‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ is Dead on Its Feet

Content warning: this article contains mentions of child pornography and gun violence.

“It’s showtime” once again for the demon Betelgeuse, but really, the curtains should’ve lowered after act one. 

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is the sequel to director Tim Burton’s 1988 dark fantasy-comedy, “Beetlejuice.” The title references the ritualistic summoning of the bio-exorcist demon Betelgeuse, who appears after his name is said aloud three times in a row. 

“Beetlejuice” is a phonetically useful way to misspell the demon’s name, Betelgeuse, according to The New Yorker. 

Winona Ryder reprises her role from the 1988 film as Lydia Deetz, now a widowed mother who uses her ability to see ghosts to host a paranormal investigation talk show. 

After the death of her father, Charles Deetz, Lydia returns to her childhood home with her family, including her step-mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara). New additions to the Deetz family and cast are Lydia’s boyfriend and television producer Rory (Justin Theroux) and estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). 

Consumed by resentment for her mother, grief for her dead father and love for a neighborhood crush, Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife — known in the “Beetlejuice” universe as the Netherworld.

To rescue her daughter, Lydia enlists the help of Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton). In return for his assistance, Betelgeuse contractually requires Lydia to marry him, as a guise to avoid the wrath of his soul-sucking ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci). 

Though the character of Charles is present, his original actor, Jeffrey Jones, is not. Using claymation scenes and a shark bite to the entire upper half of Charles’ body, the movie playfully skirts around Jones’ absence.

The decision not to recast Jones is presumably because of his 2003 no contest plea to charges of child pornography possession, according to People Magazine. 

Betelgeuse’s character has been toned down since the first movie — no longer spitting foul language, grabbing at his crotch or entering a strip club themed after Dante’s “Inferno.” But Keaton’s quick-witted acting still allows a lecherous brilliance to shine through.

However, acting can’t save the plot, as “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” spends its entire 105 minute run-time making references to the first movie, forsaking any attempts at an original plot. 

Astrid’s family life is nearly indistinguishable from Lydia’s own in the first movie — a moody, rebellious teenager in a single-parent family with an out-of-touch, egotistic step-parent whom she despises.

Engaging plot points involving a murderous ghost and a vindictive ex-wife from a cult of immortality are given little room to breathe in the script, as they’re hastily built up and discarded just as quickly.

Betelgeuse’s ex-wife Delores seems to exist for the sole purpose of getting Lydia and Betelgeuse back in front of the marriage altar, therefore forming an almost-identical ending to the original. Her presence in the film adds no additional developments to the plot beyond that.

The ghosts of Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) — the main characters in the original “Beetlejuice” — are noticeably absent, having found a convenient loophole for them to leave the house they’d previously been tethered to.

Their absence is uncannily noticeable when taking into account Baldwin’s ongoing legal troubles tied to the fatal “Rust” film set shooting Oct. 21, 2021.

Despite its pitfalls in script, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is visually stunning, bringing Burton’s lovable wit and creativity back to the big screen.

Revisiting the joys of handmade practical effects, the film features an extensive use of prosthetics, makeup and puppets. Even the classic “Beetlejuice” monster, the giant Sandworm, was built up through stop-motion, not CGI, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Burton’s material artistry is a delightful return to form, considering many of his recent movies (“Dumbo,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”) have heavily relied on CGI use.

The practical effects add personal charm to the movie and build a sense of tangible genuineness — as though the afterlife truly exists right below you. 

Netherworld waiting room guests are cleverly dressed up to portray their deaths. From a burnt-to-a-crisp Santa Claus to an overstuffed hot dog eating contest competitor, the afterlife brims with imaginative, grim enchantment.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a dazzling recreation of its predecessor, resurrecting a stellar cast and spirited special effects. But if a revival is all it is, then perhaps the series should’ve been left to rest in peace after the first movie.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is in theaters now.