Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Wynona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara

Primary genre: Gothic

Second genre: Dark fantasy

Third genre: Comedy

Fourth genre: Horror

After 36 years, the sequel to Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” (1988) was released under the very original title of “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice”. Stuck in production hell for a very long period of time, you would think a return to his wacky visual antics which Burton was known for along with the comedic talents of a career high Michael Keaton and a more sophisticated technology would result to something really edgy. Yet, just like most legacy sequels, the final product is more of a complacent entry employing safely the structure of the original without offering anything novel besides mild entertainment.

Expanding the cast to include three female generations of the Deetz family (O’Hara, Ryder, Ortega), Jenna - now playing the same quicky character - Ortega is the catalyst for Beetlejuice’s “resurrection”. While the majority of shenanigans are playful enough and the gross factor has been slightly amped, the sequel does not expand its own set of mythological rules feeling like a disjointed entry which comes to life only when Keaton (who has not missed his comedy timing), disrupts the picture. And it is a shame he is not been taking a more frontal role in the second movie. Looking remarkably like he did back in 1988, Keaton is having the time of his life in this motion picture relishing his lines and sharing great chemistry with all cast members. Besides the spells and spooks and ghouls, one might wonder whether there is anything more here.

The B man is sporadically used much to the disappointment of devoted fans. Instead the bulk of the action (and emotion) falls on the shoulders of Ryder and Ortega. By the time you reach the finale, there is nothing really exciting and any poorly introduced subplots that require a concrete resolution are eclipsed, their sole purpose being an excuse to use the star power of Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe.

What you have left at the end is a film that boasts a few entertaining moments and a load of cliche directives about a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship. The script considers its central aspect but the lack of intelligent presentation and traditional implementation makes “Beetlejuice 2” all the more mainstream in 2024. And this is why Burton has lost his edge; this unique filmmaker initially reached out and appealed to the peculiar, the outcast and the isolated, not to everyone. There are some instances of his brilliance. However, nothing comes close to what he did in “Edward Scissorhands” (1990), “Batman Returns” (1992), “Ed Wood” (1994) and “Sleepy Hollow” (1999). Although his attempt to reclaim some of the weirdo status has to be admired at least, he still is dire need of a proper wacky script to exploit fully his talents.

The juice is loose and if you could make a metaphor between the juice and the plot, you would reach the same conclusion. Requiring a tighter script and a stronger focus to the macabre is a must and in an alternative reality “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” could have been on par with its predecessor. Like any other belated sequel though, it plays it almost too safe electing to employ the previously done tropes to attract new members and not alienate the old ones.

+Keaton is the main attraction here

+Ryder, O’Hara

+Some visual brilliance

+And gags

-Ortega playing Ortega

-Pointless subplots

-Belluci, Dafoe do nothing