Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review: Tim Burton’s Great Return

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a 2024 film directed by Tim Burton. This is the sequel to the film released in 1988, directed by Burton himself, and was presented in absolute preview as the opening film (Out of Competition) of the 81st Venice International Film Festival. The cast is composed of actors already seen in the first film and new additions. There are Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Monica Bellucci, Justin Theroux And Burn Gorman.

The Return of Beetlejuice

Thirty-six years have passed from the events of the first film. Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), now an adult, has not lost her ability to see ghosts and uses it to gain money and fame. While she has achieved this, on the other hand she has a conflicted relationship with her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) who, unlike her, does not believe in ghosts.

A family bereavement brings Lydia, along with her daughter Astrid and her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), to Winter River, and once there her visions they are becoming more and more frequent. This then brings her face to face again with an old acquaintance of hers from whom she hoped to have freed herself forever: the little sprite Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). The latter, more charismatic than ever, is ready to make a mess, and it’s a matter of time before someone say his name three times.

But Beetlejuice also has a problem from the past to resolve: his ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul eater, is back and wants revenge on him. So the Sprite will have to come up with a clever ploy that will allow him to escape her clutches.

A sequel that surpasses the first film

By now, many production companies are betting on their strong horses, with remakes, sequels, prequels, reboots and so on. Nostalgia? Lack of original ideas? A way to introduce these stories to new aspiring cinephiles? Commercial operations? It is a topic that has been discussed ad nauseam and will continue to be discussed for years to come.

What distinguishes the various cases is the Product qualityand we can already say that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It is one of those cases in which, despite being a sequel that arrived thirty-six years after the release of the 1988 cult film, it was a brilliant idea and anything but forced.

The new adventure of the Little Pig Spirit and the Deetz family presents itself more as a new story than a direct sequel, and it seems like not even a day has passed since then. It is even better than the first film and can be watched by both those who have seen the prequel and by new fans who want to know this world. The difference is that the former will catch the various references to the first film and the contextualized and unobtrusive fan-service elements, while the new fans will not notice them, but will probably be curious to fill the gap of the cult.

Tim Burton’s Great Return and the Generational Confrontation

It’s not just the characters from the first film that have returned in style, but even their creator he is in better shape than ever, and the film totally reflects his style. The returns and the generations compared mentioned before are among the key words of this film.

Tim Burton has had a creative crisis in recent years and was not satisfied with some results (for example, the live-action of Dumbo). He was even considering retiring from the world of cinema, but after the reception of Wednesday on Netflix and having made Beetlejuice Beetlejuice having had carte blanche, the Burton of always is back.

It seems clear then that we must give carte blanche to a genius like Tim Burton, and when that happens the result can only be spectacular. The new film of the Sprite totally reflects his style, and marks a return to the origins. If the cult of the 80s was the consolidation of his style, after Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice marks his rebirth. A circle that closes, to start again in style with a new phase and the search for possible future projects.

Tim Burton has always had a style which reflects the grotesque and the darkrepresented by a touch of horror in some circumstances. It has always had the intention of giving revenge to marginalized figures and sending messages on contemporary issues. One of these is the comparison of the old and new generations and the presence of the mother and daughter is the projection of this comparison.

Even though it was made with modern technologiessome visual effects appear “old”, not as a defect, falling within the director’s intent to compare the old with the new, with the feeling that the sequel was made the day after the first film.

He also adopted here techniques that distinguish itsuch as stop motion, and the soundtrack is by his long-time friend Danny Elfman (they say, don’t change a winning team). All accompanied by Burton’s well-established direction and a very colorful photography that seems rather chameleonic to the surrounding situations.

The hidden messages

In addition to the comparison of the various generations and the reference to contemporary society, using the grotesque to also make satire (for example on the influencers present), Tim Burton also wanted pay homage to his inspiration Mario Bava in a couple of scenes and add a personal event of his own.

He faced an existential crisis and he told this through the protagonists. It is a film that talks about this, about the fight against own inner demonsof processing the past, of mourning, and of closing toxic relationships that can turn people off. All of this is present in the protagonists, especially in Lydia (played very well by Winona Ryder). She must leave the world she has created to protect herself and start living again, after having closed with the past.

The balance between old and new characters

This balance between old and new can also be found in the characters. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara have maintained the same characterization, and their relationship has even improved compared to the past. Among the new characters, Jenna Ortega stands out, who seems to have come out of Wednesdayand Willem Dafoe, an actor who never makes a mistake and always leaves unforgettable performances wherever he ends. An actress who is out of tune is Monica Bellucci. Her character is not useless for the plot, but it’s a shame that the interpretation of the Italian actress does not give that extra touch that was needed.

Michael Keaton steals the show from everyone

And then there’s him: Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. An actor who has had the opportunity to play roles of all kinds and who has proven himself up to any situation. In his curriculum, he also played characters that have become iconic: Batman and Beetlejuice, always with his friend Tim Burton. After years, he had the opportunity to play them again and, despite his age, he has not lost his charisma.

Here, his Beetlejuice steals the show from everyoneand even though it seems like he appears a lot, he actually has a reduced amount of time. However, in this sequel he has taken on more depth than in the past, and all the subplots revolve around him. His impact has been so decisive, that even when he doesn’t appear you feel his presence, and after one of his scenes ends you expect to see him again. In line with the character, if you think about it.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a film not to be missed in the theater and returns among the films most brilliant and surprising of the year.