Rating: 2.5/5
I swear, the afterlife is so random!
Danny Elfman’s oomph-pah from hell takes us through the familiar streets of Winter River, Connecticut. But it’s all a set for Ghost House, a TV talk show about paranormal experiences. Lydia hosts, offering solace to folks with haunted homes. In a flash, she believes she sees Betelgeuse in the audience, sending her into a spiral.
A call from her stepmother, Delia, sends Lydia racing to find her. Lydia’s father, Charles, is dead. The family reunites at the Winter River home for the funeral.
It takes half this movie to establish what the hell it’s about, so yadda yadda yadda, somehow, Betelgeuse returned.
Beetlejuice is one of my favorite movies — a childhood flawed gem I can never see objectively. Part of the movie’s specialness is how much whole-cloth weirdness comes at you with little explanation.
Here, everything we see is either from that movie or so thoroughly explained that it leaves the viewer begging for an escape — you know, like the waiting room in the Netherworld. While a couple of the references are fun, most are so empty that I curled up into myself. The kid choir singing Day-O is one of many reasons Tim Burton can never enter the kingdom of Heaven.
Monic Bellucci shows up as Betelgeuse’s ex-wife, who is sucking souls and whatnot. But don’t worry, the movie sidelines her story until the last 15 minutes.
I appreciate that Burton toned down the CGI effects compared to his recent output. The CGI isn’t gone — CGI pretending to be claymation is still CGI. Still, the film has some zany practical effects. Some of the visuals are disgusting, which I dig.
I also love seeing Michael Keaton do a comedic role again, even if it’s a character thoroughly explored 30 years ago.
If this movie is about anything, it’s how much Tim Burton regrets marrying everyone except Monica Bellucci.