Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Synopsis

Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) now hosts a paranormal investigation show produced by her manager/lover, Rory (Justin Theroux). Tragically, Lydia gets word from her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara), that her father passed away. They pick up Lydia’s estranged daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who resents Lydia for focusing more on the show than her. After the funeral, Astrid meets a local boy, Jeremy (Arthur Conti), with whom she falls in love. Unfortunately, Astrid unintentionally opens a portal to The Afterlife, leaving Lydia with few options to save her daughter. She reluctantly summons Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) to help rescue Astrid, which he’ll do if Lydia marries him. Meanwhile, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) is after him, and ghost detective Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe) is in pursuit. Will Lydia repair the relationship with her daughter, and what devious schemes does Betelgeuse have cooking this time?

Review

Given how long it’s been since the original, it’s remarkable that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is as good as it is. While it lacks the simplicity and even pacing of the first film, it retains its wild imagination and zany energy. You can tell that Tim Burton genuinely wanted to make this rather than the studio demanding he make a sequel. Like the first film, the production design and practical effects look incredible and add to the movie’s charm. While there are some CGI effects, they’re used in tandem with the practical effects rather than completely overshadowing them. Sadly, the memorable stop-motion effects fell victim to the CGI, but I understand it’s an expensive and time-consuming art form. To the VFX artists’ credit, they at least gave the CGI the same movement and fluidity as traditional stop-motion animation. Also, Danny Elfman delivers an excellent score, matching the original’s dark yet playful sensibilities.

Like before, Michael Keaton is a joy to watch as he chews the scenery and spouts excellent one-liners. Thankfully, he’s only given slightly more screen time than the original instead of overloading the audience with him. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara shine as older Lydia and Delia, and it’s great to see how their characters evolved. Jenna Ortega is also great as Lydia’s estranged daughter, bringing some of the same cynicism Ryder brought to the original. Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe have their standout moments, and Danny Devito has a funny cameo as an undead janitor. Arthur Conti is also solid as Astrid’s love interest, and his reveal halfway into the movie is unexpected. Unfortunately, despite a fantastic introduction, Monica Bellucci feels underutilized and inconsequential to the film, only showing up here and there. You could’ve written her out, which wouldn’t have changed anything.

That leads me to my biggest issue with the movie: a lack of focus and too many subplots. One of the reasons the original worked so well was that it had a relatively simple story to follow. Sure, there were a few subplots, but they tied into the main story and were resolved by the end. With the sequel, it feels like a new plot starts every 30 minutes only to get wrapped up haphazardly. Still, there’s never a dull moment, and the film flies by at an hour and 44 minutes. For a sequel to an iconic movie made almost 40 years later, this is probably the best we could’ve gotten. It’s not on par with legacy sequels like Mad Max: Fury Road or Top Gun: Maverick, but it could’ve been much worse. Overall, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a flawed but enjoyable companion piece to the 1988 classic.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is currently playing in theaters nationwide.