REVIEW: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) “Let's Check Out the Juice and See What Shakes Loose.”
It seems to be fairly common with reviewers of a certain age that they often feel the need to lead off by aggressively waving their nerd cred flag back and forth. Y’know how it goes, this general sense of nostalgia fueled ownership seeps in as though the topic of discussion was their own personal discovery. These people are here to provide not opinion, but insight. I’m just going to say that yes I was a huge fan of Tim Burton back in his early days and yes, I have loved the original Beetlejuice since I was a kid. It holds a special place in my heart not only because it’s a great movie, but because I also fondly remember the act of trying to see it.
Beetlejuice came out back in late March of 1988 and was a huge hit at the box office that Summer but it wasn’t until it was released on VHS just before Halloween that it really became something special. It was a movie that kids were talking about at recess with only a lucky few having ever actually seen it due to it always being checked out at every possible video rental store. I vividly remember driving around on Friday nights all over town with zero luck for what felt like weeks and then it finally happened: One night walking into a liquor store with my Aunts, I noticed there was a very small corner of the shop dedicated to video rentals and bingo! They had one copy just staring at me, looking right my way as if to say “come ahead kid, I dare ya!”
Needless to say, it was love at first view and only got better and better the more I watched it. It’s a movie that became a late Saturday night staple and one that I annually come back to every October,
Well people, they did it. They wrote it, they memorized it, they video recorded it, they cut it together and then they put it out on theater screens: There are now two Beetlejuice movies in the world. One of them in my opinion is a stone cold 10/10 horror comedy classic. And the other? Well, let’s just say the other is a movie that I only just saw for the first time the other day.
Actually, let’s say more than that.
In the interest of keeping everything as spoiler free as possible (because I overall do think that this is worth a watch), I’m just going to share my initial thoughts here. What I liked about it and what didn’t work for me. What I was hoping for going in, and what I was pleasantly surprised by.
First up, the not so hot!
The primary problem that the movie has is a lack of focus, with far too many subplots and some outright unnecessary characters. I suppose you could be nice and call it overly ambitious but the entire script feels just as stapled together as the corpse bride Beetlejuice’s ex-wife. There is a lot of fat here that could easily be trimmed and the whole thing honestly feels like you’re watching a rough cut. Willem Dafoe is clearly having a blast but every moment he’s onscreen is demanding a spot in the special features deleted scenes section. And other parts of the story that are compelling feel rushed without the time to breath that they deserve. It’s almost as though they had 2 or 3 separate sequel ideas and decided to cherry pick and Frankenstein them together. It’s the very definition of uneven with lots of moments that fall flat instantly and are then prolonged mixed with genuine high notes that make you feel transported right back into the first film.
There’s also the bizarre departure from Danny Elfman’s iconic score. It’s still here in the opening title sequence and other small beats throughout. But the majority of the soundtrack is littered with needle drops both modern and retro accompanying scenes that feel totally off without those whimsical strings. Elfman’s compositions have traditionally felt like a whole other character in Burton’s filmography and it’s a real shame that more of them weren’t included throughout this sequel.
Still I’m very happy to say that there is quite a lot to like here: Michael Keaton and Catherine O'Hara are true MVP’s slipping back into their respective characters like a day hasn’t passed and Winona Ryder does a good job hopping back into arguably the role she’s most known for. The real surprise in my opinion though was Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter Astrid. She brought just the right tone and presence and felt like a completely natural addition. She also has what is possibly my favorite subplot involving a romantic interest that feels like something ripped straight out of Tales from the Darkside or Monsters.
I’d forgotten how much fun it is to see all of the various “causes of death” walking around in the afterlife. An area that we get to spend much more time in (for better for the most part), and it was great getting to explore more of Winter River. Oh and having the whole thing take place on Halloween? Yeah, that’s like 2 extra points there. Some really nice autumnal atmosphere all around.
It took a little while to get warmed up sure, but before long it felt as if we were spending just another day in the world of Beetlejuice and honestly if you look at it as kind of a live action episode of the cartoon it works great.
Which in the end, what more could you really ask for from a sequel? It doesn’t stand on ceremony, making a big deal out of trying to catch you up on what’s happened over the last 3 decades. It’s just some more crazy shit. And most of the ‘member berries are either tastefully done or blink and you’ll miss it.
There was one thing I was hoping for but didn’t expect to even be possible for the film to recapture which was a very particular feeling. One that has always made watching the original something of a lo-fi time machine to my childhood days watching scary movies with all the lights off well past my bedtime. It is perfectly captured in my favorite scene where Lydia first discovers the model town up in the attic. Something about that particular moment, the mixture of Elfman’s music (above), the lighting and Lydia’s curiosity has always had the same effect on me no matter how many times I see it.
The sense of wonder.
They did that too.
