Burton juices out another round of revenue from 80’s classic, thirst for nostalgia

Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice… a cult classic from the 80s, the ghost with the most, rises from the grave 36 years later. Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder, Stranger Things) is still haunted by the bio-exorcist Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton, Batman) while her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega, Wednesday) discovers the mysterious scale model of the town in Lydia’s childhood home, where they return after a family tragedy. The real tragedy, though, is that director Tim Burton can’t quite muster up the magic of the first incarnation with this resurrection.

Upon closer inspection of the model, Lydia sees Beetlejuice in it, and Astrid finds out about the demon who has been, to her, allegedly terrorizing her mom for nearly 30 years. Lydia freaks out and Astrid finds sanction in escaping by biking  away from the house. This causes her to accidentally open a portal to the afterlife. 

Similar to Beetlejuice (1988), there is an original charm,  including a continuity of actors playing certain roles. Along with the live action actors, Burton’s film contains one of his essential recurring effects, stop motion animation. For example, when the infamous Sandworm returns, and once when the family’s tragic incident occurs. One key difference between the two films is the resentment filled daughter that Lydia now has, Astrid. Astrid carries this bitterness from her father’s passing as she is unable to contact him beyond the grave.

Compared to the original movie, one notable exclusion in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the previous owners of the Deetz’s homestead, the Maitlands. The Maitlands were set to haunt the family’s house for 125 years, proving to be a deviation from the plot and lore of the original movie as viewers are greeted with their absence despite the mere 36 year difference between both films. 

One argument as to why there is a lack of the Maitlands is simply that their story was very well covered within the original movie, and therefore would not add much to the second movie, and by leaving them out, the writers could then open up the opportunity to new ideas. 

From a more pragmatic standpoint, there circulates one theory as to why Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin, The Cat in The Hat) in particular did not make an appearance in the movie is due to the fact that the actor  was involved in a controversy in 2021 during the filming of Rust, when he accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, fatally wounding her and injuring director Joel Souza in the process with a gun he believed to be a prop gun. This could ultimately prove difficult for him to come back to the movie scene, and could impact viewership of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice overall. Another speculation as to why we do not see the Maitlands return is simply due to their age. When Beetlejuice was first filmed, both actors were in their 30s, and as Geena Davis simply put it in an interview with People Magazine, “I have a feeling that ghosts don't age. How would they explain that they're older?" Despite both of these speculations, the production team behind Beetlejuice Beetlejuice have not confirmed a reason as to why they did not bring the Maitlands back, however plausible these reasons may be.

Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice… Beware of Spoilers Ahead!

Getting to the ‘deetz,’  Astrid finds a way to get to the other side in search of her father, which proved to be an incredibly dangerous feat. Although dangerous, this plotpoint was incredibly rushed. From accidentally crashing into a guy’s treehouse, to said guy, Jeremy, getting banished into the pits of Hell, it all happened in less than an hour. And by the end of that hour, there was hardly any resistance on Jeremy’s part to even try to save himself. The same thing happens at the end of the movie, when Beetlejuice and Lydia are about to get married. When his soul-sucking ex-wife, Dolores (Monica Bellucci, The Matrix Revolutions), shows up in an attempt to take his soul, he summons The Sandworm to take her and Lydia’s fake boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux, American Psycho) down. All of this happens very quickly, and once again the characters do not make any effort to defend themselves or fight back. In a sense, it’s like a poor game of Uno where one person keeps skipping the other and putting down +4’s.

As the movie nears its end, Beetlejuice forces Lydia, Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara, The Nightmare Before Christmas), and Astrid into a dance to the song “MacArthur Park,” during what was originally Rory and Lydia’s wedding turned to Beetlejuice and Lydia’s wedding, as it had ended in the original Beetlejuice as well. This time, however, Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, Delores, crashed the ceremony, only to be eaten by the Sandworm, just as Beetlejuice had been in the 1988 version. Saved once again, Lydia succeeded in not having to marry the terrible bio-exorcist.

Although a nostalgic watch, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice lacks the magic of the original. As the pacing was off and there were too many plotlines within an hour and 45 minutes, they would have been better off with a third movie. Despite this, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a solid way to get those nostalgic memories, especially with Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, but the Sandworm may have defeated this one.

B-: Fast paced as it is, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice doesn’t live up to the potential that it could have; when juxtaposed to the original, however, it is an entertaining and nostalgic film as Beetlejuice is a fan favorite among many.

by Kate Ruby

Published on October 7th 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue I