Beetlejuice is back!
Keaton returns to his iconic role alongside Oscar nominee Winona Ryder (Stranger Things, Little Women) as Lydia Deetz and two-time Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara (Schitt$ Creek, The Nightmare Before Christmas) as Delia Deetz, with new cast members Justin Theroux (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, The Leftovers), Monica Bellucci (Spectre, The Matrix films), Arthur Conti (House of the Dragon) in his feature film debut, with Emmy nominee Jenna Ortega(Wednesday, Scream VI) as Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (Poor Things, At Eternity’s Gate).
If you’ve seen Beetlejuice, you know it’s one of the first truly unique comedy/horror movies and Tim Burton’s rise to fame, showing us his signature style and creating a cult following.
Michael Keaton returns as the famous black and white striped suit wearing demon, Beetlejuice. Also back is Winona Ryder, our favorite goth girl and her mom, Delia played by the wonderful Catherine O’Hara. New to the crew is Jenna Ortega, playing Astrid, Lydia’s daughter.
The passing of Lydia’s father brings her back to Winter River and the house where she first met Beetlejuice. Astrid ends up in the after life and Lydia needs Beetlejuice to help get her back. Little does Lydia know the Beetlejuice has his own past with his ex-wife, Delores, played by Monica Bellucci and she is out for revenge! Adventures in the after life await as they try to make it back to the real world.
There was a sub-plot in this movie with Astrid’s love interest, Jeremy (Arthur Conti) which I felt was not necessary. It would have been interesting on its own but it felt like two different things to follow in the movie and I didn’t really enjoy it, other than the Halloween aspect, this didn’t feel like it “fit”.
The movie overall was entertaining but I did feel like it tried to be bigger than it needed to be. The great part about Beetlejuice is it is weird in the best way, and while this movie has some of the afterlife and sandworms, it did leave me wanting more of that nostalgic feeling. The sequel is more musical, and felt more fun, you can tell the actors had a great time, it felt very natural. So was it worth the wait? I think everyone’s perspective will be different based on your feelings of the original. Overall I enjoyed the movie and will watch it again.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, September 6th, 2024.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Ashley Kethley (Contributing Editor) is a frequent traveler currently living in San Diego. She's a super nerd who enjoys all kinds of movies and doesn't always think the book was better. Click Here to check out Ashley's Articles.