“IM THE GHOST WITH THE MOST, BABE”- Betelgeuse
“Beetlejuice”, Tim Burton’s deliciously dark comedy, has made a much-anticipated comeback after a 36-year hiatus. First released in 1988, Academy Award nominee Burton fills the reboot with 105 action-packed minutes of call backs and nostalgia to its predecessor.
In this sequel, newcomers mixed with familiar faces. Michael Keaton returned as the twisted demon of Beetlejuice, still set on marrying Lydia Deetz, now a famous local ghosthunter, played by Winona Ryder. Catherine O’Hara also returns as Delia Deetz to complete the formation of the Deetz family. O’Hara is well known from previous roles in ‘Home Alone’ and Sally in another one of Tim Burton’s wonderful creations, The Nightmare Before Christmas. One member of the Deetz family was absent from screen and instead has his development portrayed in the form of Tim Burton’s popular style of animation. Jeffrey Jones who played the character of the loving husband and father, Charles Deetz, was excluded from the returning cast because of off-screen controversy and legal troubles against him. Jones faced charges in 2003 over the possession of child pornography and 2010 failed to update his sex offender status. Fans also realised the loss of the ‘Ghostly Couple’ portrayed by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. Burton previously highlighted to People magazine that despite their importance in the first film, he just wanted to explore something else.
I interviewed A local influencer and fan at a screening, who described the performance of the returning actors as ‘Effortless’ and expressed their disappointment towards the absence of both Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. They went on to close their opinion, suggesting that “the script needed to be re-written.”
The sequel saw the introduction of new famous faces. Completing the Deetz family was Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Lydia Deetz. Astrid is presented as a study-oriented boarding student who dismisses her infamous house and family alongside the idea of the afterlife. Fans would recognise Ortega from her roles as the new Wednesday Addams in the Netflix hit ‘Wednesday.’ Willem Dafoe, who was known as being Green Goblin aka Norman Osborn in Spiderman, made an appearance as a deceased actor-turned Cop in the underworld.
Despite mixed opinions on the return of ‘Beetlejuice’, I feel Tim Burton successfully maintains the tone of the original. The characters maintained their gothic yet family orientated personas and the absurdity of the underworld. The film even opens with the iconic Banana Boat Song which was also remembered by returning fans. Beetlejuice greatly benefits from the nostalgia of Halloween films before it, bringing a comforting sense of gloom over the run time, which another fan who enjoyed the return of the green haired ghost and fellow characters, referred to when I interviewed one after the movie
Fans will have to wait and see if the sequel becomes a Threequel. But like they say, if you say his name three times, unbelievably terrible things will happen.
