*Warning this article will include spoilers for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”*
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” came out this month, 36 years after the first “Beetlejuice,” and the juice is back. The sequel has been anticipated since its release date was announced in 2022, and it lived up to expectations.
It’s been nearly four decades since Lydia Deetz moved into a new house to find out the previous owners were still there, and they want her out. Eventually, through shenanigans, Beetlejuice was able to convince Lydia to say his name three times and tried to marry her, but the Ghosts and her family put a stop to him.
The sequel stars Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara and Micheal Keaton, and is directed by Tim Burton. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has a stacked cast, and they deliver.
The plot had me feeling nostalgic, but it’s held back by two things, and they are Ortega’s character and the villains. Ortega plays Astrid, Lydia’s (Ryder) daughter.
They have a rocky relationship, with Astrid not believing Lydia’s story about the first movie. Following the death of Lydia’s father, Charles Deetz, Lydia and Delia (O’Hara) reunite, along with Lydia’s new boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux). But soon, Lydia starts seeing Beetlejuice (Keaton) again, as they are in the same house from the first movie.
But this is where my problems with Astrid begin. She doesn’t have much impact in the movie, beyond being used as a plot device to get Lydia to go to Beetlejuice for help.
The villains Delores and Jeremy also can’t seem to decide who is the main villain, either. At first, it’s very clearly Delores, and then halfway through the movie it switches to Jeremy while Delores takes a backseat for the second act. Then in the third act it’s Delores again, only for her to be immediately defeated. This was upsetting, as it made her seem like a non-threat the whole time and that she didn’t matter nearly as much to the story.
Tim Burton brought the essence of the first movie to the 21st century while keeping the original feeling. The movie made the choice of using mostly practical effects, and it paid off. The effects have improved since the 80s while still feeling very Burton-esque. The effects really captured the atmosphere of the first movie without overshadowing everything else. One example is the Sandworm, having the same stop-motion feel while making the movement smoother.
The soundtrack keeps the first “Beetlejuice” movie hit by Day-o and reflavors the rest. Lots of the music feels like an evolution of the first movie, and is even used for jokes, as some the characters can hear the soundtrack.
The movie leans towards horror, but lets you know it’s a comedy movie. The jokes are fast and keep coming, which leaves you shocked when something freaky shows up, but the jokes never stay past their welcome. The cinematography wasn’t anything groundbreaking to me, like the effects, but it didn’t leave me wanting more from it. Overall, I loved the movie, and I can’t wait to watch it on Halloween and recommend it to people who like comedy and horror.
