HOLLYWOOD—Geez, it was 1988 when the horror comedy “Beetlejuice” was unleashed upon the world. It was indeed an instant classic starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. Fast-forward to 2024, and nearly 40 years later, we have a sequel to that classic, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
I remember when I watched the first movie, I had to be around six or seven and it kind of scared me a bit. It is a bit dark, and while it had elements of horror it is not a horror movie. Think Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” but with human characters and more wacky visual effects you wouldn’t expect. Burton is back behind the directorial chair and his vision is so captivating. You feel immersed in this narrative as a viewer, and you feel part of the Winter River.
Yes, we have our favorites back with Keaton becoming that iconic character of Beetlejuice. I have to say, Keaton has not skipped a beat. He is just as fun, hilarious and witty as he was almost 40 years ago as the iconic character. I loved every moment of the character on the screen. However, viewers should be warned you may not get as much Beetlejuice as you actually want. Why is that important? When he is not on the screen, you do miss the character a bit.
The focal point of story involves Lydia Deetz (Ryder), who is making a living as a ‘ghost whisperer’ who televises big events thanks to her boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux). I just have to say this because I have seen this time and time again, Theroux seems to always portray a smarmy character. I have yet to see a movie where he doesn’t feel almost typecast for me.
One of my favorite characters in this movie is Catherine O’Hara as Delia. O’Hara as well has not lost a beat. She delivers some of the snarky one-liners in the movie that are hilarious and left me in actual stitches; just a fantastic performance in the movie. Long story short, the Deetz family encounters a death that forces, Delia, Lydia and Lydia’s daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega) back to the town of Winter River.
Ortega, who I think is one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood right now, is solid as the angst teenager who is very moody and despises her mother. Astrid doesn’t like that she is teased in boarding school because of her mother being able to see ghosts, not to mention, she doesn’t believe in ghosts.
Without spoiling too much, Astrid’s venture into the attic of grandpa’s home and finds a replica of Winter River and that iconic name. What happens? The wicked demon, who isn’t really that wicked is conjured up. Yes, Beetlejuice returns and delivers some antics as Lydia battles to rescue her daughter from the afterlife. Yeah, people might not understand it, but “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” deals with the difficult subject matter of death and what happens once you’re no longer here. While done in a more hilarious fashion it’s a teaching tool for the younger generation who may not fathom what happens when someone passes away.
However, the introduction of Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s scorned wife and Willem Dafoe, as a kooky actor/cop were wasteful. Sorry, but not sorry those characters did not need to be part of the movie and didn’t do much for me at all. They could have not introduced them and the plot would have moved along perfectly. I loved and I mean loved seeing the character of ‘Bob’ back in the mix. Seeing all these characters I witnessed decades ago was so much fun and it was just taking me back to my childhood in the best fashion.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” moves at a solid pace just under 1 hour and 45 minutes. There are laughs, there is heart, there is nostalgia and great character development and interaction that clicks on all cylinders. Dare I say we should expect another sequel soon? It very well could happen, but I’m hoping it’s not nearly 40 years if that were to unfold.
