More than 30 years after the original movie’s release, director Tim Burton revived the spooky yet hilarious world of Beetlejuice with an unexpected sequel. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which premiered in theaters Sept. 6, 2024, offers a captivating new addition to the original storyline.
Many were relieved to see their favorite familiar faces in the sequel, including Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, Catherine O’Hara playing her mother, Delia Deetz, and Michael Keaton, playing the infamous Beetlejuice. The film even featured a few fun cameos, such as Danny Devito as an undead janitor and Willem Dafoe as a phantom detective and ex-movie star.
Ryder impressively reclaimed her role as the “strange and unusual” goth girl, but this time, her iconic character took on the role of a mother working as a psychic mediator for her own TV show. The plot revolves around her and her 16-year-old daughter, Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega.
The film starts with Astrid, who is unconvinced of her mother’s supposed supernatural gifts. She also feels increasingly estranged from her family after her father’s death and her mother’s questionable engagement to her television producer Rory, played by Justin Theroux. However, her perspective shifts dramatically when she falls for the neighborhood boy who takes her on a wildly frightening journey to the “Neitherworld,” also known as the afterlife. Throwing their lives into disarray, Lydia must find a way to retrieve her daughter, ineptly summoning the ghost Beetlejuice as a last resort.
Keaton, being over 70 years old at the time of filming, still delivered an outstanding performance as his iconic character, and has evidently not lost his vibrant and flamboyant charm in recent decades. He perfectly encapsulates everything fans know and love about Beetlejuice.
Additionally, Tim Burton’s masterfully crafted world is as dark and whimsical as always, with outstanding visuals and cinematography. Throughout the movie, Burton maintains a perfect balance between eerie aesthetics and a humorous plotline.
Arguably, the only downside to the film is that the main story is partially overshadowed by unnecessary plotlines. A prime illustration of this is the character Delores LaVerge, portrayed by Monica Bellucci, who is Beetlejuice’s undead ex-wife who happens to be the leader of a soul-sucking cult. The movie shows snippets of her relentlessly hunting after Beetlejuice, but in the end, her role does not have any effect on the storyline and only makes it feel scattered.
That said, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was overall an excellent testament to the cult-classic film, brilliantly blending the beloved elements of the original with a more modern appeal.
