After more than three and a half decades, Tim Burton has finally provided audiences with a follow-up to his iconic 1988 comedy-horror. Set years after the first film, Burton’s latest offering follows Lydia as she tries to navigate the death of her father while dealing with a daughter who couldn’t be more distant. I definitely had fun in the theater, but I can’t help being a bit disappointed. Maybe nothing can satisfy the kind of buildup that happens when so much time passes—or maybe it’s the useless characters, toned-down mayhem and shabby script—either way, I’d say this is more of a mixed bag than a masterpiece.
I first want to give credit to the actors, because they did their best with what they had. A lot of people will obviously talk about Keaton, Ryder and Ortega (rightfully so), but I think Willem Dafoe did an amazing job. His hammy performance as a dead action star turned detective was seriously underused, but even still he manages to provide nice breaks in the film’s pacing while also injecting a lot of humor into the frame. There’s also Danny DeVito as an undead janitor who manages to almost cover the entire emotional spectrum in the span of a single scene; but I think the most criminally underwritten character is Monica Belucci’s Dolores, who wants nothing but revenge on her ex-husband (Beetlejuice). The character as a whole was wildly intriguing, but Burton and co. refused to do anything with her. I think this perhaps speaks to the shallow way women characters are written here in general, always being over-reliant on a romantic lead where none is needed, like Lydia’s coworker/sudden fiancé. Despite the amount of things Belucci and everyone else was able to do with so little, we weren’t given enough time to understand who these characters are as people. Because of this, their relationships feel flat, and when some die we’re left wondering if we were supposed to care.
These bland writing choices also speak to a deeper problem with the script: it just feels so safe. Gone is the sense of freewheeling chaos that made the first installment in this duology feel so transgressive. I feel like more interesting themes were left on the table so that we could get a couple callbacks and a movie that feels more like nostalgia fodder than anything else. There was some great use of humor throughout, particularly with Bob the Shrunken Head Guy, but this is ultimately a movie that suffers because of its writing. Despite these serious drawbacks, it was a joy to watch on screen, and I think a big part of that is due to the visuals.
There’s no doubt cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos knows how to paint with light, using an eye-popping color palette to enhance the tone that’s created by some awesome set design. I just wish I could say the same about the camera movement itself. Much like the writing, the camerawork here feels very stale and lacks the dynamic energy needed for a film like this. What Zambarloukos lacks in finesse is almost made up for by the great special effects crew. Be it the nicely surprising uses of Claymation, the gross-out gags offered by Beetlejuice himself or the underworld madness the characters are moving through, these elements carry a handmade feel that makes a big difference as far as audience immersion is concerned. It was also nice to hear Danny Elfman doing what he does best, never taking over a scene with his music but instead enhancing our understanding of the particular mood that’s made Burton so beloved.
I definitely think you should watch this in a theater if you do watch it, because the things that work really lend themselves to the biggest screen possible. While it obviously doesn’t manage to capture what made the first film so special, I think it has some laughs, some beautiful lighting and set design, and some great acting. These elements alone might not make a great movie, but they certainly make a fun one. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is in theaters today!
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