Almost 40 years later, Tim Burton brings Beetlejuice back for yet another movie. Released on Sept. 6 2024, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has received a 77% from Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has grossed $264 million worldwide over the past few weeks.
While being directed by Burton, the movie brings a different start to the fall season with a new twist to Beetlejuice’s story. Joining classic movies like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Edward Scissorhands” along with many other of Burton’s past movies.
The title itself, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” ties back to the very beginning of the franchise. By saying Beetlejuice’s name three times, he will appear and “aid” those that called for him in an unconventional way. The movie continues the depiction of the perverted, ancient Beetlejuice, fangirling over Lydia Deetz as depicted throughout the whole first movie.
The original “Beetlejuice” came out in 1988, creating the perfect fandom for viewers throughout the decades. The original film is available on streaming platforms for viewers to watch on HBO Max. Additionally, the Broadway version of Beetlejuice officially opened back in 2019. This story of Beetlejuice brings theater enthusiasts from all across the country to see the show on Broadway or while it is on tour around the United States.
Unlike the Broadway version and the original movie, more about Beetlejuice’s character is told throughout the movie. The newest antagonist, a soul sucker, who is also his ex-wife, came through the afterlife to get revenge on Beetlejuice. The whole movie switches back and forth between Beetlejuice’s life problems and Deetz’s ever changing family life.
This sequel brings back most of the cast of the first movie, including Michael Keaton (Beetlejuice), Winona Ryder (Lydia Deetz) and Catherine O’Hara (Deila Deetz) back as their iconic characters.
Ryder’s character in the film has a daughter, Astrid, who is played by the young actress Jenna Ortega.
Ortega embodies a spunky, edgy teenager who, at first, does not believe any of the supernatural extravaganza that her mom sells off as her career being a tv host that tries to connect with ghosts inhabiting the guests’ houses. Raised by a single mother after her dad died in a tragic accident, Ortega’s character brings a new perspective into the Deetz’s classic family dynamic.
During the film, multiple new characters were introduced with iconic actors, such as Danny Devito, who appears as a ghost janitor in the beginning of the film, and William Defoe playing Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective in the afterlife. These two characters have different levels of importance to the plot with Defoe’s character being a key figure in the movie.
With characters popping up during the movie in various ways, viewers are able to see what each character is going through. With a character going through the process of getting to the “other side” and even characters creating a side story between two teens.
However, throughout the movie there are so many twists and turns that it’s hard to figure out what is most important to the story. Is it the Deetz family, the manhunt for Beetlejuice, or the supporting characters going on their own paths?
During the new film, most of the returning character’s outfit style maintains their past looks. However, of the few returning, Mr. Deetz’s costume is quite gory being that he was bit by a shark before his death in the new film. Astrid’s outfits gave the viewers a look at what she wears outside of her school uniform while the family is back at the Deetz’s house in Winter River creating an indie sleaze.
Within the movie, there are little connections back to the first movie, such as the model of the city still up in the attic, left by the Maitlands. The dog barking in the background during the intro through the town gives another link to the original movie when the Maitlands crash into the iconic red bridge at the edge of town. The ties back to the first movie were nice to have, it felt more as if the film was wrapping up the loose ends of the original.
However, it seems like it’s time to put this story to rest and leave Beetlejuice’s name unsaid when it comes to pursuing yet another film from the franchise.
