IT’S SHOWTIME… AGAIN

Review of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

Award-winning eerie movie director Tim Burton does it again, bringing the long-awaited sequel to the 1988 Beetlejuice to theaters on September 6th, 2024. This time titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, fans all over the world dressed up as the eccentric titular Beetlejuice and gothic, now grown-up Lydia Deetz to travel with them once again to the Neitherworld.

Reprising his role a whopping 36 years after the original, Michael Keaton returns as everyone’s favorite Ghost with the Most. Alongside him, Winona Rider and Catherine O’hara come back to reprise their roles as Lydia and Delia Deetz, respectively. Joining the spooky crew this time around, Jenna Ortega portrays Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, trying her best to handle family life as well as the afterlife. Ortega is well-known for her work as the titular character in the recent Netflix adaptation of the Addams Family, Wednesday, also directed by Burton. Another new face to the cast is Willem Dafoe, playing Wolf Jackson, a ghostly officer set to bring Beetlejuice to justice. Rounding out the spine-chilling cast is Monica Bellucci, playing Delores, who takes on a fiery antagonistic role as she hunts down Beetlejuice, playing his revengeful ex-wife out for his dead blood. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis did not reprise their roles as Adam and Barbara Maitland, respectively, yet the new faces that joined the cast certainly helped to fill their absence

The film follows the story of Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, who finds herself lost in the Underworld and almost loses her life after falling in love with a ghost. Lydia has no choice but to recruit the help of Beetlejuice to rescue Lydia and bring her back to the land of the living. Through this, we see Lydia and her daughter’s broken relationship start to heal as well. Beetlejuice goes through his own conflict and needs Lydia’s help to get away from her. The movie adds more filler arcs and moving parts that leave audiences confused with the amount of screen time each recurring and new character has. The film cannot seem to decide who the protagonist is, between Keaton’s Beetlejuice, Lydia, or her daughter, Astrid. With the plot constantly revolving around each of these characters, the pacing gets cramped and ends up feeling rushed, all to be followed by a lackluster ending.

Fans of the original motion picture will be thrilled to be back in the world (and underworld) of Beetlejuice. The sequel’s graphics, art, and costumes are just as campy as the original. While the sequel does repeat some of the charm that the original film had, there definitely were aspects that were lacking, even after nearly four decades. It is probably not going to exceed expectations, nor will it exceed the rewatchability of the first one, but the sequel did accomplish what sequels should do. It opened the world up and allowed Lydia and Beetlejuice to become more three-dimensional characters. However, it left some wondering, was this really a necessary sequel?

Cristina Sadoval

Taylor Shaye

Midwestern State University