Beetlejuice Beetlejuice



Plot Synopsis:

36 years after the events of the first film, Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder) returns to her old home after the death of her father. Meanwhile, Betelgeuse (played by Michael Keaton) is dealing with the return of his ex-wife (played by Monica Bellucci). Naturally, he figures his only chance is to marry Lydia. 

Negatives:

For this review, I'm starting things off with the negatives. Referring to the plot synopsis, that feels like skimming the surface. What I mean is this movie's about an hour and 45 minutes, and it feels like there's too much crammed into that runtime. This is a movie that feels like two separate movies squished together. On one hand, you have the movie that involves Betelgeuse and his ex-wife, and trying to marry Lydia again. On the other hand, you have this subplot involving Lydia's daughter (played by Jenna Ortega) meeting a boy. Without going into spoilers, that is a subplot that actually feels life it a could be a movie in and of itself. I like both of these stories individually, but I wish they each got more time to cook. 

Positives:

On a technical level, I think this movie is a ton of fun to look at. The movie has a ton of creative sets and make-up effects. While some of the visual effects look pretty janky, I actually think it's part of the charm of the movie. I really enjoy the cast as well. Michael Keaton is 73, and he slips back into the role of Betelgeuse like he never missed a step. Fellow returnees Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara are clearly having a ball. Justin Theroux and Jenna Ortega naturally make for good new additions too. Finally, I love the way they handle the death of the father. He gets a pretty creative death (done through the use of stop-motion), and when you see his ghost in the afterlife, they make sure you can't see his face. If you know anything about the actor's personal life, you know why I think this is genius.

Mixed:

Ok, so I want to bring up the musical scene here. I personally had a lot of fun with it. The only reason I bring it up in the mixed aspect is because I can see a scenario where, if you don't know the song, or you're just not a fan of the song, how this scene might not do anything for you. The other thing I want to bring up in this section is Willem Dafoe. Now, I want to make it clear, I think Willem Dafoe's having a friggin' blast. The issue is, I think you could've easily cut his character and really not have missed much. 

Final Thoughts:

I think this movie is a ton of fun. Hell, between this and Wednesday, I'm hoping this means things really are bright for Tim Burton's future again. For the first time in a while, it felt like Tim Burton's had passion for the projects he's making. It might not be perfect, but sometimes you just need something that's a solid bit of fun. 

My Rating:

🩸🩸🩸



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