Rating: Full

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Horror

Studios: Warner Bros

Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe

Director: Tim Burton

Writers: Alfred Gough, Seth Grahame-Smith and Miles Miller

Producers: Tim Burton, Dede Garrdner, Tommy Harper, Jeremy Kleiner, Brad Pitt and Marc Toberoff

Music by: Danny Elfman

Rated: PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material and brief drug use

Release Date: 09/06/24

Runtime: 1h 45m

Tagline: The Ghost with the Most is back

Favorite Character: Beetlejuice

Quote: “The juice is loose”- Beetlejuice

Fun Fact: The Maitland’s from the first film was meant to have a cameo, but Burton felt that there isn’t any de aging technology that could match Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis age from 1988

The Review: Classic films just keeps coming back, whatever you like it or not, all because Hollywood just wanted to make an extra buck. Some should really be left alone. While others just aren’t too bad as long as they keep the original director and cast in the film, like Tim Burton’s sequel to the 1988 hit.

There are so many theories about the afterlife, I mean like so many. Tim Burton’ s own version of the afterlife in Beetlejuice was one of those settings that was definition of a good time. For those giving a deep thought about after death, I should let you know that this was meant for comedic purposes and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Whatever it’s true or not.

Winona Ryder returns as a still-a-goth adult Lydia now hosting her own paranormal show with her manager (Justin Theroux). She also has a daughter (Scream queen Jenna Ortega) in boarding school who acts just like a normal teenager and isn’t very ‘strange and unusual’ It does sound like she’s having a normal life so far.

But that normal life get interrupted when she was called by her artistic stepmother (Catherine O’Hara) to come to her own museum just so she could tell Lydia that Charles Deetz has died. Meaning the three generations of the Deetz ladies must return to the Maitland house in Connecticut for the funeral.

Meanwhile, our big star Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) also has a career of his own with most of his workers being a bunch of people with shrunken heads. That doesn’t stop him from haunting Lydia in her dreams, since 36 years ago when he ALMOST married her. Yet, he is still not giving up his dream of making Lydia his beloved bride

Although he should be more worried about his other romance problem. His soul sucking ex-wife (Monica Belluci) had escaped from the boxes and attacked Danny Devito like she was a horror movie serial killer. Oh wait… this IS kinda a horror movie…actually, here is more horror into this sequel than the original.

It is a horror adjacent movie that is themed to grief but unlike Ari Aster’s Hereditary, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is that kind of film with so much high energy and wacky hijinks added on to it. And to me Charles Deetz death shown in stop motion is the most memorable of them all.

Songs are pretty important when it comes to making movies, but the song selection for the film ended up being a letdown. There is not one song that would exceed Harry Belafonte’s songs that made the original so charming (remember that dinner party scene?) And no, having a choir singing ‘Day-O’ at Charles’ funeral just wasn’t enough.

Despite that and the new characters having less spirit this time around, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was so far the most time I had laughed or chuckled in the cinema auditorium this year revealing that Tim Burton did not lose his mojo after all these years. I believe you will also get a kick out of this juice.

Imagine you are staying at the Maitland house and are board. Say Beetlejuice’s name three time. Go on. Get the party started. (WARNING: the therapy scene may contain some gross out moments, so maybe cease the popcorn eating just for that scene).