Movie Number 24 of 2024
The Movie: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens
Stars: 4
Word of warning. I'm a big Tim Burton fan. I'm also a fan of cult films and Beetlejuice, the original is one of my favourites. It's a nuts film. But nuts in a good way.
I'm in a number of minds about this sequel, which has come some 35 years after the original. Is it as good as the original - no - but it does a good job trying.
What happens here is Lydia (Winona Ryder) is not having a great time. She's widowed, her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) is giving her grief, her mother Delia (Catherine O'Hara) is still a pain and her odious fiance (Justin Thoreaux) is somebody you'd like to run over.
When her father dies, the family are forced to go back to Winter's Creek, the place where the first Beetlejuice movie takes place to settle up.
When Astrid is kidnapped by a malevolent ghost who takes her into the underworld, Lydia is forced to call on her old enemy, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to provide some of his often-misguided help.
Beetlejuice is having his own issues. His ex-wife (Monica Belluci) is back on the scene.
Sound a bit convoluted. Well, it is. But not in a bad way.
For lovers of the original film, there are enough references to keep you happy. That they had the Banana Boat Song sung by a girls' choir was pure genius. Little things, like Delia's artwork, the model of the town in the attic and the general look and feel of the film.
There are also some wonderful cameos through then film. Willem Dafoe and Danny de Vito being two of them.
And Tim Burton's direction is exactly what you think it's going to be - just a little bit bonkers.
What I loved about this film most of all is that it is a lot of fun. Sure, it missed out on the freshness that the original film had in 1988, but it has just the right mix of nostalgia and new material. I also loved the small musical references to the original film - however Burton has changed tack here and the music is now classic 1970s disco standards.
For the squeamish, there are some slightly off colour sections, but this is to be expected with this director.
Do you have to see the original to enjoy this film - probably not, but it might help in understanding this strange and wonderful world in front of you.
I think that this is probably best for those who love the original film. However, if you want to see a group of actors having a great time, this might be what you are looking for.
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