Editor’s note: Regular reviewers Glen and Anna are out of town, so New Times Editor Camillia Lanham and Staff Writer Samantha Herrera stepped into write Sun Screen.
Tim Burton directs this sequel to his 1988 dark comedy classic about a “bio-exorcist” named Betelgeuse, aka Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), who in the new film is accidentally released from afterlife limbo by Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega), daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and granddaughter of Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara)—both from the original film. (104 min.)
Camillia: This campy, madcap, somewhat gory sequel to the 1988 original was part manic fun and part head scratcher. It stayed true to Burton’s iconic ’80s film while expanding into a sequel worth watching. I think I liked Beetlejuice Beetlejuice better than Beetlejuice—but it’s not a movie I watched as a kid, so my lack of nostalgia may have something to do with less than cult-like enthusiasm for Keaton’s first frenetic foray as Betelgeuse. We enter the scene as a family tragedy overtakes the Deetzes. Lydia’s changed from a moody, gothic teen to a fragile, pill-popping mom with her own TV Show, Ghost House, where she uses the supernatural skill she learned about as a teen to help people with their own ghosts. Astrid’s taken the place of her moody mother. Delia’s the same chaotic, self-obsessed artist she was all those years ago. And they all come together on top of their hill in Connecticut for a funeral, some unexpected forays into the underworld, and a reluctant reunification with Beetlejuice (who still wants Lydia to be his bride). It was a delightful way to spend a hot afternoon.
Samantha: As someone who has never seen the original Beetlejuice, I came into this sequel blind, and I loved it. The funeral was almost a joke as Lydia’s obnoxious, gold-digging boyfriend, Rory, played by Justin Theroux, made the moment of sadness his green light to propose. The overly dramatic and funny Delia, played by O’Hara, couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and the self-loathing Astrid was right there with her. Ortega has the emo teenager role down to a science, and she gets extra points for having the perfect look to play in a Burton film. After the funeral, Astrid finds herself stuck in the afterlife and Lydia needs Beetlejuice’s help to get her daughter back to the living world. The formerly estranged mother and daughter find themselves running through the different realms of the underworld before stopping at one of my personal favorite scenes in the movie—the “soul train,” a groovy spot that takes souls to the great beyond. Maybe it’s because I love funk and disco, but if I happened to switch places with the pair, I would be hanging out at the train station.
Camillia: I’m in! If you’re going to be dead, shouldn’t it be on a disco train that takes your soul into the afterlife? Burton’s underworld was full of otherworldly imaginative and funny characters that get sucked into Beetlejuice’s antics—Keaton is just as spazzy and brilliant as he was the first time around. He, O’Hara, and Ryder play off each other with ease. The costume and set designs were a 10. And we even have a sandworm reprisal that pays homage to the first film. My personal favorite character is Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, a soul-sucker, but I think it’s because we get to watch her staple her dismembered body back together again at the beginning of the film. I mean, come on! My only real issues with the film were a couple of random scenes that involved a baby Beetlejuice and the stop-motion clay animation scene detailing Lydia’s father’s death—Jeffrey Jones didn’t reprise his role for some reason, although if you Google it, people have a few ideas as to why.
Samantha: I agree. Baby Beetlejuice didn’t really fit in with the rest of the movie and gave the impression of trying way too hard to be funny but ended up being slightly annoying. If this movie taught me anything, it’s that Burton knows how to make a good movie, and I’m excited to see what’s next!
Editor Camillia Lanham and New Times Staff Writer Samantha Herrera wrote this week’s Sun Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.