When people think about famous Halloween films, one that comes to mind for most is “Beetlejuice” directed by Tim Burton. This movie is incredibly iconic even today and is watched by people of all ages. Personally, my annual Halloween experience would not be the same without watching “Beetlejuice” at least once with my family. After viewing the sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” I can confidently say that it was just as memorable as the original.
Starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and other memorable actors from the ‘80s, “Beetlejuice” amassed $77 million dollars throughout its time in theaters. Despite the original film being released almost 36 years ago, the sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” premiered on Sept. 6. Three of the original cast members returned to reprise their roles: Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz.
In my opinion, I can see this movie becoming a cult classic. This movie holds the same aesthetic as many earlier Tim Burton films did, giving it a classic feel, while the footage looks modern and fresh. Despite both Keaton and O’Hara being in their early 70s, they still portray their characters with energy and enthusiasm. Alongside the returning cast, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” recruited famous faces such as Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter, Willem Dafoe as a law enforcement officer, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s wife and even Danny Devito as an afterlife janitor.
In this new movie, Lydia Deetz returns to her house with her daughter, Astrid Deetz, after a family tragedy occurred. While there, she and her family are forced to reunite with Beetlejuice, the demon that had haunted them many years ago, and are brought back into the land of the dead.
The story features many subplots, including the afterlife. Despite all of the plots being interesting, I found myself confused as to how all of them really impacted the story. Some of them, especially the one involving Dafoe’s character, felt a bit like filler, only put into the movie to get a laugh. Nevertheless, Burton did a great job of including memorable background characters with quirky appearances and interesting stories.
Going into the theater, I was wondering how they were going to add on to the completed story in the first movie, but I think that they did a perfect job of continuing the original plot while not contradicting anything. Despite this, I was a little upset to learn that Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis would not be returning to play Adam and Barbara Maitland since they had such a large impact on the first movie. While their absences were noticeable, the movie was not deeply affected by it.
While I was watching this movie, I found myself drawn to the set and how beautifully constructed it was. The fictional small town of Winter River, Connecticut, looked absolutely stunning, and I was glad to see them return to the original house built for the first “Beetlejuice” film. Alongside this, the scenes in the afterlife setting were strange and even a bit creepy at times, featuring wonky hallways, eerie rooms and colorful lighting to really set the tone of this movie.
While movie sequels are notorious for not living up to the expectations set by their prequels, I believe that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is not a part of this generalization. This movie is definitely worth watching for fans of the original “Beetlejuice” movie or anyone who just wants to watch a film worth their time.
