Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Movie Review
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” may avoid feeling like a cash grab, but there is no denying it doesn’t present anything notable to justify being made.
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Plot Summary
After losing her husband and father of her daughter, Astrid, Lydia has “Sold out” and has become a television medium of sorts. She goes to people’s houses and engages the spirits there, and it can be questioned where the truth and entertainment separate. For Astrid, she thinks it is all fake, and her mother’s obsession with the supernatural makes her long for her father, as her relationship with her mom is strained.
But, after a tragedy strikes their family, Delia, Astrid, and Lydia return to the house from the original “Beetlejuice” with Lydia’s manager, Rory, and things begin to happen, including Astrid going to the spirit world and potentially not having the ability to rejoin the living. Desperate and needing help, Lydia calls out to Beetlejuice, who is all too keen to help Lydia, especially as he is dealing with a woman named Delores from his past.
Noted Cast and Characters Of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
Jenna Ortega As Astrid
Astrid is Lydia’s daughter, who rejects all her mother claims is true regarding the spirit world and leans heavily on who her father was, regarding his love for Halloween and the environment.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Winter Spring Summer or Fall.”
Winona Ryder As Lydia
Now a famous television personality who investigates paranormal activity, Lydia is making her own money—a good amount of it. However, while rich and famous, she remains a bit vulnerable and a tad lonely, which opens her up for exploitation.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Destination Wedding.”
Catherine O’Hara As Delia
Delia became a famous artist, and her work is as strange as it was in the original.
- The actor is also known for their role in “A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 1.”
Justin Theroux As Rory
Rory is Lydia’s manager and boyfriend, and he raises some eyebrows because he comes off as phony to many.
- The actor is also known for their role in “The Spy Who Dumped Me.”
Michael Keaton As Beetlejuice
Still working as an exorcist, Beetlejuice has a whole company run by men with shrunken heads.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Knox Goes Away.”
Monica Bellucci As Delores
Delores is Beetlejuice’s ex, who is a literal soul sucker.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Mafia Mamma.”
Willem Dafoe As Wolf Jackson
Wolf Jackson is an action hero who died doing his own stunts and now runs a form of the police.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Poor Things.”
The Gist
The TLDR Recap/ Review
- It has been over twenty years since the events of the first Beetlejuice, and since then, Lydia has became married, had a kid, and become a widow. She is now a TV personality investigating the paranormal.
- She knows she has sold out, but she has to make money to raise her daughter, Astrid, who doesn’t believe in the supernatural at all.
- However, with a family tragedy, Astrid and Lydia return to Lydia’s old home, and the supernatural force themselves into their lives and threaten Astrid.
- Thus, Lydia had no choice but to call out three times: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice.
- When it comes to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” like most sequels that took decades to make, it doesn’t really push that it needs to exist.
- On the positive end, Michael Keaton still has it, and it can feel like Winona Ryder is yet another Queen of the 80s passing the torch to Jenna Ortega.
- However, from Beetlejuice’s weak origin story to Monica Bellucci’s underwhelming character and the vibe that this was good enough but not actually good, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” may not tarnish a legacy, but it doesn’t add anything to it either.
- Overall, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” shouldn’t be considered a cash grab, but it certainly doesn’t seem like a sequel parallel at all to what the original did.
Review
Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)
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Highlights
It Makes You Miss Practical Effects
Since superhero movies became expected box office draws, and VFX became primarily done through computers, practical effects made famous by the original Star Wars trilogy and Tim Burton’s classic work have become niche rather than the norm. So to see Beetlejuice’s antics, or Delores’ clearly be real and not something produced by a computer, it is a slew of special moments. They make things grosser, more comical, and surely if for children who watch and are not ready for Tim Burton’s brand, terrifying.
The Nostalgia
Like most sequel films separated from the original film by decades, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” relies heavily on nostalgia. From Lydia still being everyone favorite goth girl, Delia’s bizarre art pieces, song and dance numbers that raise an eyebrow, and the behaviour of Beetlejuice, what is delivered here is all about pleasing fans of the original. Which, for the most part, it is likely to do as it tries to maintain the same humor, style, and introduce characters who might be thin, but could easily fit into the Beetlejuice franchise, and you may question if maybe they’re from the animated series.
On The Fence
The Hook Is Seeing Familiar Characters, Not The New Story
Everything new when it comes to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” may allow for a initial pop in the box office, but it is worth questioning whether it will have any impact on film history or the culture as “Beetlejuice” did. For one, as much as we love Jenna Ortega, and recognize she has potentially become a muse to Tim Burton, her playing Astrid and the arc Astrid has does not do anything beyond setup a reason for Lydia to call out to Beetlejuice.
Then, in terms of Monica Bellucci, she is a character who dispels all the interesting backstories many have created for Beetlejuice over the years and leaves us with a character who easily could have been cut and not have been a loss what so ever. As for other familiar faces, likely added for marketing than because their characters truly add value, like Willem Dafoe, again, when it comes to “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” what you see is a film that is following a trend of milking a franchise that has long been dormant, but still sells a lot of merchandise.
Ultimately making it so, what creativity that Tim Burton was praised for in the 80s and 90s leads to films like this, which seemingly are more about making money, maybe to produce something original, rather than Burton continuing to be a creative who knew how to cast and find writers with a unique voice who paired well with his vision, and made films that, did more than generally become hits for their distributor, but also left a mark on movie fans who put the films on repeat for the rest of their lives.
General Information
Film Length
1 Hour 44 Minutes
Date Released
September 4, 2024
How To Watch “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
In Theaters
Where To Buy, Rent or Subscribe To Watch This:
Distributor
Warner Bros.
- The distributor is also known for “Don’t Worry Darling.”
Director(s)
Tim Burton
- The director is also known for “Wednesday: Season 1.”
Writer(s)
Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
- The writers are also known for “Wednesday: Season 1.”
Based On Work By
Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, Seth Grahame-Smith, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Genre(s)
Content Rating
Content Information
- Dialog: Cursing
- Violence: Nothing Notable
- Sexual Content: None
- Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Body Horror
- Are There Jump Scares: No
- Is There a Chance It Will Make You Cry: No
Why Is The Movie Named “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?”
Cause it takes saying Beetlejuice three times for him to appear, or disappear, and saying it twice means he can still comeback.
Is There A Mid-Credit or Post-Credit Scene For “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?”
Nope
