Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Tim Burton’s return to basics

It’s hard to remember how long it was that a sequel to the Beetlejuice movie was requested, in which we first saw the duo of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton which would be repeated in Batman and Batman Returns. These two together were a bomb and now they are again with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Now, this film that took more than 30 years to arrive finally comes to fill a space of nostalgia, one that could only be filled by the gloomy genius of Tim Burton. Also, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It is not carried by the director and the acting talent of Michael Keaton. The performances of Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Jenna Ortega come together to create a perfect trio full of black humor.

The issue here is that so much nostalgia and fan service can also be counterproductive. This film should be measured for what it is, the sequel to a good cult film, but it is not Tim Burton’s first film either. At most we can say that it marked a generation, but that’s about it.

The context of the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It’s a good and valid thing. Ultimately, this is a kind of hybrid of horror, comedy and some grotesque details that can be questionable and great at the same time. The afterlife is probably not the place you want to visit after seeing this movie, especially since it’s a kind of bureaucratic terrain that never evolved and that’s really scary.

The golden duo between Keaton and Burton

Tim Burton and Michael Keaton are a money-making duo. We saw them in the first movie of this pair several years ago and eventually with Batman and Batman Returns. We were worried that they wouldn’t return for Batman Forever, but you can’t have everything in this life.

What happens in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It’s a very meticulous thing, because when you have a great joke to tell, you just don’t overuse it, and here we have that beautiful case. Although the “devil” is the one who has the spotlight on him, his participation is somewhat restricted by the narrative.

Let’s say there is a kind of democracy within Beetlejuice Beetlejuicebecause those actors with a prominent role appear enough and when they appear, they do so to do it very well. The thing is that Michael Keaton has a greater weight and more scrutiny, because everything that comes out of his mouth is reviewed with a magnifying glass.

This is where you have to admit that both the script and the direction bring out the best in the old actor who once played the Batman. The result is very good, hilarious, dramatic… of a real liar who wants to face you even though he has a past in which justice falls on him… Especially if it is Willem Dafoe’s.

Three stars carrying the film

Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Jenna Ortega are the grandmother, mother and daughter in Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceThe first two are already widows and the last one does everything possible to stay away from everything that has to do with them, especially because she doesn’t believe in the underworld, spirits, and much less ghosts.

Astrid (Jenna Ortega) pretends to be very smart, a reader, unusual for such an extravagant time for someone who does not get along with millennials or generation Z. Lydia, her mother, is managed by a manager who does not believe in what she sees, but who wants to get every last penny out of her, and Delia, well, continues with her art, but now alone because her husband has already passed away.

The way these three actresses come together is remarkable. While Winona and Catherine may share the same era of film production, Jenna is totally alien to that movement and the fact that she manages to blend in so well with them is remarkable.

Returning to the theme of the democratization of the appearance of the characters, this trio carries a good part of the film in an outstanding way, since the narrative revolves around the characters of these three actresses and their eventual interaction with Beetlejuice. The result is always uncomfortable and hilarious at the same time, because society is very different from what it was 30 years ago and, well, there will be no shortage of those who say that the ghost is the worst or that he takes advantage of them.

Black humor like rarely seen

It seems that cinema or life in general no longer has room for jokes or grace. Or failing that, it has to be handled with caution because if not, someone is going to be seriously offended. The precise case of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It is very special because it has a very well-managed script.

First of all, it has a lot of dark humor, the kind that you can’t explain to children at first, so don’t get your hopes up about “you can take the kids to see it” just because you’ve seen the 90’s cartoon a thousand times, because that one was really designed for the children’s audience of that time.

There is also room for the awkward, the uncomfortable and the ridiculous. We don’t need to go into details because we might ruin the experience of watching the film, but when people laugh it is because there was a moment to do so.

I think Tim Burton thought carefully about everything we see on screen, because he knows that the world of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It is naive, absurd and also very exaggerated. It is not about portraying reality but about telling something fantastic that is not seen every day on the big screen. Come on! It is a product worthy of Halloween.

Extending the lore through Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Perhaps because of the limitations of the time – speaking specifically of the 80’s – Beetlejuice has compact but very concise scenarios, the kind that you learn quickly because they were not as exponentially exposed as in this era where you see everything in great detail.

In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice We see how all the “lore” of the original film is extended. For example, we have that sad area where all the dead want to make claims and are given an eternal number to be attended to, but now there are more details. The office of our “demon” also has more things to show off.

Even the town where Lydia grew up has more going on, even though it’s still a place with a hint of suburbia. We have more details to throw around and that expands everything that has to do with that fantastical world directed by Tim Burton.

Finally, it is not just about serving fans with this kind of detail. Irremediably after seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice You’ll want to watch the original film to get those old references straight, especially because of the giant sandworm. Even the most hardcore collector will want to pick up the film’s art book because it looks like it’ll have references g
alore.

Is Beetlejuice worth seeing?

Regardless of my bitterness about all the fanboyism that this film will generate due to people dressing up to see the movie or the fact that Mario Aponte will surely want to go dressed as Beetlejuice and make a video for it, I sincerely believe that people will enjoy this movie.

As I mentioned a few paragraphs back, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Jenna Ortega are wonderful together, because they are so different that they fit each other. I don’t think there will be a second chance for all of them to be in the same film or sequel, but with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice I am left with a beautiful memory that I will treasure for a long time.

Since Birdman, Michael Keaton has been going through a remarkable moment in his career and every time he acts, he does it in a remarkable way. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a short while as Batman or now as the “super ghost”, he has a very special talent for fantastic cinema that makes you want to see more of him.

Last but not least, Tim Burton is a master. A guy ahead of his time. The only one who can emulate him is Guillermo del Toro, but the Mexican director has already made his style and it’s great that we still have these two masterminds directing. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice It’s very enjoyable, you won’t feel bad about paying more than 100 Mexican pesos to go see it and it will put you in the mood for that Halloween that you’ve been waiting for since 2024 started. Will you dare to go see it? Follow the discussion on our channel Discord.