Classic Tim Burton Returns with "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"

Tim Burton's original “Beetlejuice” is such a weird piece of cinema; you can't help but admire how it became a fan favorite over the past thirty years. Made by a young, 29-year-old filmmaker who had not yet redefined the blockbuster industry by making “Batman,” “Beetlejuice” seemed to be the end result of a lonely kid given the keys to an expensive car, who then decided to drive everywhere you wouldn't expect a kid to take said car. Ultimately, the movie wasn't deep, but it was a lot of fun that made for a great communal watch during Halloween parties. 

That young kid who made this bizarre movie is now a 66-year-old man. He is no longer the same filmmaker he was when he first entered the business, having directed billion-dollar-grossing films like Disney's “Alice in Wonderland” as well as Oscar fare like “Big Fish.” The last film he directed was “Dumbo” for Disney, a movie so soulless even Burton himself wondered if he was interested in making movies anymore. With that in mind, while “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” might feel like a desperate cash grab by a struggling studio trying to mine old IP, the end result feels like Burton returning to his old car and taking it out for a spin one more time. 

And this time, he's not leaving anything behind. He's expanding the underworld by showing us more of the bureaucratic office jobs on the other side (including a crime division headed by a former actor played by Willem Dafoe). He shows an aged Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) finding a way to monetize her talents to see ghosts—a talent her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) doesn't believe in. Most of all, though, the ghost with the most is back again. While many could not be faulted for believing that Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) was the main star the first time around, online observers will point out that he was only in 17 minutes of the original film.

This time around, Beetlejuice features much more prominently in the story (I would say roughly 60% of the runtime or so), where we discover that his heart still pines for Lydia, though a murderous ex-wife complicates matters. This is the window-dressing story that Burton may have come up with, but it ultimately only exists to showcase his flair for the weird and the macabre. For those feeling the man hasn't made a good movie since “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (which is not true, I want to add), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a glorious return to form. Weird, yet charming. Gross, yet oddly hilarious. Off-putting, yet somehow endearing. 

Is “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” a desperate cash grab to milk a long-retired franchise? Yeah, it most likely is. Years of Beetlejuice and Lydia Halloween costume sales were likely strong enough to deem this project worthy of a green light. On a deeper level, it shows that the shy filmmaker who had trouble making friends because his creations were considered too weird is still in there and is still capable of bringing his vision to life. Will he get to make something “original” ever again? Eh... I sadly agree that those days are finally over. Hollywood isn't interested in writing those checks anymore. But if they're going to write him a check for anything, at least it's for something that is quintessential Tim Burton