“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” hit the theatres September 6. (Courtesy of IMDb)

Can you resurrect the dead? This is a question many film studios have asked themselves in recent years as companies begin to rely more and more on bringing back old intellectual property in lieu of original concepts. Such is the case with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the 2024 legacy sequel to the 1988 film “Beetlejuice” starring Michael Keaton. 

Somewhere between silly and scary you will find Tim Burton, director of both films, and it is his personal touch that makes me love the original so much. I watch the film every Halloween, in fact, just to get myself in the mood. So for a devout “Beetlejuice” fan like myself, all I want to see is the same charm and character found in the original. However, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” seems to suffer from a lack of focus found in so many revival films of the 2020s.

The new movie follows an adult Lydia Deetz, played once again by Winona Ryder, as she returns to her hometown for her father’s funeral. Alongside Lydia is her estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Astrid’s dry humor and jaded personality play well against the other aloof cast members. Catherine O’Hara returns as Lydia’s mother, and for me, her humor was the highlight of the movie. 

One of the best qualities of the movie is its humor. Tim Burton’s characters are all cartoonish and full of personality — qualities that recall much of the original’s charm. Michael Keaton makes a return as Beetlejuice, and despite his aging since the original, he still plays the titular character well: energetic, hyper and crude as always. Yet, it is the cast, the greatest strength of the film, that is also its greatest weakness. 

A problem I continue to see in so many movies nowadays is a lack of focus, and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is no different. What’s better than one good villain? Perhaps, it is three boring, underdeveloped ones. In comparison to the original where Beetlejuice is the primary antagonist, the new movie introduces two new villains. There’s Beetlejuice’s ex-girlfriend and another character, Jeremy, who leaves the story as quickly as he appears — only introduced as a plot device to lure Astrid into the underworld. 

The quantity of villains means none of them get enough screen time to feel threatening; thus, the audience loses engagement and interest in the central conflict. In its rush to add more big names to the cast, it seems the writers forgot to give these big names (Monica Belluci, specifically) anything to do. By the third act, I had to remind myself she still existed because she had not appeared or done anything relevant to the plot in a while. Instead, I was focused on seven other characters and what they were doing.

The true appeal of the original movie is the genuine themes of love and family displayed between the ghosts and Lydia Deetz. Despite its unnerving claymation figures and Beetlejuice’s perversity, the movie has just as much heart as scares. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” however, only explores its themes on a surface level. Once again, lack of focus means characters can’t have deep interactions with each other or expand upon the themes of death and loss that sometimes appear in the movie as very basic lip service. 

However, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” succeeds as much as it fails. The set design has the same ‘80s aesthetic that makes the original distinct, especially during the sequences in the afterlife. Similarly, the costumes and makeup on many of the undead characters are both gruesome and creative — background actors can be just as fun to watch as the main cast. Every actor seemed to be having a great time, and their energy came across to the audience. Our theater was dying of laughter, with two of my friends completely astonished by the insanity that was taking place. The $10 I paid for admission was well worth it.

Maybe you can resurrect the dead, but you can also bring them back as half-alive zombified reincarnations of themselves — which can be just as fun. In the spirit of Beetlejuice himself, a half-alive zombie demon thing unto his own, this movie lays its charm heavily onto a bloated and unfocused script, but it runs wild with imagination and campiness. If you love the original or just want a good theater-going experience, I recommend you check “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” out — but if you are new to the franchise, stick to the classic.