I know that the original Beetlejuice movie is a big deal culturally and was hugely formative and important to many people. I have never had that relationship to it. I like it, but it’s not in my regular Halloween movie rotation. And to be completely honest, Tim Burton just isn’t really my vibe. His style can get a little too wacky for my liking. Despite that, I was interested in seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as a cultural touchstone and to see how they made a sequel 36 years after its predecessor.

It took a little bit of time to adjust to the supreme oddity and settle into the Burton world, but, once I moved past that, I realized the real issue with this movie is that it was just trying to do too much. Stylistically and aesthetically of course it was doing too much. That’s kind of Burton’s whole thing. And I can accept that as a creative choice. But what I’m talking about is the plot. The following are all actual plotlines in this movie:

1. Lydia Deetz’s (Winona Ryder) daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is tricked by a ghost boy she has a crush on into trading her life for his and she gets trapped in the afterlife. Lydia then has to summon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to ask him for help in getting her back.
2. Beetlejuice’s ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) comes back and goes on a murderous spree intent on finding him. He needs Lydia’s help escaping her.
3. Lydia’s ex-husband and Astrid’s father died a few years ago. Lydia can communicate with ghosts but, for some reason, cannot see Astrid’s father. Astrid is upset by this and searches for her dad while she’s in the afterlife.

All of those stories could be their own movies. They all actually have the potential to be really interesting movies. But with all of that, plus so much more that I haven’t even mentioned, crammed into one hour and 45 minute movie, none of it has a chance to be successful. In such a crowded space, the stories don’t have room to breathe and develop and the film jumbles them up into a confusing mess. Additionally, with all of that going on, the resolution happens fairly quickly and easily. And then it’s just done? Tim Burton has never been known for his restraint, but throwing everything at the wall in this case just weighed the whole thing down.

What makes the movie enjoyable are the performances from the cast. Michael Keaton is 73 years old and plays Beetlejuice with the same energy and magnetism that he did 36 years ago. He is the title character and he definitely carries these movies. Catherine O’Hara is just incredible as always. I’ve never seen her do anything that hasn’t been absolutely hysterical and delightful. Winona Ryder brings her weird, affected manor back to Lydia and Jenna Ortega is basically just playing Wednesday Addams again which I guess is kind of her thing now. I like them both and thought they were pretty good but nothing special in this film. It did strike me at some moments how much they resembled each other, though. A believable mother-daughter pair.

Honestly, my favorite scene in the film is probably the one where Delores, who’s been hacked to pieces and is lying dormant in different boxes, literally pulls herself back together and uses a stapler to attach all the pieces. A torso, legs, arms, fingers, a face that’s been cut in half, now all held together with staples. One review called the result “a gorgeous DIY Frankenstein monster”. The whole act is set to “Tragedy” by the Bee Gees. That is the kind of thing the film needed more of. Interesting, spooky, artful sequences that exist for their innovative and entertaining visuals and have some fun with it. Something Tim Burton is best at. But this movie is way too full of plot moments that it doesn’t allow for anything else to get in the mix. Still a fun watch but mostly an okay movie that had the potential to be a great one (or 3 great ones).

2024 Count: 26 seasons/specials, 50 movies