By JJ Ledewitz, Staff Writer
“Legacy sequel” is a term that refers to a sequel that takes place (and releases) a substantial amount of time after the first film. A legacy sequel usually includes a new cast of characters, but still has characters and plot threads from the first film.
Some popular legacy sequels include Top Gun: Maverick (a sequel of Top Gun from 1986) and this year’s Twisters (a loosely-related sequel to Twister from 1996). While there are some legacy sequels that are not so favored, like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and The Matrix Resurrections, legacy sequels tend to be an easy way to rake in nostalgia-fueled cash. However, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is quite different.
What makes this legacy sequel stand out is that it excels as a sequel to the first film while simultaneously working as a stand alone film for those who have not seen the first. Legacy sequels barely do this; they are either a full-blown sequel or just an essentially unrelated film with only subtle references to the first.
The original 1988 Beetlejuice, followed a ghost couple trying to scare away the Deetz family, who just moved into the couple’s house. Lydia (Winona Ryder), the goth daughter of the Deetz’s, can see the ghosts, so when she summons the bio-exorcist-ghost-trickster-demon Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to help with the haunting, chaos ensues. By the end, the Deetz’s and the ghost couple agree on sharing the house.
As a sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice follows up with that plot as much as it can. Lydia and Beetlejuice, along with Lydia’s mother Delia (Catherine O’Hara), are the only characters from the first movie that return in this one, which is good, because two out of those three were the most entertaining characters in the first film. Director Tim Burton brings back the dark tone and unhinged craziness from the original film, and uses many practical effects to bring back the original vibe.
Additionally, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice thrives as a stand-alone film. Now that Lydia is older, viewers get introduced to her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who gets into her own ghost-related shenanigans, as well as Lydia’s boyfriend, Rory (Justin Theroux). Burton throws in some new unique characters so that new viewers don’t feel so lost, like Wolf Jackson (Willem Defoe), a ghost detective who used to be a B-movie star, and Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul-sucking witch who is also Beetlejuice’s ex-wife.
Burton’s ability to cater to both new and returning audiences comes from his history with adaptations. Out of the 20 films that Burton has directed, a staggering 13 of them are adaptations. All of the films (and TV shows) that Burton directed over the past ten years are adaptations. Usually, a film adaptation comes with the guarantee of two types of audiences: fans of the original material, who would like to see if the original work was translated well, and new fans who just want to watch a movie. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is exactly the same. Some people want to see a sequel to the movie they liked from thirty years ago, and others just want to watch a fun movie.
Burton perfects the legacy sequel by finding a balance between characters and logic from the original, and new characters and logic for this sequel. The first film follows a teenage girl who, feeling alienated from her parents, gets involved with ghosts and the afterlife. The second film does the same, but with Astrid in Lydia’s role. Not only is the film a good sequel and a good stand-alone film, it also retells the original story within itself. This is how a legacy sequel should be done.
Photo Caption: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hit theaters September, 2024
Photo Credit: Unsplash