‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ worth seeing, worth seeing

The team behind “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” took the right approach in making the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 comedy/horror film that featured Michael Keaton in his most iconic role. They filled the new production with plenty of reminders of the original while making it accessible enough for those who don’t know the difference between “Beetlejuice” and Betelgeuse.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” picks up in Winter River, Conn. with the death of Charles Deetz (played in the original by Jeffrey Jones). His widow, Delia (Catherine O’Hara), and their daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder) bring his granddaughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), home from boarding school so she can attend the funeral.

In a house where ghosts are prevalent, a funeral isn’t easy. Lydia must deal with an obnoxious boyfriend and producer of her ghost-hunting TV show, Rory (Justin Theroux), who along with Beetlejuice wants to marry her. Beetlejuice is also being pursued by his first wife, the soul-sucking Delores (Monica Bellucci), who wants her own nuptials.

Fans of the original get Keaton’s irreverent and over-the-top (in a good way) performance as the demon who only comes to the living world when his name is said three consecutive times. The fact his makeup to play the demon was so macabre in the first helps hide the fact 36 years have passed.

Ryder also helps bring in loyal fans as she has not changed that much from the goth teen who created problems in the original film. Her work coupled with Keaton will make this film seem very familiar to the loyalists.

The world is expanded with the addition of Ortega who wasn’t even born when the original was released. Her recent work as Wednesday Addams in “Wednesday” was like a primer coat for her to slip into the “Beetlejuice” world. Having her play the troubled teen in this film was easy as “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” director Tim Burton is a driving force behind the “Wednesday” series.

Give writers Alfred Gough and Miles Miller – the other two creative forces behind “Wednesday” – credit for dealing with pesky details that could have waylaid the production. The biggest move was having the character of Charles killed early in the film through Claymation animation. That way it was not necessary to bring back Jones who has had plenty of legal problems.

They even address how the main couple from the original – Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) – aren’t living in the attic. It is a convenient way to write them out and even Astrid mentions that.

Another connection to the past includes the original music by Danny Elfman. The first few notes of the theme music are like catnip to fans of the first movie.

And speaking of music, there is a sweet nod to “Day-o (Banana Boat Song)” that was a showstopper in the original offering. A new song that is weirdly appropriate gets the same show stopping treatment.

The original film banked heavily on the wild performance by Keaton and the bizarre look at the afterlife. This look includes more macabre deaths – including Charles walking around and talking without his head – and a trip to the great beyond aboard the Soul Train (that comes with ‘70s dancers and disco music).

The trip to the afterlife by Astrid is a little rushed. Astrid’s character is written as both smart and emotionally na?ve. She is willing to head to the dead world just on the chance of seeing her father (Santiago Cabrera), who was killed while on an adventure.

That’s a small gaff and there is only one real flaw. Gough and Miller created so many story splinters that there is less time for Beetlejuice. Willam Dafoe’s portrayal of a dead TV detective offers little and Bellucci comes across more like a B-grade Morticia Addams than the villainous she needed to be.

But, from the original director and cast members to the addition of the extremely talented Ortega, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a spirited comedy that goes from the manically macabre to the ghostly ghoulish. It is strong enough for new and old fans to want to say the demon’s name three times if it means another sequel.

Movie review

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Grade: B

Cast: Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Willem Dafoe.

Director: Tim Burton

Rated: PG-13 for macabre images, violence, drug use, some suggestive material

Running time: 104 minutes.

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