*Spoilers*
5 out of 5 stars
I am not a huge fan of sequels. Every time I see a trailer for a sequel to one of my favorite movies, I get my hopes up only to be disappointed in the theater. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was a pleasant surprise.
Although I have complete faith in any movie by Tim Burton and Danny Elfman, I feared that “Beetlejuice” could not be adapted into the 2024 era without feeling completely different from the first movie.
Fortunately, this highly faithful adaptation proved me wrong. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was able to capture the same feel as the original while delving into a deeper exploration of the characters.
The movie follows Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), her stepmother Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) and her daughter Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega) as they return to Winter River, Connecticut, for the funeral of Lydia’s father, Charles. While in town cleaning out their old house, they run back into the ghost with the most, Beetlejuice himself (Michael Keaton), who is attempting to dodge his ex-wife and win back Lydia’s love. In the meantime, Lydia must save Astrid from an early trip to the great beyond, and Delia must work to reconcile herself with Charles’ death.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” stayed true to the weirdness of the first movie, featuring a scene in claymation, a ‘Soul Train’ surrounded by people dancing to soul music and a ridiculous wedding scene with all the characters lip-syncing and dancing to “MacArthur Park.”
Keaton’s Beetlejuice is just as iconic as he was in 1988. He keeps true to the dark, quirky style of humor and sells it to a new generational audience.
Ryder’s older Lydia is haunted by Beetlejuice and her previous run-in with him at age 16. Throughout the film, Ryder perfectly captures Lydia’s struggles with anxiety, a deep fear of seeing Beetlejuice at all times, a codependent relationship in which she is being used and the grief of losing her father.
The film shows us how she grows back into her confidence and repairs her relationship with her daughter, Astrid. Ortega masterfully plays the jaded teenager who rolls her eyes at everything her mother says but is also unafraid to stand up when she knows something is wrong.
In addition to tactfully tackling heavy subjects whilst using humor to make it all feel light-hearted, this movie has some of the best side characters.
Danny DeVito plays a hilarious zombie janitor who has his soul sucked out of him by Delores, Beetlejuice’s ex-wife. Monica Belluci plays a soul-sucking (literally) ex-wife who is hunting down Beetlejuice so she can claim his soul for immortality, only one of the compelling villains included in this movie.
Willem DaFoe features as well, portraying an actor who has become the lead detective of the afterlife police. His many hilarious scenes and gimmicks throughout the story add a new level of excitement to the film.
The designs of all the extras in the Neitherworld, the land of the dead, are just as iconic as in the first movie, featuring all kinds of shocking deaths. Between a surfer only left with the upper half of his body and his surfboard, an old cat lady who was eaten by her cats, a piranha-covered ticket attendant and more, the costume and makeup design were brilliant and consistent with the original style.
If you love campy movies that keep you on your toes, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is for you.
Photo courtesy of Dread Central.