by Jordyn E Pimental
There is an electrifying offbeat energy that flows through the iconic 1988 Tim Burton film “Beetlejuice.” It was only the second in Burton’s now-lengthy filmography, and it’s interesting how quickly and naturally the director struck spooky gold in the form of chaos between a recently deceased couple, the eccentric family occupying their house, and the titular local ghost fraudster.
Springing forward 3 decades to 2024, Burton’s cheekily titled sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” fails to capture the same magic.
It follows recurring characters Lydia (Winona Ryder) and Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara), who return to Winter River with Lydia’s boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux), and daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). The man himself, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) stirs the pot, while the movie’s main antagonist is his spiteful ex-wife, the demonic Delores (Monica Bellucci).
Beetlejuice provides the film’s highlights, as he’s evolved from the nasty creep from the first movie into an almost unlikably likable anti-hero providing amusing hijinks.
Lydia, however, is where the problems begin. When crafting an older version of a young character with such a distinct spunk, there should be countless possibilities of what to do and make of her. Lydia in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”could be the older version of just about anyone- and that’s not a good thing. The movie gives her a rough go, with her responding numbly to just about everything thrown her way. She’s a shell of her former self. And, by the way, there is no way poor Lydia would wear her hair the same way she had at age 15.
Meanwhile, Ortega plays Lydia’s bland daughter Astrid with the same deadpan teenage girl act that’s become tiresome, though O’Hara’s Delia was enjoyable to watch and funny at times.
The plot of this movie, without getting into spoiler territory, is dangerously predictable at its best and boring at its worst.
While the original “Beetlejuice” feels like the brilliant idea of one or two inventive individuals brought to life by sheer creativity and ambition, its sequel feels like an idea passed through executive after executive until eventually a high-budget, unoriginal product was born. Originality used to be mandatory; now it feels optional in an era saturated with sequels, reboots, and remakes. When it comes to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”, better to stick with the original.