On September 6th, 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to the original Beetlejuice movie was released. Lots of the cast returned, including Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, and Winona Ryder as adult Lydia Deetz.
There also are some new people that were added to the cast, such as Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz, the daughter of Lydia, and Willem Dafoe as Wolf Jackson.
Both movies are directed by Tim Burton, but the sequel’s producers include both Tim Burton and Brad Pitt. Tim Burton is well known for his gothic horror and fantasy films, so audiences assumed this movie would be put together well. However, it has gotten some backlash on the plot of the film. Critics Via “Rotten Tomatoes” state, “This sequel has so much plot and moving pieces that I wouldn’t even say come together— they really just collide in the end.” This movie was supposed to be an adaptation of the original, but to many it doesn’t have any resemblance. Other critics say, “The sequel is, in many ways, exactly what it looks like: a revival of a decades-old movie…”
On the contrary, there are many people who liked the sequel. Usually, sequels use nostalgia from their previous movies to get people interested. However, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice did not have the same effect. It has its own plot that is different from the original. While Burton does bring up the ending of it in the seque,l it’s used more as a refresher than bait for the movie.
This movie is more heartfelt. In this film Burton unpacks grief, trauma, and purpose. Critics say, “By elevating the themes of love and family, Tim Burton makes Beetlejuice 2 a fun movie experience for the whole family.”
The feel of this movie is a bit more modern, which makes sense as quite some time has gone by since the first one, but the visuality and humor is still very “Tim Burton”. Via Rotten tomatoes, other critics say, “There’s a resultant clumsiness, to it that makes the traditional zaniness of the whole project feel telegraphed.” This allows for the plot of the sequel not to be too out there or diluted.
Overall, for a sequel this movie was pretty good. It was very intriguing. It also showed that not everything is black and white. It showed that heroes and villains are multi-dimensional people. One of the main reasons is because Tim Burton helped direct and produce it.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is out in your local theaters now. Check it out this Halloween!