tim burton is back? right?
on beetlejuice beetlejuice (2024)
Tim Burton’s work often sparks debate online. A prolific and audacious director, he’s given us iconic films like the gentle Edward Scissorhands, the haunting Corpse Bride, and two memorable Batman adaptations. His collaborations with well-known actors, many of whom return to work with him, have built a distinct body of work that is easily recognisable, standing on its own. However, it’s hard not to notice a significant decline in the quality, originality and authenticity of his recent projects.
Much of the criticism surrounding his newer films stems from the end of his long-standing collaboration with Disney, a relationship that Burton himself has critiqued over recent years. After graduating from CalArts, he joined Walt Disney Productions as an apprentice animator, creating the stop-motion short Vincent, directing Hansel and Gretel and creating the original Frankenweenie in the 80s. Despite the promise of these early works, Burton was fired after Frankenweenie, which is a film I personally enjoyed, even if Disney clearly didn’t share that same opinion. Yet, this wasn’t the end of this professional relationship. The studio co-produced The Nightmare Before Christmas under Touchstone Pictures, similar to the 1994 film Ed Wood, and later, Burton returned to direct Disney’s live-action Alice in Wonderland (2010) and a longer animated remake of Frankenweenie. Further, he has a production credit on Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), yet did not return to direct the live-action franchise.
The final straw in this complicated relationship seemed to be the reception of Burton’s 2019 live-action adaptation of Dumbo. I saw it in the cinema when it first came out, though I barely remember much of it, which perhaps says a lot about the film itself. The concept of a live-action story about a flying elephant is ambitious, and with Disney’s vast back catalog, there were surely simpler, more fitting options for the live-action treatment, something I still don’t believe Disney gets truly right. Despite featuring Burton’s frequent collaborators (Michael Keaton, Eva Green, and national treasure Danny DeVito), something about Dumbo didn’t make it feel like a true Burton film. While I’m not a fan of his Alice in Wonderland adaptation, I at least understand why Burton was chosen for the project, given his past success with his creation of whimsical and otherworldly places. Dumbo, however, lacked this. In an interview with Variety, Burton was notably candid about the experience, saying, "Honestly, after Dumbo, I really didn’t know. I thought that could have been it, really. I could have retired... I wouldn’t have become an animator again, that’s over." It is probably safe for me to say that Burton’s creative liberty and Disney’s aim for sequels and profitability clashed over the years, the lack of love for Dumbo being the straw that broke the camel’s back.
And then there’s Wednesday, Burton’s recent adaptation of The Addams Family, which has been a mixed experience for me. Visually, it’s beautiful, however, as a long-time fan of The Addams Family, I found the interpretation lacking in authenticity. First introduced through comics in the 1930s, The Addams Family has evolved significantly through various TV shows, films, and animations. On paper, a Burton-helmed version seems like a perfect match. I was excited when I found out about this, especially with Jenna Ortega in the lead role, but the result didn’t capture the essence of what makes The Addams Family special. The humour in the original comics stemmed from the family’s obliviousness to how unconventional they were. While newer adaptations have successfully updated this, often emphasising themes of self-acceptance and embracing differences, Wednesday felt off, a lot of the decisions made undercutting the essence of her character. I completely understand why some people enjoy the show and I will be tuning into season 2, even if I believe the first season missed the mark.
And now we are here! After 36 years, 2024 has seen a Beetlejuice sequel. Crazy. Beetlejuice is widely regarded as one of Burton’s best films, Michael Keaton’s original performance as the titular character still being phenomenal and withstanding the test of the time. It is a true cult classic, pushing creative boundaries and just truly being pure, loveable chaos. Whilst I was under the (naive) assumption this universe would never be expanded and was content with that, the original cast returning, with the addition of Jenna Ortega, and the prospect of seeing the land of the dead on better quality cameras excited me. But what did I think when I actually watched it?
The thing that sticks out the most to be when thinking about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is how it doesn’t feel like nostalgia bait; it feels like simply a good sequel. Growing up, I had the kind of dad who would show me the type of films like The Joker, Whiplash, Baby Driver and I, Tonya, so the first time I watched this was this year. I truly cannot imagine what it must feel like to watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice having grown up on the film as it perfectly manages to encapsulate the essence of the first film without compromising it’s individualism. The story is different, the characters are the same yet have changed if appropriate, the references to the first film are kept at a minimum and when done, are done in a way that aids the comedy of the film (the banana boat song at the funeral) and the chaos and beauty of the land of the dead hasn’t changed even one small bit, only being emphasised.
The cast is one of the main components which make me love this film. With the return of Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice and Winona Ryder as Lydia, they slip back into these characters seamlessly, as if no time has passed; Keaton as the mischievous Beetlejuice, unchanged despite the years, and Ryder as Lydia, now older but still unmistakably herself. The standout performance for me personally is Catherine O’Hara as Delia, and I found that I enjoyed her character so much more than I did in the original due to her comedic timing and entirely nonsensical behaviour in her grieving. I also found it somewhat comical the way they chose to write out Jeffery Duncan Jones’ character of the dad, killing him off instantly and then having him wander around the afterlife headless. I’m sure I’m not the only viewer of the film who came to the conclusion that the actor must have died for him to not return, and then googled him to find out the interesting truth of his situation.
The new additions to the cast are great as well. Willem Dafoe played an actor in the land of the dead who is takin on the role of a detective, and the comedic bit of his assistant bringing him a coffee in every scene took me out every single time. Justin Theroux also joined the main cast as Lydia’s sucky boyfriend Rory, managing to encompass unmatched awfulness, along with Monica Bellucci as soul-sucking, cult leader Delores. Finally, of course, we have Jenna Ortega, taking on the role of Astrid Deetz, child of Lydia who is completely against everything her mother believes in. They characterise her as a climate activist, which made me smile because other than this blog, I write part-time for another which focuses on climate change and sustainable living. I saw a lot of myself in Astrid.
However, I am certainly not as positive about the narrative, which is definitely a common criticism I am seeing. It is filled with tiny plots that don’t come to a satisfying conclusion, and feel completely unnecessary. This film spent more time in the land of the dead then prior, yet a lot of that was spent with Monica Bellucci’s character and not with the more obvious choice, Beetlejuice. I’m not opposed to directors or actors bringing loved ones into their work, and the intention behind Delores is clear to me; she is used as a tool to give the audience the impression that she is the newer and worse villain to distract from the fact that Jeremy (Arthur Conti) is not just a ghost, but a murderer whose seemingly romantic intentions are actually wanting to steal Astrid’s soul to live life as a human again. Was this effective? Somewhat. Even though I wondered what the decision was behind an inclusion of a love interest, I definitely didn’t see that plot twist coming. I think the issues behind Dolores being used as a tool is that, by the end, she doesn’t really mean much to the audience nor the other characters and that there is so much else going on in the plot that it massively takes away from the impact of her character. She could have been a great villain, I do believe that. I can say with my whole heart that I loved the sequence of her sewing herself back together, and the whole evil, soul-sucking cult leader shenanigans. If I had a beautiful girlfriend and I was a film-maker, I would probably include her to. I also found similiar issues with the character of Rory. He just felt incredibly unnecessary to me. With the whole finding Astrid’s dad again, Delia trying to find her husband, Astrid’s love interest, Lydia getting married to Rory, Rory only dating Lydia to exploit her, Delia dying by snakes she didn’t think were venomous, Astrid having this climate rights activism event and so much more, this film is a lot, especially as most of this is not fleshed out whatsoever. This film could have either done with an extra half an hour or a complete rework of the order and prioritisation of events. Whilst sequels don’t need to be as concise as first films in a franchise, this completely went off the rails.
One thing I’m curious about is how this film would have been different if the pro-shot of the Beetlejuice musical actually came into fruition. I remember specifically how popular the musical was when I was 12/13, and pouring over clips of Alex Brightman and Sophia Ann Caruso playing the dynamic stage-version of Beetlejuice and Lydia. In an Interview with Hollywood Reporter, Beetlejuice producer Mark Kaufman revealed that they ‘had planned to do it in April [2020]. And a lot of things happened. During the pandemic, a lot of these video captures came out, some successful, some not as successful. I think it’s a very expensive venture, and I think at this moment in time, it wasn’t the right idea for us to focus on it’. Whilst I can’t really find anything in my research regarding Burton’s support of the musical, and there is a clear difference between people who are just fans of the movie, people who are just fans of the musical and people who are fans of both, I wonder if the success of the pro-shot (or lack thereof) would have influenced the making of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, especially since he first contacted Ryder and Keaton about a sequel in 2018, when the musical first hit broadway in 2019. There is an acknowledgement of Lydia’s mum being alive and just out of the picture, whilst I suppose we all assumed she had passed away, contrasting the musical as this is a key aspect of Lydia thematically with the song ‘Dead Mom’. I’m seeing some interpretation that this could be done as a way for Burton to create a harsh distinction between the musical and his films, yet I can neither agree or disagree. A more obvious ‘fuck you’ is definitely Lydia talking to another mother about not wanting dress up as Disney princesses, which I found pretty funny considering everything I talked about prior.
In terms of a third Beetlejuice film, I feel a lot mixed opinions about it. I never believed that this film needed a follow up, so another one would be interesting. I definitely think that the film left room for more to happen, or potentially even a spin-off, and I do need an explanation for Jenna Ortega birthing the damn Beetlejuice baby in Lydia’s dream. That was horrifying. Some would say more scary than Hereditary. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, and would still tune in, yet some things don’t need to be expanded and I know Tim Burton knows that also. I trust that he will make the correct decision.
So, is the true Tim Burton back? I would say so. Beetlejuice beetlejuice is playful chaos and I did really enjoy the film, despite it’s flaws. I think this sequel brought a new version of Burton which we haven’t seen in a while. There is always room for improvement, and I trust that whatever this has given Burton as a creative and as a director can be used in the future if it’s in terms of a continuation on the story of Lydia Deetz and Beetlejuice or not.
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Loved this review! The movie was a beautiful chaotic fun time but truly so many plots are happening the entire time!