Warning: Spoilers ahead for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!Despite being a critical factor inBeetlejuice 2, Michael Keaton’s villainous Betelgeuse character wasn’t given any special treatment in Tim Burton’s sequel. Betelgeuse, who is often referred to by the name “Beetlejuice,” was one of the corereturning characters inBeetlejuice 2, alongside Winona Ryder’s Lydia and Catherine O’Hara’s Delia. Keaton’s Betelgeuse was sent back to the afterlife during the originalBeetlejuice’s ending, but he was reunited withmembers of the Deetz familyafter the sudden death of Charles brought them back to Winter River.
Lydia never quite recovered from her first encounter with the “ghost with the most” as a teen. However, she was forced to turn to Betelgeuse for help when her teenage daughter, Astrid, got caught up in a dangerous ploy involving a killer ghost named Jeremy. Even a reluctant team-up and successful rescue mission didn’t truly change Betelgeuse from being the agent of chaos like in the first movie. A lothappened betweenBeetlejuiceandBeetlejuice 2,but oddly enough, one interesting aspect ofBeetlejuice’s main villain remained the same.
Beetlejuice 2 Repeats Michael Keaton’s 17 Minutes Of Screen Time From The Original Movie
The Original Beetlejuice Movie Featured Less Of Keaton Than Most Viewers Remember
Michael Keaton may have played the titular character in 1988’sBeetlejuice,but the actor was never the real lead, at least not in terms of screen time.Keaton’s Betelgeuse only appears for 17 minutes in the originalBeetlejuice, which could come as a surprise to many, considering how much of a driving force he still is to the movie’s legacy. Interestingly enough,Beetlejuice 2also gave Keaton 17 minutes of screen time, and no, it was not a coincidence.
25 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Easter Eggs & References Explained
Beetlejuice 2 embraces nostalgia by staying true to the original movie, but the various Easter eggs and references also lean into modern day.
Writers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough were well aware of Betelgeuse’s limited appearance in 1988, and the pair wanted to follow that approach for the long-awaited sequel. While acknowledging that Betelgeuse “needs to be essential to the movie,“theBeetlejuice 2writers knew flooding the sequel with Keaton’s character wouldn’t be the correct approach. Instead, they focused on quality over quantity, admitting that they wanted to keep “the magic trick” of Betelgeuse alive by fooling viewers into feeling like the character appeared more than what the screen time suggested.
Why Keeping Betelgeuse’s Screen Time Limited Is The Right Move In Beetlejuice 2
The Beetlejuice Movies Follow A Horror Villain Trend
The screen time approach to Betelgeuse worked out for the 1988 movie, and keeping Michael Keaton in the limited role forBeetlejuice 2was another genius move. It tookBeetlejuice 2nearly 36 years to happen, so it’s understandable to think returning characters, especially someone like Betelgeuse, would get the bulk of the screen time. Instead,the sequel proved just how important it was to savor the character’s presence by giving Betelgeuse a more notable impact on the story in short burstscompared to if he was continuously involved. Smaller doses also allowed for high-energy sequences and some ofBeetlejuice 2’s best gags.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Ending Explained: What’s Next For Betelgeuse & The Deetz Family
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has a fast-paced, funny story packed with twists and turns that keep audiences guessing and laughing until the very end.
The “less is more” approach certainly isn’t new, especially when looking back at noteworthy movie villains and the horror genre in general. It’s almost like having a villain likeHalloween’s Michael Myers or the shark fromJawsbeing a menace but not ruining the villain’s impact by killing the intrigue with too much direct screen time. Returning figures were an enticing element ofBeetlejuice 2, with anticipation surrounding Keaton’s reprisal of his Betelgeuse role. That said, evenKeaton used his limitedBeetlejuice 2screen timeas a condition for his return, believing that too much of the bio-exorcist would become “very tiresome.”
