The ghost with the most is back and ruling the metroplex, but sadly for all of us children of the ‘80s, His Beetleness has lost a lot of his juice.
Though it stars iconic actors Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder, the fatally unfunny “Beetlejuice” sequel currently haunting theaters, 36 years after being a formative experience for my generation, sadly lives up to the old sequels suck trope. This “Beetlejuice” lacks the laughs and scares of the original and even the fiendishly wry Keaton can’t breathe life into this flick.
Of course, many moviegoers don’t seem to see it that way. The film has been No. 1 at the box office for three weeks running, earning $226 million at the U.S. box office. Its $110 million opening weekend was the third highest in 2024 so far.
But while the sequel is shot through with vintage Tim Burton tableaus, the wonderfully creepy-meets-campy vibe that animated “Edward Scissorhands” and the original “Beetlejuice” is sadly absent here. Most of this film moves like molasses, too slow and too sweet.
Keaton brings his signature outlandish whimsy as the title demon and the sandworms and Day-O make a comeback, but all of the female characters are underwritten and none of them are memorable.
That’s deeply disappointing because Beetlejuice is way more than just a movie franchise or a Broadway musical, it’s a whole zeitgeist, a deep-seated sense of nostalgia for the glory days of the cineplex when the big screen captivated pop culture.
That’s also part of the spark of the estimably spooky “Stranger Things,” which also stars Ryder, the remembrance of things kitschy.
Burton does take some nice jabs at the now, from therapy culture and selfie addiction to influencers, the snake oil salesman of the Instagram age. But he forgets to take pleasure in his own quirky brand of genius, the gleeful blend of comedy and horror that is the hallmark of many an ‘80s horror classic, from “Gremlins” to “Fright Night.” We used to collectively love to be afraid at the movies but this poltergeist never lets us.
It does have its memorable moments. Ironically, given the fact that the Broadway musical version of “Beetlejuice” was dull and derivative, this movie has one fun musical number after another. “The Soul Train” interlude and “MacArthur Park” numbers are to die for.
The fatal flaw is that there’s no emotion holding the bits of shtick together. Jenna Ortega’s Astrid seems far too sharp to fall for the con she does. Ryder feels wasted as the middle-aged Lydia Deetz.
The always delicious O’Hara, who shines the brightest here, sparkles as Delia tries to schmooze her way into the VIP lounge of the afterlife.
She also pushes her step-daughter to get her girl power on.
“What happened to the teen Goth girl who used to torment me? We need to find her.”
That sentiment utterly rings true for this reviewer. It’s never clear why Lydia is such a sad sack given her money, fame and mystical powers. Why is she so dead on the inside?
My kiddo Daphne, 13, is a huge stan of Ortega of “Wednesday” fame and was similarly disappointed that her character lacked bite. If you were hoping that Ryder would channel her “Stranger Things” badass energy and Ortega would radiate Wednesday’s darkness, you will be let down. There’s a flatness to the emotional journey here. It’s more a themed rollercoaster ride than a movie.
As for the plot, all of the supporting characters feel like set dressing, they look right but have no substance. Monica Bellucci is a squandered resource as the undead vamp Dolores. The ghost boy storyline feels empty. The Willem Dafoe turn feels phoned in.
This movie is part high school reunion, beloved characters finally reunited, part formulaic windup. It feels like the setup for “Beetlejuice 3” — and given the box office income, that feels likely — but honestly there’s not enough spine-tingling here to justify another installment. Burton, long revered for his quirky world-building genius, needs to get his macabre back, bigtime.
Contact Karen D’Souza at karenpdsouza@yahoo.com.
‘BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE’
Rating: PG-13 (violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material, brief drug use)
Starring: Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
When & where: Playing at Bay Area theaters
Streaming release: Available on Amazon and iTunes Oct. 8; streaming on HBO Max Nov. 24 (dates subject to change)