Hardcore fans of Tropic Thunder might recognize the random line of dialogue referenced in my title, which is found near the conclusion of the 2008 film. While it was crude in its execution and could have been stated more elegantly, it was absolutely straight to the point and quickly understood by the audience. And it did make some sense within the overall storyline. After attending an early screening of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel 36 years in the making, my initial takeaway borrowed a bit from this phrase: Never go full (Tim) Burton.

For absolute transparency, Tim Burton has been one of my favorite filmmakers for a very long time. He’s probably occupied the top spot within my Hollywood Mt. Rushmore ranking system for longer than I’d like to admit. Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, leading into Beetlejuice, followed by Batman and ending with Edward Scissorhands will always be nostalgic for me, as it was a timeline released during my formative years of cinema appreciation.

Even during some of his more questionable releases after that timeframe, I’ve generally highly valued each of his big-screen contributions throughout the years, although some of them I enjoyed more than others.

Early Burton releases felt like some of the very best things the multihyphenate artist has ever released. Creepy, cool and sometimes bordering on bizarre, the writer, director, producer and animator all wrapped into one brought his Gothic sensibilities to a broad audience, never dumbing down his product to the lowest common denominator. I celebrated each and every time his feature films crossed the $100 million goal line at the box office, watching the majority of them on their premiere weekends.

Many times, I enjoyed his movies that never seemed to gain a wide audience a little more than those that did (I will go to my grave demanding more respect for Mars Attacks! and Ed Wood.).

All of this leadup brings us to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. In the past, I’ve criticized a possible sequel to the 1988 classic in any form, believing a modern look at one of my all-time favorites could never actually compare to the original and only sully its original reputation. Maybe some of that rang true to Burton, in some form, as well, delaying its inevitable release. But then a pivotal moment arrived for the filmmaker that laid the foundation for its upcoming release.

Recent interviews with Burton have revealed his disdain for Disney during the filming of Dumbo. The filmmaker’s relationship with the studio was apparently so contentious (as evidenced by the resulting lack of box office for the film), that Burton swore off ever working for the House of the Mouse again, following the lead of his big-screen muse, Johnny Depp.

“I realized that I was Dumbo, that I was working in this horrible big circus, and I needed to escape. That movie is quite autobiographical, at a certain level,” Burton declared.

He seemingly needed to escape to a place where he felt welcome and comfortable, and that requirement led him back to Warner Bros., a studio that accepted him with arms wide open. And because of that, he’s turned to direct sequel to a previous film for only the second time (Batman Returns was the other). Both releases attempt to be a standalone story with legacy characters, but this time around, it might just spark a soft reboot for the franchise.

In what appears to be the present day, Lydia (played by Winona Ryder) and Delia (Catherine O’Hara) attempt to bury the ghosts of their past. Their previous rocky relationship has seemingly spawned into a friendship, unlike the mother-daughter tussles of Lydia and Astrid (Jenna Ortega). The landscapes on Earth and the afterlife are elegantly horrendous as Michael Keaton’s bio-exorcist gets more of a backstory this time around, as he’s on the run from a soul-sucker (Monica Bellucci), fearing for his life (after death).

The story begins with a funeral, spawning into a wedding and all-out chaos as the supernatural satire goes absolutely bonkers by Act III. But I’d expect nothing less from Tim Burton.

Many of the filmmaker’s trademark elements are present and accounted for, which will please his fanboys and fangirls. Danny Elfman’s work is incredible as always, as the composer ALWAYS seems to understand what Burton wants, but I’m afraid a little bit of studio interference should have been shown (I never thought I’d admit that one!). Returning to form, Burton gets a little carried away.

Musical elements are bigger this time around, as multiple lip-synced songs felt a tad too extended, but they reminded me how big a role music played in the original release (The “Day-O” funeral performance is priceless, BTW). The script introduces a few too many new characters this time around, so their appearances feel all-too brief and less developed than the legacy characters. Again, a little more tightening of the storyline that’s been developing for three-and-a-half decades might have helped that out, but it wasn’t exactly a deal-breaker for me.

The special effects look great (Jason provides more details with his review.) and I couldn’t believe my eyes every time Jenna O appeared on the screen. Having just seen her in Ti West’s MaXXXine, where she performed as a killer sex-trade worker in the ’80s, her appearance as a schoolgirl here was somewhat shocking to behold, initially. I don’t know what kind of de-ageing special effects were used, but they worked effectively, as she really does look younger. The actress holds her own, here and will hopefully continue her working relationship with Burton in future endeavors.

And with the brief appearance of Danny DeVito, I could only sigh, as Burton’s previous on-screen collaborators make appearances, and I could only pine for some sort of appearance by Paul Reubens, but alas, his humor was taken from us way too soon, passing away last year.

Don’t get me wrong, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is absolutely a roller coaster of a film that feels like a personal story from the titular filmmaker. This movie doesn’t feel like an unnecessary cash grab, but it may have brought more importance to the original release while creating a franchise in the process. Its release (and what looks to be a very big box office in the making) may have rekindled Burton’s creativity and joy of making movies. And for that, I am extremely thankful. For future releases, I just hope he shows a little more restraint with his usual cinematic tendencies.

As a filmmaker, you never go full Burton. Always leave the audience wanting something more…