Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

To call Beetlejuice Beetlejuice a “comeback” for Tim Burton does a disservice to the gems he’s crafted over the past decade plus. Along with the highs of Frankenweenie and Big Eyes, plus the underrated Dark Shadows and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, there are also his four episodes of Wednesday, a series that falls off considerably when others take over behind the camera.

But Burton’s follow-up to his 1988 supernatural comedy is a step above most of his 21st century efforts, and his previous feature, Dumbo, is by far his worst film. So, in the spirit of recency bias — sure, let’s call it a comeback. Though like LL Cool J, he’s been here for years. As has the film’s star, Michael Keaton.

Much like his gleeful return as Batman in The Flash, the actor is a complete delight as Beetlejuice. Slipping back into his greasy black-and-white suit as if he never truly removed it, the screen legend has a blast spouting off the demon’s one-liners and generally hamming it up, and his infectious energy elevate a so-so script by Wednesday writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.

When Keaton’s not on screen, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does a fair job of sustaining a comparable brand of wackiness through the return of pretentious artist Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara, channeling more than a touch of Moira Rose to great effect) and two new additions: TV producer and walking self-help parody Rory (Justin Theroux) and actor turned paranormal detective Wolf Jackson (a hilariously committed Willem Dafoe).

Next to these entertaining nutjobs, the mother/daughter team of Lydia (Winona Ryder) and Astrid (Jenna Ortega) prove almost comically reserved yet provide a necessary counterbalance, grounding the kooky antics and steering the flimsy but effective plot.

The Winter River homecoming following the death of Deetz patriarch Charles (a justifiably unseen Jeffrey Jones) offers a decent enough excuse for Beetlejuice to let loose in the visually rich underworld, the human world, and the iconic town model in the Deetz attic. And while the subplot of our antihero’s soul-sucking (literally) ex-wife Delores (Burton’s girlfriend Monica Bellucci) hunting him down feels increasingly extraneous, it nevertheless yields some memorable body horror.

So, no, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s writing isn’t going to win any awards. And its goofy humor and September release practically guarantee it will be invisible to nearly all voting bodies. But in a world where Joaquin Phoenix can take home an Oscar for playing the Joker, it’s not so far-fetched to picture the even more deserving Keaton stockpiling awards for his dedicated portrayal of this consistently mesmerizing entity.

Grade: B-plus. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co., Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Warner Bros.)