Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Brings Back Most Of The Fun In Bloated Sequel

The line from the trailer “The Juice is Loose” is probably the best way to describe this movie. It’s loosely plotted and loosely sensical but for a film that took 36 years to make I’m not sure how much more we could reasonably expect from it. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has most of the original cast returning but boy is it a weird beast. I was nervous about this film — I’m getting burnt out on legacy sequels and the way comedy ages and changes can always be dicey to navigate. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does OK with these challenges. In the first act of the film I was pretty on board — Lydia with her manager/boyfriend is hosting a “ghost hunting meets talk show” program called Ghost House and Delia has an absolutely wild looking art exhibit in New York. The reason they meet up is because Charles, Lydia’s father, has passed. (If you’ve ever googled this actor you probably assumed something like this was coming but at least they found a way to make it both tasteless and pretty funny.) 

So they pack up and head back to Winter River, grabbing daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) on the way to have a funeral, pack up the house and spend a lot of time wondering if that guy in stripes is Beetlejuice and where all these weirdly horny fliers keep coming from. While this is all happening, Monica Bellucci, who is introduced stapling herself back together in one of the most erotic sequences Burton has ever filmed, has come hunting for our Mr. Juice. (Seriously, I could watch that scene for hours.)

This film feels roughly tonally consistent with the original but it’s a lot plottier. It seems like there are new plot points and characters introduced rapid fire which in some cases are charming additions but in other cases make the whole thing feel overstuffed. (The movie is under two hours, there’s not a ton of room to maneuver). Rory, Lydia’s new love interest is well played but was basically there to be a plot speed bump. Same with Jeremy, Astrid’s potential new beaux.  Willem Dafoe is clearly having the best time in this role and that joy is contagious. The main emotional drive of the film is almost identical to the musical that came to Broadway back in 2019 and it honestly really worked for me — there just seemed to be a lot of other stuff battling for my attention. 

There are a few (too many) cracks to the camera and some surprisingly gross imagery, and no Belafonte but we’ve moved into the late ’60s and early ’70s now. There are some hilarious cutaway gags involving Charles’ new ghost form, Soul Trains and more but overall, it felt like I was drinking out of a fire hose. However, as fire hoses go I would much rather have an immaculately themed one that feels like it was made with love. It also leaves some sequel potential on the table because of course it does.  

I give Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros.; PG-13; 1 hr 45 mins) 3 out of 5 stars.