KSL Movie Show review: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ feels like the original without being a copy

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SALT LAKE CITY —It’s funny how desperately filmmakers want to go back and recreate the magic they feel when making great cinema. Director Tim Burton knew he had created a classic with the original 1988 “Beetlejuice.” But despite his best efforts over the years, nothing really came together.

Here were a couple of the early ideas: Beetlejuice takes over for a dead groom in Paris. Oui! Beetlejuice ala France. Nope. The Deetzs move to Hawaii to open a resort. Beetlejuice follows them and with trickery wins a surfing contest. Yep, Beetlejuice in Hawaii. Burton thought it would be funny to mix the beach scene with German Impressionism. No really. Bullets dodged.

So here we are 36 years later. Why now, you ask?

Burton finally had a curiosity to see how one of his favorite characters was doing after all these years: Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder). He decided she would probably be hosting a TV show “Ghost House with Lydia Deetz” with guests talking about supernatural occurrences in their haunted dwellings.

Then he thought what if they brought back her artsy stepmother Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) and a rebellious daughter Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega) together in the midst of a family tragedy – three generations of Deetz women – and see where it goes from there.

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He now had his stepping-off point. 

By the way, he would not have made this movie if Michael Keaton had said no thanks to revisiting the creepy bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice. But he knew Keaton and Ryder were onboard, so away they went. 

First question: why aren’t Adam and Barbara (Alec Baldwin & Geena Davis) in the movie?

A couple of reasons. They were not integral to this storyline he was trying to tell and practically, since they were supposed to be dead in 1988, they wouldn’t have aged at all, and nobody looks like they used to 36 years later. Well, except for Beetlejuice (heavy makeup magic).

So as I mentioned, the Deetz gals have returned to Winter River for a funeral (filmed once again in East Corinth, Vermont). 

Delia is overwhelmed with grief, Lydia is being smothered emotionally by her producer/boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux) who desperately wants to become part of the family and Astrid wants nothing to do with any of them and accidentally runs into a local townie Jeremy (Arthur Conti) who is sympathetic to her cause.  

Other new cast members most notably include Monica Bellucci as Delores, Beetlejuice’s ex who just happens to be a soul-sucking witch, and Willem Dafoe as Wolf Jackson, an underworld detective, who was a B-movie actor/policeman in real life.

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So does it work? Yes, mostly.

You can tell everyone is having a great time making this movie, from director on down. It certainly feels, sounds and looks like a Beetlejuice movie — definitely gooier — without copying what’s already been done. But it also walks that fine line of being familiar enough to be enjoyed by loyal fans.  

Jenna Ortega is an exceptional addition, having already worked with Burton on the wildly successful “Wednesday” TV series. She fits right in. 

Not so good is Justin Theroux as the gross interloper. Plus, Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci create interesting characters that go nowhere.    

The result is Tim Burton tries to do too much here, but I really think audiences will be forgiving since it does so much very well.    

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (B) Rated PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use. Starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega and Justin Theroux. Directed by Tim Burton (“Edward Scissorhands” “Corpse Bride”) – filmed in East Corinth, Vermont. 104 minutes. 

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.