Movie Breakdown: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Pre-Screening Stance:

Considering the fact that Beetlejuice came out in 1988, it feels just a bit late in the game to be serving up a direct sequel (and not an all-out fresh start). Who knows though, maybe the big gap between the original and the sequel will play out nicely like it did for Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick. Fingers crossed.

Post-Screening Ramble:

While it’s certainly a low bar, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is Tim Burton’s best film in a long time and I enjoyed the way that it carries on the spirit of the original. I think there’s certainly a part of me that expected the dark, brash, and bizarre qualities of the original 1988 film to be toned down, but to Burton’s credit, the sequel is built around those exact things. So, there’s plenty of laughs and gross bits to be had, plus the familiar faces here – Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, and Michael Keaton – all seem like they had a great time reprising their roles, and just as you’d expect, the movie pops whenever they’re on the screen. Overall, I found the film to be a pretty easy watch, but with that being said, it is a rather overstuffed affair. There are too many characters, too many subplots, and not enough payoff for the vast majority of these things. Justin Theroux (as Lydia’s boyfriend Rory) and Monica Bellucci (as an old acquaintance of Beetlejuice) don’t really have anything to do, and even Jenna Ortega (as Lydia’s daughter Astrid) feels kind of tacked on to the movie. Thankfully, the excess fat on the bone here isn’t enough to twist the film into a disappointment, but it does mean that instead of landing somewhere in the upper echelon of legacy sequels, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is more around the middle of the pack.

As long as your down for a “mostly good but not great” sequel then Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will treat you just right. The film lands in theaters tomorrow, September 6.

One Last Thought:

There’s a baby Beetlejuice that makes an appearance in this movie and it’s wonderfully disgusting.