By 
A FUN (YET ULTIMATELY UNNECESSARY)
RETURN TO THE NETHERWORLD
Back in 1988, moviegoers everywhere were introduced the sleazy, charismatic, and wickedly fun bio-exorcist demon character in the dark fantasy comedy horror movie Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton, the movie, which starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffery Jones, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton, follows the circumstances around a recently deceased couple, who (as ghosts) are not allowed to leave their house, and make an unexpected contact deal with Betelgeuse, a scheming trickster demon from “netherworld” afterlife realm to scare the house new residents away. Despite having a small production budget of $15 million, Beetlejuice ended up being a critical and commercial success, garnishing well over $84 million at the box office worldwide and received positive reviews from critics and viewers alike. The movie even went on to be nominated and win an Academy Award for Best Makeup as well as several Saturn Awards for Best Horror Film, Best Makeup and Best Supporting Actress. Furthermore, Beetlejuice did generate quite a fan following over the years, gaining momentum for further expansion beyond the original feature, including an animated TV series, video games, and a 2018 stage musical. Now, thirty-six years after the release of Beetlejuice, Warner Bros. Studios and director Tim Burton are set to return to the afterlife netherworld with the long-awaited sequel titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Does this belated legacy sequel shine bright with its ghostly humor or is it a disjointed follow-up to the 1988 cult classic?
THE STORY
Years after her first afterlife experience, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) is the host of a ghost-chasing TV show, using her paranormal talents to make some money for herself and her boyfriend / manager Rory (Justin Theroux). When new reaches her that her father, Charles, is killed during a birdwatching trip, Lydia returns back to family home by her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara) to deal with family business in Winter River. Reluctantly joining her is Lydia’s daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), a moody teenager who’s still heartbroken over the mysterious death of her father. Once in Winter River, while Astrid finds comfort in local teen boy Jermey (Arthur Conti), Lydia is hesitant about her homecoming, especially with the haunting memories of the trickster demon himself, Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) that plagues her mental thoughts. Elsewhere, in the netherworld afterlife realm, Delores (Monica Bellucci), a soul-sucker witch, has escaped from her prison and sets her sights on reuniting with her former husband, who turns out to be Betelgeuse, killing anyone who stand in her way. While the scheming demon is panicked over Dolores’s reappearance, he also sense an opportunity to reunite with Lydia during her time of need at Winter River, using her trick he knows to get her back.
THE GOOD / THE BAD
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t see Beetlejuice for quite some time….I think it was sometime in my early teenage years. To be even more accurate, I think it was on Disney Channel when I first saw it (back when the channel use to have more cartoon stuff during the day and more live-action stuff at night). I remember hearing about the movie when I was elementary school, especially since it came out during the late 80s and early 90s, but I thought it might be a bit “too scary” for me, especially I had a vivid imagination and was prone to having nightmares during my childhood frequently. So, I waited several years and finally had a chance to see the movie and I do have to say that I liked it. Definitely feels very much like an 80s movie (for good reasons), but also feels very much like a Tim Burton movie production, expressing a more “off-kilter” vibe within its zany afterlife angst and nuances as well as a visual representation motifs. It definitely works and gave a wacky and ghoulish fun story of characters dealing with life, death, and afterlife struggles, with the character of Betelgeuse entangling them in his web of lies and deceit. I also did like the film’s cast, with Keaton doing a fantastical job in playing the title character and layering his performance with plenty of his charm and screen presence. Definitely the best attribute that the movie has to offer. Other members of the cast such as Ryder’s Lydia, O’Hara’s Delia, Davis’s Barbara, and Baldwin’s Adam also too played a part in the film’s likeability and help elevate some of the more conventional / mundane moments due to their acting presence. Overall, I definitely can see why Beetlejuice (to this day) still remains a somewhat mixture of cult classic identity as well as being prime example of Burton’s body of work and a byproduct of the late 80s filmmaking nuances.
This brings me back to talking about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a 2024 gothic dark fantasy horror comedy (boy, that is a mouthful to say) and the long awaited for the sequel to 1988’s Beetlejuice. Given the amount of cult following and status that the original film had for many years as well as the recognition from the several members of the cast, the idea of a follow-up sequel was always on the table, but never fully materialized over the years. It was until the sometime at the beginning of 2010s that there were some “serious talks” about getting a sequel to Beetlejuice up off the ground. Yet, after many revisions for this potential sequel project, it was then (in turned) shelved in late 2019 before being revived once again in 2022 and by the end of the year….it was officially announced that Beetlejuice 2 (later to be titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice). Before long the cast was announced, with original Beetlejuice actors Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara. Plus, I was interested in seeing actress Jenny Ortega being attached to this project as the daughter of Lydia Deetz, bridging the next generation gap for new moviegoers. On top of all of that, I was pleased that director Tim Burton would be coming back to helm this new film.
Soon enough, the film’s marketing campaign began to ramp up, especially with the film’s movie trailers, which began to appear both online and in theaters. From the previews alone, the movie did look appealing, especially seeing Keaton’s return to the iconic Betelgeuse character once again. Yet, much like a lot of belated / legacy sequels out there, the heavy rely on nostalgia has always plagued the newer installments and faltering because of it. This seems to be the fear lingering thought in many out there, including myself, that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was going to go down that current trend.
So, I was little bit skeptic about the idea of sequel to the original film, but I was nonetheless interested to seeing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice when it was scheduled to be released on September 9th, 2024. At the time of its initial release, I was out of the country (on vacation) and had to wait a few weeks before I actually got to see the movie in theaters. However, I was a little bit “backlogged” with doing movie reviews (fell a little bit behind), so I had get a few other reviews done before I tackled this particular one. Now, with all of those one out of the way, I am finally ready to share my thoughts on this legacy sequel film. And what did I think of it? Well, it was just okay, but slightly disappointing. Despite Burton’s visual cues and fun return of Keaton and Ryder, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice offers some enjoyment for this sequel, yet ultimately feels a bit hollow and messy within its netherworld jaunt. It’s not terrible or anything like that, but it does pale in comparison to its original source material.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is directed by Tim Burton, who previously directed the original Beetlejuice film as well as other films such as Batman, Corpse Bride, and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Given his past history of doing off-beat / macabre style films as well as previously directing the first Beetlejuice film, Burton seemed like the most suitable candidate to helm this sequel endeavor and (personally) was the only person for the job. Thus, to his credit, Burton does do a somewhat decent job in trying to emulate the same type of energy and visual appeal that he was able to craft in the first film and translate that into this long-awaited sequel. Of course, there is plenty of nostalgia feeling while watching this movie, which is for better or worse….depending on the viewer. To me, it was somewhat of a delight to come back to this off-beat horror comedy movie world, especially with Burton at the helm. There is no doubt that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice thrives on what made the first film so memorable, with Burton interjecting the right amount of off-beat familiarity and macabre nuances to make the whole endeavor feel like a genuine sequel. Familiar characters and references to the first film are scattered throughout the new movie and by strike a balance of old vs. new in the tones of narrative storytelling and other various aspects. What’s actually even better is that Burton expands on several ideas from the first one, including placing a large emphasis on the afterlife netherworld, which is much more fully realized than how it was in the first Beetlejuice.
There is also some type of enjoyment when returning to this spooky world of ghouls, the undead, and wacky characters, with Burton almost “doubling down” on various aspects to make this latest Beetlejuice installment is a fun and wild ride within its macabre angsts. Naturally, the comedy angle that was heavily prevalent in the original film is featured in this film and is all the better for it. Some of these come from the acting talent involved on this project (mostly Keaton, Ryder, and O’Hara), but I did feel that the written comedy for the feature was pretty good and able to produce plenty of comedic levity throughout that gave reason to chuckle and laugh while watching the movie. It’s definitely a charming aspect that sort of counterbalances some of the more horror-like styles and scares that aren’t too full on disturbing, but offers the same type of zany cartoon feeling that the first Beetlejuice had to offer. Plus, I felt that the story, while getting entangled within its own narrative threads every now and again, is still rife with potential and likeability, especially with Burton bringing back both Beetlejuice and Lydia together again as well as expanding / examining a few other characters from the first one. It’s what I expected from a Beetlejuice sequel (both good and bad) and it does keep the film fun and enjoyable…. almost like a good return of a “comfort food” variety viewing experience.
Another interesting aspect that Burton does with this new movie is that he (as a director and creator of the original film) takes the more macabre moments in the film a little bit further than the 1988 would ever allow. Some little sinister moments of ghoulish delights and a few “gross out” moments are littered throughout the movie, which does offer a bit more “darker” driven scenes that its predecessor. It’s all still done with a goofy comedy tone of that of the first one, but these sequences help show a bit more maturity and nuance to what probably Burton intentionally wanted the original Beetlejuice to be like, but couldn’t be due to the “sign of the times” of filmmaking and its audience. I did personally like this and was one of the more beneficial areas where the feature excelled past its previous installments. That being said, I know some out there might not like this aspect. Still, just a word of caution for a few out there. In the end, I think that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, while not exactly the perfect and / or planned sequel that was probably the best out there, still has some redeeming qualities that Burton makes for an amusingly fun jaunt back to this tale of the living and the dead plane of existence.
From a presentation standpoint, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does have a solid visual representation both that speaks to modern day of filmmaking as well as to Burton’s flavor and style. With the original Beetlejuice mastermind at the helm, Burton continues what he began back in the first film and keeps the visual style and appearance the same, but also enhances it more that what he was able to do in the 1988 feature film. This results in a very vivid and colorful background setting for much of the film’s presentation, especially with larger emphasis on the off-beat and neon-like colored afterlife netherworld realm, which the movie spends more time in the previous installment (a good thing in my book). Even the scenes set in the real world still have that off-kilter / whimsical look that Burton’s films are quite known for and do this sequel project justice. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” key players, including Mark Scruton (production design), Lori Mazuer (set decorations), Colleen Atwood (costume design), and the entire hair / make-up group and art direction department, for their efforts in bringing Burton’s wacky and colorful world to life with great visuals and liveliness. In conjunction with that idea, the film’s cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos does a good job in framing a lot of creative and imaginative scenes in a very visually fun way. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Danny Elfman (who originally composed the Beetlejuice soundtrack) returns for this sequel and doesn’t disappoint with a plenty of familiar tunes and new ones that fit perfectly within Burton’s new film. If you were a fan of the original Beetlejuice music or of Elfman’s work, you’ll like what you hear in this project.
Unfortunately, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice isn’t quite the long belated sequel that many were kind of hoping for that, while entertaining and fun, doesn’t quite measure up correctly to the original film. How so? Well, for starters, the big problem that I had with the feature was that it was too choppy and not as cohesive as it could’ve been, especially when being compared to the first Beetlejuice. That movie, for all tense and purposes, had a better natural flow to it that, despite having several characters to follow, still managed to have a single narrative to follow, with all the players being tied together for the main story plot. This sequel, however, feels very fragmented and almost like a cobbled-up version of several ideas that were mashed together in trying to make a second Beetlejuice movie work. True, there is a main plot throughout the movie, but some of the other plot threads, including the character of Astrid and Dolores that are both new characters to follow and do have some importance to the picture’s story, are either pushed aside and / or feel almost disconnected the main narrative. Basically, some characters / story threads are woefully undeveloped and almost feel like that they are part of another film, going off on its own tangent with very little connection to the overall arcing plot of this sequel. It’s definitely frustrating because of this, which certainly does make the movie’s narrative have a disjointed flow to it, breaking up the pace to go off on separate narrative threads that don’t exactly pan out the right way or even to a satisfying level. This also makes the film have some pacing issues and slogs through many of its subplots, which are trying to fight for the limelight / spotlight, and end up feeling half-baked and not fully developed. Thus, this makes the movie feel rather choppy and fragmented, never really having a cohesive manner and felt lacking.
In addition, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does lack the ingenuity in making a movie feel enticing and exciting, with the writing and overall staging of events feeling quite predictable and formulaic. While the nuances made in the plot are good and (as mentioned above) have that “Burton feel” throughout, this sequel is presented as something you (as a viewer) were expecting, utilizing familiar conventions in tropes and cliches that so many sequels endeavor use and ultimately get bogged down. For the most part, everything that happens in this movie is too familiar for a “next chapter” installment, with either several recycled ideas (mere retooled for characters) or playing out in a similar way that many other projects would’ve done it with their potential sequel storytelling format. This results in lot familiar narrative bits and parts that play out in a predictable manner, with very little creative decisions made for the script to color outside the traditional parameters lines of a sequel feature. This does come under fire from the feature’s script, which was penned by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith, which does little to cultivate a compelling story as well as bringing up the very “hodgepodge” mess of the story being told (as mentioned in the paragraph above). It’s not for a lack of trying as some elements do try to branch out by exploring more of the afterlife netherworld more so than the previous film did, but this particular aspect only works in spurts and doesn’t really help the jumbled narrative threads that seems to be off on their own movies / endeavors. While these are only several areas where the film falters the most, it does feel a large impact on the movie, which results in the criticism that I had towards it. Again, it’s not to say that the movie itself isn’t enjoyable or fun to watch, but it doesn’t seem quite underwhelming of what really “could’ve been” and I think that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice lacks that way in not trying to break the mold of standard sequel endeavors and decides to make a safer route rather than bolder and some more creative. In addition, Burton’s vision, while still contempt and driven, is definitely showing cracks and how he presents this movie is a clear example of this. From a visual standpoint, it’s great and definitely works, but, for everything else, is definitely messy and sometimes flat.
The cast in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is up to the task of bringing these characters to life, with several return faces coming back from the original film, while new ones to help filling in the new characters to the Beetlejuice universe. While all of the acting talent in the movie is quite good and is solid across the board (for both major and minor), the characters themselves (or rather their characterization and how they are presented in the movie) are a bit jumbled and messy, especially when the larger focus of the feature isn’t quit streamlined. Leading the charge in the film (and basically headlining the project) is actor Michael Keaton, who once again returns as the wise-cracking spectral trickster Betelgeuse. Known for his roles in Batman, Spotlight, and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Keaton has been around for quite some time and always does embrace his character roles with great effect and becomes quite the “scene stealer” with his screen presence….be it a lead role or a supporting one. Basically, whenever he appears in a movie project, you (as the viewer) are going to be a treated to a good character role from Keaton. Naturally, as mentioned above, the success of the first Beetlejuice was elevated by Keaton’s charismatic screen presence and what he was able to do with such a character like Betelgeuse. Thus, it comes as no surprise that Keaton’s return to the “ghost with the most” character feels fantastic and memorable as it did many years ago. In truth, Keaton, as Betelgeuse, hasn’t lost a step, with the actor easily sliding back into the trickster with the same type of energy, sarcastic, and overall likeability to make it quite infectious to watch. Moreover, some of the best moments in this sequel is whenever Keaton is on-screen….regardless of who’s he’s paired with. Despite being older (both the actor and the character) Betelgeuse is still quite a delight to see once again back on the silver cinematic screen and continues to be riot whenever presented. The story arc for Betelgeuse is a bit mundane, with plenty of familiar tropes coming back into play, especially as he continues to pin for Lydia Deetz once again. Plus, the added material that involves the return of Dolores seems rather half-baked (more on that below), with the character of Betelgeuse feeling rather dry and almost seems to be one of the main catalyst to try and tie many of the narrative threads together, resulting in a fun and memorable performance from Keaton, but a rather bland character that doesn’t quite live up to what presented in the first film.
Also returning from the original Beetlejuice movie is the character of Lydia Deetz, the former moody teenager who gets entangled with Betelgeuse who is now an adult and comes to terms with raising her own moody teen (Astrid) as well as facing the idea of seeing Betelgeuse once again, and who is being played by original Beetlejuice actress Winona Ryder. Known for her roles in Little Women, Edward Scissorhands, and Alien Resurrection, Ryder has been around for quite some time has played many roles in her career as an actress, but none is more famous (and memorable) as her portrayal of Lyida Deetz from the original Beetlejuice movie. Thus, much like Keaton, this movie offers a great chance for Ryder to play her Beetlejuice character once again and, for her part, Ryder does do a great job. While Keaton’s Betelgeuse was pretty much the same (and for good reason), the character of Lydia has grown up to an adult, more maturer yet still haunted by her episode experience with the infamous trickster demon. Plus, Lydia is also a mom in the movie and given motherly duties to watch over her daughter (Astrid) throughout the course of the movie. All of this makes for fun and amusing character dilemma within the role as Ryder does a good job in trying to balance all of those moments in the film.
After those two, I would have to say that the return of actress Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone and Best in Show) is quite funny and amusing to see, with her character of Delia, Lydia’s artist mother coming back with plenty of vim and vigor in her theatrical boldness. Like how she was in the first film, the character of Delia is definitely a supporting role in the movie and is very much so in this sequel, yet she does go off on her own story threads, which (again) is another problem where she feels disconnected to the rest of the characters for a larger part of the narrative. Still, the overall ridiculousness and goofy angsts that Delia does throughout the movie was definitely hilarious to see as she still is quite the over-the-top artists that seeks attention in her work. Plus, like Keaton and Ryder, O’Hara doesn’t miss a beat in those parts and dials up Delia to a whole new level of crazy. As a sidenote, while the character of Charles Deet, Lydia’s father and Delia’s husband, does appear in the movie, he is played by Mark Heenehan and voiced by Charlie Hopkinson.
Of the new characters, the role of Astrid Deetz, Lydia’s moody teenager daughter, takes the center stage portion in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with actress Jenny Ortega (Wednesday and Scream) playing the role with great effect. In a nutshell, Astrid is the new iteration of what Ryder’s Lydia was in the first Beetlejuice as rebellious and difficult teen that has troubles with her parental figures and gets caught up in mischief throughout the feature. Ortega plays up those inane quirks and dry dialogue delivery moments beautiful (much like what Ryder did in the original film) and does a good job in making Astrid amusement and sometimes fun whenever she’s on-screen. The downside, however, to the character of Astrid is that it’s basically the same as what Lydia was in the first Beetlejuice feature. A moody and macabre youth that doesn’t like her parents and gets caught up within a lot of supernatural fanfare throughout the narrative. So, basically, there isn’t much to the character’s layer beyond that a few snippets here and there. Again, the movie tries to clever in bring several character storylines throughout the movie, but it ends up breaking all down the wrong way. Astrid’s story is probably one of the stronger ones (beyond Lydia / Beetlejuice), but it still comes off as underdeveloped and not enough time to go beyond an adequate level. It’s basically “doing its own thing” and almost seems like the main plot of the feature before the script added other subplots motifs and threads. Thus, while Ortega is perfectly fine in the role, I would’ve liked to see more of Astrid’s characterization develop and have a bit more interaction with Keaton’s Betelgeuse’s storyline.
As a sidenote to her character, actor Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) does a good job in playing the character of Jeremy Frasier, a local Winter River boy who takes a shine to Astrid during her stay in town. Although, I kind of wish that there was more to the character….a bit more substance. I can’t say more as it would spoil the plot, but I would’ve taken a bit more different approach to the character instead of a predictable one that’s more straightforward.
All of the characters, the biggest question mark that I have with the character is in the role of Delores, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife and a soul-sucking witch who is bent on reclaim the trickster demon for herself, and who is played by actress Monica Bellucci (The Matrix Reloaded and Malena). Why the question mark? Well, that’s because the movie doesn’t know what to do with her. I think it’s great character foil against Keaton’s nonchalant persona as Betelgeuse and the backstory presented between the two of them is workable in the movie. Plus, I think that Bellucci looks fantastic in the role (physically) and certainly makes the character fun whenever she appears. The problem is that there just isn’t enough of her, especially when the movie focuses more on Astrid’s storyline as well as few other minor ones. Thus, the script sort of pushes Dolores to the backburner for most of the feature after her initial setup and her part during the third act finale seems rather anticlimactic. Personally, I think that the movie needed her to have more time by getting rid of one of the other sub narrative threads or just remove her character altogether from the film. Either way it would’ve been more beneficial to the movie’s overall flow and focus. In the end, while I think that the character of Dolores was well-intended and acted well by Bellucci, the character herself seems quite frustrating and underdeveloped in the film and that’s disappointing.
The same can be also said for the character of Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective who, in life, was a B-movie action star, and who is played by actor Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate and Spider-Man). Much like Bellucci’s Dolores, the character is somewhat interesting and does feel very much like a character from Burton’s imagination (the character design and how it appears on Dafoe looks great) and Dafoe himself hams it up in the correct way, but the character itself seems really superfluous. Perhaps it’s because Wolf Jackson is tied to the Dolores’s subplot storyline and with that narrative thread not really going anywhere leaves this particular supporting character rather underutilized in the film. Dafore is still good in the role, but could’ve been easily cut from the final edit of the movie altogether. Again, another character that either could have been removed or added more material, which further plants the idea that the movie’s story is quite unfocused and messy.
In addition, this particular method of characters lacking substance can be felt within another character in the role of Rory, Lydia’s current boyfriend and television producer, and who is played by actor Justin Theroux (American Psycho and The Girl on the Train). I get what they were trying to do with the character, but interjection Rory into the main plot of the feature seems only to muddle things up, especially since the character is rather weak and uninteresting, with only a minor obstacle that seems to fizzle out during the climax of the feature. Theroux does a decent job in playing up (or rather hamming it up) Rory’s goofy antics and personality, but, much like Dolores and Wolf Jackson, the character ends up being rather lackluster and underwhelming. I know that this may sound a bit redundant because I said it already twice before, but the script should’ve given him (Rory) more to do in the plot or just cut him all together. Again, you definitely can see what I mean by the script for this sequel to be disjointed and unfocused within its narrative threads and characters.
The rest of the cast, including actor Nick Kellington (Teletubbies and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as a zombie with a shrunken head who is Betelgeuse’s lead worker named Bob, actor Santiago Cabrera (Big Little Lies and Heroes) as Astrid’s late father / Lydia’s former husband Richard, actor Burn Gorman (Game of Thrones and Pacific Rim) as the reverend in Winter River Father Damien, actor Sami Slimane (Athena and Le jeune Imam) as Le Tigre, actress Georgina Beedle (Catherine the Great and Tank 432) as Wolf Jackson’s secretary, actress Amy Nuttall (Downton Abbey and Emmerdale Farm) as local real estate agent Jane Butterfield Jr. (aka the daughter of Beetlejuice’s Jane Butterfield Sr. from the previous film)., and actor Danny DeVito (Matilda and Batman Returns) as a cameo-like appearance as an nameless afterlife janitor, are delegated to minor supporting characters in the film. While their screen time is limited, the acting talent involved are up to the task in making these small character roles memorable within their minimal sum parts throughout the feature. No problems there.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The juice is loose…..as Lydia Deetz returns her former home in Winter River, with her daughter and stepmother for her father’s funeral, but the trickster specter has his own plans for his old living crush in the movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Director Tim Burton’s latest film sees the long-awaited sequel to his 1988 cult classic get its big screen debut, returning the wacky and goofy ghostly antics of everyone’s favorite “afterlife ghost” by causing more mayhem and chaos within his deceptive ways, while the living try to make sense of what to do with the recent return of bio-exorcist visitor. While the movie struggles with a formulaic sequel treatment, including many predictable moments, redundant story bits and characters, and really living up to the several expectations, the film does have its moments to shine, with special interest from Burton’s creative influence, amusing comedic levity, more developed macabre scenes, a great visual presentation, and some solid acting performances (most notable Keaton, Ryder, and O’Hara). To me, I thought that this movie was just okay. I did like Burton’s visual style throughout the movie and I really liked seeing return characters, especially Keaton (never lost a step in playing the iconic role), but most everything about this long awaited sequel feels subpar and plays out almost exactly what you would expect, leaving very little surprises for me. It’s colorful and wild, but superfluous and quite disjointed without a cohesive story to tied stuff together. I didn’t hate the movie, but I didn’t think it was worth a lot of the hype that it received. Again, it just was okay-ish as I really don’t have much want or interest to revisit the film anytime soon. Thus, my recommendation for this movie is a “iffy choice” at best or maybe just a “rent it” as it delivers some enjoyment, but (as mentioned previously) doesn’t have the same type of energy or pizzazz as the original 80s classic. The film’s ending leaves for a possible continuation for a Beetlejuice 3, but, given how this movie was presented and played out, I’m not quite sold on such an idea. In the end, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is a film that’s mostly at odds with its own self, wanting to honor its past with its nostalgia flavoring yet trying to convey new material to warrant a sequel treatment, which results in a sometimes fun (yet ultimately necessary) return to Burton’s cinematic netherworld with everyone’s favorite “ghost with the most”.
3.3 Out of 5 (Iffy Choice / Rent It)
The official website for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice link: HERE
Released On: September 6th, 2024
Reviewed On: January 4th, 2024
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is 104 minutes long and is rated PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use
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