28.5 F
Naperville
Sunday, February 16, 2025

Movies with Tarek – ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

-

The jams of amazement and creativity are still full of chills and haunting nostalgia.

Director Tim Burton knows his audience. He knows where to find the twists, the turns, and the genius in unconventional moments. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice thrives with cleverness. Over three decades later, a beat is still not missed in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. There is more that goes awry as adventure abounds in the world of Burton.

The film begins with the focus on Lydia Deetz (played by Winona Ryder), who I admire in this daring role. Lydia’s life has turned to having a TV series of paranormal activities. She is trying to dismiss that Beetlejuice (played by Michael Keaton) was part of her life. The dynamics of the characters offer more quirks and added value in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Lydia’s daughter is Astrid (played by Jenna Ortega). Lydia feels her life is a blur of nonsense. With Delia Deetz (played by Catherine O’Hara) still in the picture, Astrid feels her life is a joke until things change. Lydia decides she is going to marry her assistant Rory (played by Justin Theroux) on Halloween night? How much more of a headache can the various aspects of Astrid’s life be?

Beetlejuice is still around. The film does a stellar job of keeping its audience in motion with the many revolving layers of creepy darkness. Keaton delivers that grizzly, demonic, yet hysterical voice with all the excitement that fans crave. Keaton never misses the beat as Beetlejuice wants to be back in Lydia’s life despite her being opposed to the idea. With Astrid going into the portal of the Afterlife, all bets are off. Lydia must rely on Beetlejuice to help save Astrid’s life.

Burton keeps the characters on creative and jaw-dropping adventures. Interesting characters include the monster with the small head, Bob Shrinker (played by Nick Kellington), the fake detective, Wolf Jackson (played by Willem Dafoe), and one of the wicked ladies of the past, Delores (played by Monica Bellucci). Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a continuation where spellbinding terror abounds. Keaton playing a guitar singing “I’ll be Right Here Waiting for You,” (by Richard Marx) showcases a unique way of connecting characters three decades in the making.

The Afterlife is the door into Burton’s visual and innovative world of a haunting emporium. Once the door of the Afterlife opens, there is instrumental formality because the Afterlife brings in an interactive storyline that proves magical. There are moving body parts, floating eyeballs, and shrunken heads—an enchanting array of Burton galore! The writing and lighting have not lost touch. Keaton and Ryder fulfill their destiny. What started back in 1988 finds a path to being reborn.

Is Lydia going to marry Rory? Is the Afterlife going to introduce and shift dynamics? What does Astrid want? Is there some good in the heart of Beetlejuice? Burton fills in connecting moments of what is love and loss. He is keen on bringing empathetic light into his writing and characterizations. There is a lot of that value in this film due to a new breed of peril combined with slightly over-the-top cheesiness. Still, the film delivers by staying on track and highlighting the gifts of Burton.

Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

 

Tarek Fayoumi
Tarek Fayoumihttp://movieswithtarek.com
Tarek Fayoumi is the creator and lead critic of Movieswithtarek.com He is also a member of Chicago Indie Critics and Independent Film Critics of America. Tarek's work can also be found on the many social media platforms written below: Patreon: Patreon.com/MovieswithTarek Bsky: @movieswithtarek.bsky.social Twitter: @movieswithtarek Instagram: @movieswithtarek Tiktok: @movieswithtarek21 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cannesman16/

LATEST NEWS