To kick off its 81st edition, the Venice Film Festival has chosen to pronounce its name three times. Even if it means creating gothic chaos on the lido. 36 years after the release of the much-loved first opus, which especially opened the doors to Gotham City, Tim Burton returns to the world of Beetlejuice in a sequel that finds Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara joining. Jenna Ortega on Wednesday.
“I wasn’t trying to make a big sequel for the money or anything like that, I wanted to do it for personal reasons”has The director clarified For those who (legitimately) wondered the reason for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. “I didn’t even see the first movie to prepare for this movie. I remembered the spirit of it and the people here.”
That being said, what did the Anglo-Saxon press think of Tim Burton’s return to the world of one of the first films of his career?
Owen Gleiberman (Variety) : “It lacks that disgustingly kitsch electric shock that the first film had. However, while there’s good and bad fan service and as sleazy and corny as it all gets, I had a pretty good time. A sincere nostalgia for the time when Burton’s half-clown , the half-hell spirit’s sensitivity was still a shock.
David Rooney (The Hollywood Reporter) : “Hollywood’s cynicism in the pursuit of over-franchising has taught us to be wary of stripping blockbuster intellectual properties, so there’s something heartening for viewers that the Rise of the Dead saga is so much fun – and, more than that, vindicates its raison d’être.”
Tori Brazier (Subway) : “This long-awaited sequel is Tim Burton’s most brazenly Burtonesque and goofy thing in years, with Frankenstein’s macabre creatures, strange situations and outlandish humor. It’s even more disturbing and strange, in its own recognizable style, than the first installment.”
The most brazenly Burton and stupid thing Tim Burton has done in years
James Mottram (Full Movie) : “Cleverly, Tim Burton doesn’t use too many easter eggs. But it’s a shame the story is so scattered, with subplots that lead nowhere. All in all, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is primarily a fun ride through the afterlife.”
Nicholas Barber (BBC) : Beetlejuice Beetlejuice feels scarier, meaner and slimmer, like the equivalent of Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel, which comes 36 years later, intelligently and lovingly pays homage to its predecessor and surpasses it in almost every way.
Stephanie Zacharek (TIME) : “Burton allowed himself to be silly and have fun; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is full of jokes and kindergarten-level one-liners, but the effect works. The film transports you on this magic carpet of chaos – and contains horror, elegant and funny sequences of poetry that are pure old-fashioned Burton.
Despite looking more artful and less artful than the 1988 vintage, it still has flashes of B-movie genius.
John Nugent (Empire) : “The film is at its strongest when it remembers that it’s a Tim Burton film and has a license to be weird. Although it’s smoother and less goofy than the 1988 vintage, it still has the trappings of B-movie genius: stop-motion. An animated sequence, folded Some delicious practical head effects and two crazy birthing scenes with the most macabre fake baby since. American sniper. It’s in these moments when Burton really lets his flag of wonder fly in the wind that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice gets its stripes.
Jonathan Romney (screen) : “It’s his most brutally Burtonesque adventure in ages, with a mix of slapstick and macabre thunder. But above all, it’s a nostalgia trip so reliant on the first installment that newcomers may not choose to join.”
Sophie Kaufman (Indiewire) : “He never misses an opportunity for an inventive image or line, and it’s nice to develop in a craft world that doesn’t just rely on digital effects. The jokes are about everything from money genre to houses. Mourning parasites, including teenagers reading Dostoyevsky, shot at the wall to carefully sculpt what came back, and it was a fun but still orderly journey.
A grab bag of feedback and intrigue knots, so jumbled and cluttered as to be almost abstract
Siddant Adlakha (IGN) : “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice allows its actors to have fun, even though they’re all in separate movies struggling to cross over. Its plot is deliberately devoid of any dramatic weight, but that makes room for practical effects, silly and creative, early Burton, and provides a small legacy , which doesn’t take itself seriously (because it doesn’t need to).
Xan Brooks (The Guardian) : Beetlejuice Beetlejuice returns to the scenes of his past triumphs. It’s a once, twice, three times, lazy cutesy horror sequel; A heavy opening that barely goes beyond the American Gothic kitsch composition. The novelty it possesses comes from the sparkling subs. Starring Lydia’s rebellious daughter Astrid, Jenna Ortega’s thoughtful register is aptly played.
Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair) : “A jumble of callbacks and plot twists so jumbled and cluttered as to be almost abstract. It’s another legacy that serves as a sad tribute to the inventiveness of the original film.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 11.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
