Michael Keaton is less manic in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” than he was in the first movie, but that’s OK. His mission isn’t as complex as it once was.
What is? Remembering what happened in that first film. If you’re a newcomer to the universe, it might be wise to visit the first film. Then, you’ll be more than ready for the second.
Michael Keaton returns in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."
The second, also directed by Tim Burton, finds Goth icon Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) running her own television show, “Ghost House.” There, she investigates the paranormal and has more than a little attention from fans, living and dead.
When her father dies (sorry!), Lydia has to manage her new boyfriend (Justin Theroux), her daughter (Jenna Ortega) and her stepmother (Catherine O’Hara). The fear of Beetlejuice (Keaton) coming back still haunts her but, in some ways, he may be her only hope.
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To awaken the dead, Burton sets plenty of issues into play, revisits old haunts and gives Ortega the kind of attention he showered on Ryder.
Once the crazy guy reappears, this becomes the wild trip fans have wanted. He gets able support from his shrunken head friend, Bob, and has his own romance to worry about. Burton’s keen visual sense gives fans plenty of Easter eggs and a hat tip to some of his previous hits. Monica Bellucci, in fact, has the stitched-together look of Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” She isn’t given much to do but she shows up with as much frequency as O’Hara, who seems to be offering a lot of “Schitt’s Creek” in various scenes.
Jenna Ortega, left, and Winona Ryder star in "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."
Once Lydia figures out how she can make the problems disappear, she gets Beetlejuice into the picture and it’s merely a wild race to the end.
As sequels go, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a welcome follow-up. It just comes a little late for fans to truly get excited. Had this been done in the early ‘90s, Burton would be looking at “Beetlejuice” four or five about now.
Getting Keaton back in the fold was a coup, but he should have been given more improvisational freedom. Like Robin Williams, Keaton has a way of making lines better with little more than the lift of an eyebrow. He does that here, just not often enough.
Theroux is dealt the weakest hand of all. Without knowing his “story,” we’re at a loss to see where he really falls in the world.
Michael Keaton in a scene from "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."
Interestingly, Lydia’s father (played by Jeffrey Jones in the first film), gets face time, even though the actor pleaded guilty in 2010 to failing to update his sex offender registry.
Burton presses on, however, attempting other things that might get a rise out of studio executives.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” bites plenty of hands that fed it, but it’s not jaded enough to become a parting gift. A third installment is likely. It just shouldn’t wait 36 years to appear.
Movies in a minute with film critic Bruce Miller
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Movies in a Minute: "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
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Movies in a Minute: "The Fall Guy"
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Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal.
