Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) still finds herself haunted by the bio-exorcist demon Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) despite the years that have passed since she encountered him. So when a family tragedy brings her back to the home where she met him she is understandably nervous about what might happen. 

Lydia is now a mother to her own teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) who does not believe in her mother’s gift of being able to see ghosts. Especially as Lydia is unable to see the ghost of Astrid’s father who died when she was young. 

Whilst Lydia’s stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), now a famous sculptor, tries to find ways to help both Lydia and Astrid through their troubles. All whilst she mourns the loss of her husband who died in bizarre circumstances. 

In the thirty-six years since Tim Burton made the brilliant original Beetlejuice movie his career has soared and faltered. Recently there have been more misses than hits artistically and his last feature film was 2019’s Dumbo which failed to inspire. It feels a long time since the heights of his 1980’s and 1990’s run of exceptional films where he gave us Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), Ed Wood (1994), Mars Attacks! (1996) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). A spectacular succession of films. 

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice really encapsulates my feelings of loss for Burton’s heyday. It has moments of brilliance but ultimately is a cluttered mess of ideas that barely coalesce into something that could be described as average entertainment. 

Let’s start with the positives. Stylistically the film matches the original throughout. The opening credits perfectly mimic the 1988 film, whilst the sets of the family home and underworld match exactly. They have even kept the handmade look and feel of the special effects so that they complement and sit comfortably alongside each other. Returning stars Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara all slot back into their roles brilliantly and give great performances. Most importantly Beetlejuice is still a chaotic force of humour that stands out as the high point throughout. 

Where things fall apart though is in its extremely cluttered nature. The film features so many plots it fails to deliver anything satisfying with any of them. Lydia is now a TV star and has a sycophant boyfriend producer named Rory (Justin Theroux) who seems far too keen to be part of the Deetz family. Delia is grieving the loss of her husband, hates Rory and wants to help Astrid. Astrid misses her dead father, does not believe her mother and starts a fledgling teenage romance with a local boy (Arthur Conti). A mysterious demon named Delores (Monica Bellucci – Burton’s current partner) who is killing other ghosts and seeking out Beetlejuice is on the rampage. A dead actor who is the chief of police in the underworld named Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe) is chasing her. Whilst Beetlejuice is still trying to marry Lydia and escape the underworld. The biggest issue in amongst all of those chaotic plot lines fighting for space is the fact that there is no heart and soul to the movie. The Maitland’s provided this in the original but with their absence there is no one person that the film stays with long enough to really care about. 

The new additions to the cast have hugely varied success as well. Willem Dafoe’s character whilst genuinely funny in places also overshadows Beetlejuice at the chaotic heart of the film. I assume the idea was to give more madcap fun but instead it dilutes it. Jenna Ortega barely registers in a role that should be the heart and soul. Whilst Justin Theroux is awful in a thankless cliche part. 

And finally the inevitable song and dance number struggles to live up to the original films ‘Day-O’. 

It is not a total failure. But after you have seen it I would struggle to think why you might rewatch it when the original does everything so much better. 

A nostalgic misfire. Perhaps that sums up Burton’s recent career output?