both Danny Elfman and perfectly selected songs, resulting in so many wonderfully memorable moments, further strengthened by a returning roster of characters and some exceptional new ones.
Keaton is amazing, fitting back seamlessly into the pinstripe suited part, not toning down the character at all and delivering precisely what you had hoped, and he just knows what makes this madman tick. Ryder is great as Lydia, and allowed real range to pursue her character’s growth and development in the years since we first met her. Catherine O’Hara steals many scenes as Delia and gets even more to work with here than in the first movie.
Ortega as Astrid is a fascinating new addition and her own journey in the film is one that brings the story full circle, while offering up some real twists, surprises and heart. Monica Bellucci meanwhile gets one of the best character introductions you could wish for as the dark Delores, Justin Theroux throws himself into the influencer inspired idiocy as Rory and Willem Dafoe’s ghost detective is such an inspired and enjoyable creation. And don’t even get us started on dear old ‘Bob’! Plus, the way this film “recasts” a character and sidesteps real world controversy is genuinely one of the most genius moves we have ever seen a movie pull, and it works so well as both a running gag and a deliciously cruel one at times. Marvellous.
Like Burton, this entire crew is having a blast! It shows, and you feel the gothic love in every lovingly crafted aspect of the movie. From the Mario Bava homages to dastardly animated interludes, B-movie lashed send ups, and an all timer song sequence, this is nostalgic without being lazy, crazy without being incoherent and a tribute to the time tested magic of old school cinema and the dark beating heart of a filmmaker recapturing what he loves about the art of making movies for the big screen.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Tim Burton firing on all cylinders, and at the most mischievous he has been in years. A sequel that, after years of waiting, delivers an inventive, giddy, laugh out loud funny, tender and a truly special big screen experience that may well prove to be as endlessly rewatchable as the first.
Oh what a Day-o!
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in cinemas now!
