★★★
They don’t make them like that anymore. Have they already done it? If convention dictates that an average film follows at least some form of logical progression, the answer can only be no. Beetle juice Beetle juice – the rather wonderfully titled follow-up to the original 1988 “Juice” – is as zany an offering as anything in Tim Burton’s catalog to date, and all the better for it. So much the better and, in many ways, even worse. Certainly, there is nothing here to attract newcomers or convince original skeptics. In simple terms, Beetle juice dubbed is every bit as puerile, vague and strange as its forebear, and no less dependent on the talents of its gloriously gothic ensemble to anchor its foundations.
More cult classic than any of the Stone Cold strains, the original Beetle juice was only Burton’s second film to be released. Looking back, it’s terribly familiar stuff from the director, all deeply over-the-top and incredibly practical in its presentation of a choppy stylistic approach. How easy it is to forget that this was once a bold new vision of comedic horror from a dynamic new cinematic voice. Thirty-six years later, that’s a far meaner feat than trying to sell Burton’s box of crazy tricks as fresh. Certainly, from Dark shadows has DumboBurton seems to have struggled lately to capture the imagination of audiences and critics alike.
To that end, there is something quite commendable about Burton’s approach Beetle juice Beetle juice. A legacy sequel if ever there was one, this second Beetle juice burns less exclusively on nostalgia fuel than most, boasting a narrative that, while extremely overstuffed, demonstrates a desire to try something new with the franchise. That’s not to say that Burton’s return to Winter River, his model kingdom and those beyond, isn’t sprinkled with fond memories. The opening shots alone, set to a familiar Danny Elfman vintage, recall Burton’s heyday with a rush of nostalgia-filled warmth. Even as the plot strays from familiarity, there are nods to concepts, visuals, and verbatim straight from the original. No matter the returning cast, a stronger presence for Burton’s shrunken-headed stiffs proves a thrill.
As before, it’s Winona Ryder who forms the beating heart of the film, reprising the role of Lydia Deetz, once a goth teenager. No longer a teenager, but no less goth, Lydia now makes her living as a psychic mediator for the paranormal reality TV show ‘Ghost House’. She is more fragile now, more fragile and less sure of herself. “Where is that hateful goth girl who tortured me?” » shouts stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara). She tortured herself, it seems. Let’s not forget that Lydia sees dead people. She also has a daughter now. This is Astrid by Jenna Ortega, a role not so far removed from Wednesday Addams or ShoutIt’s Tara Carpenter but superbly done. Also on the scene is Justin Theroux’s instantly unlikable Rory – Lydia’s new age producer boyfriend. As for his father, concerns about problematic casting are quickly assuaged by the film’s funniest sequence, a stop-motion interlude that leaves Charles Deetz half-mauled by a clay shark.
It is Charles’ death that brings the three-generational family back to Winter River, the three women united in death and for a funeral at Maitland’s old haunt. On this point, Beetlegeuse waits. A beefier role for Michael Keaton only increases the craziness, his annoying Robin Williams schtick reprized with impressive precision. There was always a feeling with this one that the part, all fanfare and goofy energy, should really feel more iconic. Maybe that’s the case for some. Still determined to get Lydia for his bride, Beetlegeuse has his own subplot to contend with this time around – there are many. A nasty introduction for jilted ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) sees the bride stapling together her dissected body parts and sucking the soul out of a cameo Danny DeVito in a flat pack. She is cold on her case.
More and more Burton is getting into his seconds of soup. The fun is frenetic but disappointing, with each wormy threat wrapped up without a trace of weight. They just finished. And yet, while it is difficult to imagine a film like Beetle juice catching the light in the modern arena, it’s too easy to imagine Beetle juice Beetle juicea well-performed and timely sequel that works wonderfully. An aversion to the computer generation gives the film’s effects a pleasantly homemade aesthetic, while the cutting-edge music reinforces the fairground ambiance. A third ride on the Ferris wheel now seems unlikely, but you never know when it comes to bioexorcism.
T.S.