BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE: Unhinged Sequel Lives Up To Original

By Harrison J. Bahe

Three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River after an unexpected family tragedy. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life soon gets turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife. When someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times, the mischievous demon gleefully returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.

It took 36 years for a sequel to Beetlejuice to finally come out and so much pressure was put on returning director Tim Burton to deliver a fantastic sequel to a beloved classic adored by many. Fortunately, Tim Burton has shed the encroaching facade of his Disney run and has returned to his zany roots that catapulted him into the spotlight. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an absolutely unhinged sequel filled with so much of what made the first film great and then some. The visual style of Burton returns and he even pays loving homage to various other horror properties such as the classic Universal Monsters and even some colorful Giallo inspired lighting. There’s even a scene featuring claymation (the Sandworms of Saturn are still animated in the style). You can really tell that a lot of love and heart (literally, in some cases) went into the making of this film. Burton, who may have been burdened with the curse of overdependence on VFX with his Disney adaptations, seems to have fully embraced the idea of practicality. It really feels like every set, every undead being, every special and make up effect was done practically. I feel Burton’s approach to the making of this film was, “we need to do it the way we did it when we made the first Beetlejuice.” Sure, there are VFX here and there but, like Christopher Nolan, they’re used to amplify the practical effects as opposed to completely replacing them.

Returning characters such as Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and, of course, Michael Keaton, effortlessly fall back into their original roles perfectly. New characters such as Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe, Monica Belluci and Jenna Ortega bring their own quirks to this already wild cast. Of course, the show stealer is Keaton who is able to crawl back into the spirit of the Ghost With the Most with absolute glee. As intense and hyperactive as he was in the original, he’s completely bonkers in this sequel.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a completely unhinged sequel that lives up to the original and then some. Expanding on the universe of Beetlejuice, introducing new characters, and being so visually stunning, many fans of the original will welcome this movie with open arms. I also feel that Burton pulled his power card as there were actually many shocking things that unfolded on screen for a PG-13 film. I suppose if the kiddos had to endure some scary moments in the PG rated 1988 classic, then today’s audiences will have to endure similar things with this PG-13 sequel. I’m not saying it’s scary, but there is a shocking amount of gore; but nothing so overtly gross which is why I give Beetlejuice Beetlejuice —

4.5 Shark Bites out of 5

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is now playing in theaters and is Rated PG-13 for violent content, macabre and bloody images, strong language, some suggestive material, and brief drug use.