TL;DR – While it does not hit nearly as hard 40-years later, it was still a fun ride from start to finish, if you can get through all the mess.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit sequence.

Disclosure – I was invited to a screening of this film.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Review –

While you should never say Beetlejuice’s name three times, today we are in luck because we are looking at the sequel which is just Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. However, delving back into the past and trying to find a sequel after 40-odd years since the first outing is a potentially fraught endeavour. Can you capture what made the first Beetlejuice a hit all those years ago? Well, that is what we will look at today.

So, to set the scene, in the many years since Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) helped the Maitland ghost’s out she has become a mother, and a host of a very popular ghost show called Ghost House with Lydia Deetz. However, every now and again, out of the corner of her eye she sees a man with green hair and striped suit. Lydia was in the middle of taping one of her shows with her producer Rory (Justin Theroux) when she gets an urgent call from her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara). Her father has been killed and the whole family is going back to Winter River for the funeral, including Lydia’s mostly estranged daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), who does not believe that her mother can commune with the dead. Mourning for the dead can be a difficult process, but when mysterious woman called Delores (Monica Bellucci) appears in the afterlife killing souls and sending Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) into hiding. Well, a fortunate timed funeral could be just what he needs to connect with his almost wife from all those years ago.

Right from the start it is clear that many of the cast are having a blast with this film, and that make a lot of difference to the final product. Michael Keaton is chewing every bit of scenery that is not tied down, and even then some. He continues to be delightful in the role as the quasi-antagonist of the film. I was not sure how Catherine O’Hara’s character would go in this interpretation, but she is an absolute delight. They have given her a much more rounded character this time, yet she still fells like an evolution of what came before. That she has had growth as a person, just not that much. Also, I am not sure if the film needed Willem Dafoe, but that did not stop Willem Dafoe stealing every scene as he rolls in guns ablaze. 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is filled with some interesting narrative quirks, some that work, and others that don’t. They have some interesting ways of explaining what characters who actors are now no longer available are not in the sequel. Can’t use an actor because of their real-life actions, well, let’s use stop-motion animation and then introduce him to a shark. But then you have the fundamentally less interesting handwaving away as to why the Maitlands are not in the film. That even when the film lampshaded that the explanation was unsatisfying, it was still even more underwhelming.       

The production does lean into the style of the first film, with some modern digital elements to help out when needed. This gives it the feel of that old gothic horror work, without it feeling dated in the process. I will say it was a delight to hear them lean fully into Danny Elfman’s musical score that brings so much joy every time you hear it. Also, I am glad that they still got weird with the prosthetic work and moments like an extended flashback sequence in Italian.

I was concerned that the dourness that we get from Lydia and Astrid would hold the film back, but thankfully they work through that. However, while the characters are fun, and it is great to be back into this world, the narrative did not hold up all the way. The whole subplot with Delores felt superfluous given the other story arcs that were happening. Which you really notice towards the end when the film gets progressively messier as it proceeds, and they must work to insert Beetlejuice into the proceedings. Also, if you are paying even a little bit of attention, then their surprises will not actually be surprising.    

In the end, do we recommend Beetlejuice Beetlejuice? Yes, if you manage your expectations before going in. It is not going to capture that same impact that the first movie had, there is just simply too much time between entries, and the genre has evolved since then. However, as a nostalgic look back, it was a fun ride, even if the narrative didn’t quite hold up. If you liked Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, we would recommend to you Talk To Me.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Directed by – Tim Burton
Screenplay by – Alfred Gough & Miles Millar
Story by – Alfred Gough, Miles Millar & Seth Grahame-Smith
Based on – Beetlejuice by Michael McDowell & Larry Wilson
Music by – Danny Elfman
Cinematography by – Haris Zambarloukos
Edited by – Jay Prychidny
Production/Distribution Companies – Plan B Entertainment, Tim Burton Productions, Universal Pictures & Warner Bros. Pictures
Starring – Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Arthur Conti & Burn Gorman with Danny DeVito, Santiago Cabrera, Nick Kellington, Sami Slimane, Amy Nuttall, Liv Spencer, Stefano Marchetti & Filipe Cates 
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: 14A; Germany: 12; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13