Beetlejuice (Wedding Tuxedo) (Beetlejuice (Neca)) Review

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Beetlejuice (Wedding Tuxedo) (Beetlejuice (Neca)) Review

Beetlejuice (Wedding Tuxedo)
Beetlejuice (Neca) (Neca)One of Tim Burton's most iconic works, Beetlejuice, was a hilarious film that combined heart, horror, and comedy in one memorable movie, but nobody was expecting a sequel to it. Warner Bros. likes to ride that nostalgia wave, and said sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, proved just as good as the original. Of course, there's merch for it, and NECA has put out more than a few figures already, including two "ultimate" versions of the ghost with the most, one in his iconic striped suit and another in his wedding tuxedo from the near end of the film.

The packaging is pretty much the same with both figures, just with different pictures. The boxes are an off-white color with plenty of rectangles, and they bear the real Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton, on the front. It's pretty simple, but it fits the license just fine, and I had no issues getting everything out, especially since only the figures themselves use those tab strips.

Even after all these years, Keaton looks no different in all that makeup, and Marty Henley captured his likeness very well. The expression is a neutral one, but one that reflects Beetlejuice's personality, and his wild hair is cast in a more transparent plastic, giving it a bit more of a realistic look. His alternate head is a wild take lifted from the film, with his mouth wide open, eyes and tongue sticking all the way out, and even messier hair. It's a fun, specific look to include, and I had no issue swapping the heads, just be mindful of the thin optic nerves. The paint is good as well, with large dark spots around the eyes, complementing the white and green skin, and the wash helps bring out the sculpt more.

Standing about 7 1/4" tall, Betelgeuse is dressed in his iconic black and white striped suit, with a red interior for his coat, and unpainted overall straps over the torso. The whites of the clothes have a very slight yellow tint to them, and while there are a few marks and chipping here and there, his outfit has very nice paintwork. As for the sculpt, Henley did a great job with it, with a paunch to his gut and some bagginess to the clothes. The hands are notably reused from the first movie's Bio-Exorcist Ultimate, but these hands have painted nails and different green splotch placement, giving both some improvement and distinctiveness.

Alongside BJ's iconic outfit is another figure of him in his wedding get-up, with a dark red and yellowish-white tuxedo. The work put into the sculpt is just as good, also being done by Henley, and has a lot of dark wash for a dirtier appearance. In contrast, his shoes look quite new, with a glossier finish than the rest of the figure to show off their condition. The neck and hands (and probably the torso underneath all those layers of soft plastic) are the only reused tooling, but the greens on them are painted differently to help set them apart from the other version. He comes with a grinning face by default, but he also has the same neutral expression as the striped suit figure, though they swap by means of different face plates rather than heads, likely to save plastic. You can still swap heads between the two figures, and the heads from the first movie Ultimate can be used with them as well, and vice versa.

The articulation is what you expect from NECA, with both versions of Beetlejuice having a barbell head, neck, and chest, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles, ball-jointed hips and waist, and swivel thighs and calves. The joints work fine, and the heads and hands swap with no issues, but there are a few limitations. The tight-fitting shirt on the striped suit version hinders the chest and waist joints, but they're more freed up on the tuxedo version, allowing for more tilt and lean. The ankles on both figures don't have much room to move due to the large pant cuffs, and move rather tightly as well, so that's another area that could've been improved. Still, both versions of the bio-exorcist move well, and the extra parts help with various poses.

There aren't a lot of accessories with either figure, though one has more than the other. The striped suit version has six hand options, all recycled from the first movie figure, and includes a pair of loose grips, a pair of flat hands, and pointing and pinching right hands. He also includes a flyer for his bio-exorcism services and a hook-up ad, and his "inner child," another memorable part of the film. The ugly little baby BJ looks spot-on to the film, with a flat bottom so he can sit down, and joints for the head, shoulders, wrists, hips, and shins so you can adjust his pose. The tuxedo version has the same hand options, but also throws in a pair of splayed hands (with a wrist watch on the left hand) and a wide gripping right designed to hold a heart, more than likely his. He also comes with his marriage agreement for Lydia, and another baby Beetlejuice, but with blood-splattered clothes and more blood around the movie, coming from the end of the film.

While I prefer the tuxedo version due to its better articulation and higher accessory count, both versions of Beetlejuice are fun and well-made, and you'll want to get both so you have more ways to display them. Knowing we have fan-favorite Bob as well is nice, but I would still like for more characters from both films; Lydia and Astrid would work great in this format.

- 5/21/26