'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Returns with Undead Fun and Ghoulish Delights

It’s showtime, this is going to be one insane ride.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a 2024 sequel to the thirty-six-year-old Tim Burton film. Lydia and her daughter, Astrid return home following a family tragedy. When Astrid opens the portal to the Afterlife, the family is haunted by the maniacal Beetlejuice once more.

Tim Burton is back, reviving the grim and darkly comical world of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Out of all the movies, this was my most anticipated movie of the year. Sitting in a full theater with people dressed in fanatical outfits of the famous character, the sequel is a riot of laughs, though its story is overstuffed with a graveyard of jumbled ideas.

Like he never walked away from the character, Michael Keaton steps right back into the crazed and eccentric demon, Beetlejuice. The best part of the sequel is Keaton, who doesn’t just play him - he resurrects Beetlejuice’s devilish charisma and cryptic one-liners.

Once again, Beetlejuice isn’t given much screen time, shrinking from 17 minutes in the original to 14 minutes in the sequel! To Keaton’s credit, he devours every second. The film would have benefited from centering around him, especially given the intriguing plot developments.

Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara return in their respective roles as Lydia and Delia. Both are as excellent as ever, but there are some flaws in their characters.

We could have dug deeper into Lydia’s character. She’s now the host of this popular TV ghost show which is glossed over. Ryder is just running frantically in every scene. Lydia has to be clued into several situations that aren’t hidden skeletons. Lydia is headstrong, so this was out of character for her.

O’Hara is a sensation, creating a hysterical performance. Albeit, O’Hara is having a tough time stepping away from her popular Moira Rosa character from Schitt’s Creek.

I am a big fan of Jenna Ortega. She is great as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, but she’s played several of these characters already. Chloe Grace Moretz was in talks to play the role and part of me is curious to see what her performance would have been like.

Credits for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice include Monica Belluci, Justin Theroux, Santiago Cabrera, Willem Defao, and several cameos. One actor doesn’t appear in the sequel due to controversial events of said actor - which is conveyed comically throughout the film.

The plot detours in several directions with too many stories packed into the film. Deloris (Belluci) has so much wasted potential as Beetlejuice’s wicked late wife. Deloris deserved more screen time than Jeremy (Conti). Jeremy’s storyline is something out of Goosebumps.

Deloris could have been the main villain and the one who takes Astrid into the Afterlife. It would have also given us more juicy scenes with Beetlejuice. While transforming into this enigmatic character, Belluci’s cryptic makeup took 3 hours to put on each day and she rehearsed specific movements for the character for days.

Tim Burton’s aesthetic is so distinct and twisted that it resembles a nightmare you’d wake up to - in a fun way. The film is packed with his weird energy. One scene has a clever stop-motion sequence. Burton is a strong believer in practical effects, reviving famous puppetry from the original and creating the afterlife set.

I couldn’t stop laughing! Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a comedic dig of laughs. The whole audience was laughing and having a good time. All in all, it’s a movie that’s meant to shut your brains off for a bit and have a good time. Experience this lively and darkly comical film in theaters. Just don’t say Beetlejuice’s name three times.