“Let’s turn on the juice and see what shakes loose.”
The long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” has finally been released and has fans of the original running to the theaters faster than Mr. Geause can say “go ahead, make my millennium.”
It is fun to see Lydia, played by Winona Ryder, as a grown, working adult with responsibilities. She has found her adult self as
a paranormal television host, still encountering interactions with the dead. Her iconic, goth hairstyle still prevails, and helps viewers to remember Lydia is still Lydia, and has been through a lot in her lifetime.
Jenna Ortega shines as Lydia’s sarcastic daughter Astrid, who finds herself attracted to a boy. But in true Burton style, not everything is what it seems, and her infatuation leads to disastrous results, hurling Lydia back into the underworld to rescue her daughter with the help of Beetlejuice himself.
Catherine O’Hare plays her glorious and nutty self with the fun ease that only she can do as Delia Deetz, Lydia’s stepmother. Delia
is now a famous artist and has found success as her life has evolved. The audience will find themselves laughing out loud at her digitalized artwork and the lengths she will go through in order to achieve her masterpieces.
Michael Keaton may be the ghost with the most, but he did not receive very much screen time compared to the original. Audience’s will find themselves crying out “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” to summon him back to the screen.
In addition, the movie missed the opportunity for Beetljuice’s famous one liner’s. Keaton did the best he could with his character despite the lack of screen time and what made Mr. Geause so funny in the first place.
Ultimately, the movie was missing key characters of the original, Barbara and Adam Maitland, played by Geena Davis and Alec
Baldwin. The movie severely lacked their presence and gave very little explanation as to why they did not make an appearance in
the sequel. Both Davis and Baldwin are still alive, so it is confusing as to why they were not asked back to be a part of the sequel.
Also, notably absent is the character Charles Deetz, originally played by Jeffrey Jones. It is understandable why Jones was not personally in the film given that he is a convicted sex offender for child pornography. However, Burton found a creative way to bring some of the characters spark back in the underworld as a dead, shark attack victim.
The introduction of several newer characters played by Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci, did not do much
to enhance the overall narrative of the story.
They felt like big name Hollywood stars added to make up for the absence of Davis, Baldwin and Jones. Viewers will find themselves delighted with many Easter eggs from the original such as The Handbook for the Recently Deceased, the sandworms, and a rendition of Day-O (The Banana Song) performed by young children’s choir. The late 80s nostalgia oozes from the film and will bring a smile to the faces of fans of the cult classic.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is a fun trip down memory lane. It missed some key elements of the original but was an overall delight
of a film, however viewers may want to skip this at the box office and opt for watching it once it becomes available for streaming.
Emily
