'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Review

**Spoilers ahead, if you haven't seen the show.

As I watch the new 'Beetlejuice' installment, nostalgia creeps back in with the beginning town model mirroring the original movie, but is it the actual town? However, as the scene pans to Lydia in the opening sequence my excitement deflates. I find the characters lacking, the plot a little too predictable, and a tad disapppointed in the real world settings.

This movie wasn't all bad, but it definitely did not live up to Tim Burton's creativity and creepiness. Before we get into the inadequate parts of the show, let's dive into the parts that were actually good quality.

Every scene in the afterlife was hilarious and on point. This is where the movie shined. Even Danny Devito made a guest appearance, which put a smile on my face. His screen time was short lived, but very fun to have his cameo in this movie.

The aesthetic from the first movie was captured in the afterlife scenes and the essence of the crazy ways someone can die was shown very well. The Soul Train scenes were also humorous in the puny way it was actually used. I was not expecting a literal Soul Train at the train station.

The infamous hallway where the Maitlands walked through to find their way to get a ticket and wait was the same. The waiting room itself was full of chaos and chaotic dead people.

The 'Dune' reference was also hilarious and nostalgic because it happened in the first movie and I think very few got the reference back then and those who were fans of the 'Dune' series definitely got it. Now that I am a little older and more knowledgable of media I finally got it and it cracked me up. I’m sure it’s a real life reference to the film but just took me awhile to figure it out!

The music was the same as the original, which I think is always a good thing when it comes to seqeuls because it brings you back to how you felt in the original. Even little variation changes within the original songs/tunes is fun too because it gives you nostalgia while trying to give you something new.

The cinematography was gothic and reminiscent. As the B-roll went between scenes, it was like Burton was taking the audience through the created small town that the Maitlands made in the original movie.

The acting in the film was great and I enjoyed the movie as a whole in of itself and the actors weren't to blame. I expected more of Tim Burton and the character development he could have created, but he was lacking this time around.

Michael Keaton was probably the only character who didn't change much. His bravado he brings to the character was the same as ever and every scene he was apart of was just down right hilarious. Michael Keaton is a one of kind actor we don’t see very much today.

Now to the not so great and pretty average parts of the movie.

Jenna Ortega's character, Astrid, had a pretty average performance. She is a new character in the show and her story line was almost non essential. It could have been cut and the movie would’ve been fine. I did however like her story line and it honestly could’ve been a spin-off, but within the main story not so much.

Catherine O'Hara is one of the best actresses. She is amazing in the '88 original 'Beetlejuice' movie, 'Schitt's Creek', 'Orange County', 'Home Alone', 'Best in Show', etc. I could go on because she has such an amazing rap sheet. However, this movie she didn't feel right. She seemed off and not like her headstrong character from the original. I know that she is older and people grow and directors want to show that, but this felt more like degressing. The Deetz family was always dysfunctional, but at the end of the first movie it felt like they were becoming something more. What we saw in the beginning of this movie, felt like they went back, and Delia became even more delusional. Draping the house in black when Charles Deetz died, was definitely Delia behavior I would expect though!

Winona Ryder, another class act actress who has done amazing films was also lacking in her character. Like why does she still look like a goth school girl. Her wardrobe could've been so much cooler. She could’ve embodied an adult goth with amazing style. So 0/10 for the styling department. Her story line and where she went after the original story also took a different turn then expected. The guy she married, totally left field. Her being a paranormal exorcist, not far off but could’ve been better explained. Her being a talk show host, no. Just no.

Willem Dafoe had a semi-big part, but his character also felt lacking and I love him. He’s an amazing actor and villain. But here in this film? I just couldn’t get into his character.

The subplot that made the ending plausible, but also was the most predictable part was the soul-sucking ex-wife of Betelgeuse. The story-telling was hilarious because Keaton's character told how he met this satanic cult leading wife in spanish and made it a whole montage with scenes from the past. We also learned how he died. Which honestly was a bit underwhelming because it didn't explain much about him just that he was a loser of a guy and got killed because of his horny choices. Her character coming back together was pretty fun though.

And the singing montage, what was that? It did not have the same hilarity as the dinner scene song in the original. However, it was almost insane to have that song sung by a kids choir at the funeral for Charles. I couldn’t help but laugh at the idiocy in the timing!

The ending was unfortunately predictable. You could see it from the beginning. It was still enjoyable to watch the scenes during the afterlife and seeing how the plot would unfold, but it would have been nice to have a less predictable ending.

Movies like this, sequels to movies made in the 80's and 90's, don't have the same old feeling and nor do the productions give off the real feel anymore. I feel like if the sets looked the same, in the aspects where it matters, the movies would resonate more with the viewers and be more well-liked.

Well, it’s hard to beat the classics.