As I walked into the chilly movie theater the day “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” came out, I started dreading the fact that I may despise the new movie. The first Beetlejuice movie was so iconic, I have watched it every halloween and in my eyes, it would be hard to beat. But I am delighted to say that it was one of the most elite sequels of 2024 .
The new “Beetlejuice” is an original, 2024 exploration into Lydia the gothic teenager in the original, played by Winona Ryder, who now has a daughter herself. The movie explores her the heart aching problems that they have faced; but it still brings in Beetlejuice’s forever goal to be mortal again. This combination was a perfect medium for the sequel, allowing for a new story to develop and an old story to come to an end.
Although I did think that at the beginning of the movie it was slow and even a little boring, I later realized that that was for the better. For me the slow start allows watchers to have an introduction into the new characters, and a better understanding of the characters development after the plot kicks in.
For example, Lydia’s daughter, Astrid Deez (Jenna Ortega), was a whole new character. The very traumatic and deep past was vital for the movie. Hence the slow introduction was needed, so that the movie made sense.
With the first “Beetlejuice” being such a classic, I feared that it was going to try to hold onto the past, like keeping all the old characters even if they didn’t fit in the movie, and just adding better effects.
An example of that is “Mission Impossible” “fast and furious” ect. This is when the first movie was amazing and a fan favorite then later on the movies get really repetitive. Keeping almost the same plot and only changing the setting; luckily this didn’t happen with “beetlejuice beetlejuice”.
Although they did not completely bring back the old ghost couple from the original they still incorporated them with little reminders of them and tons of easter eggs. That was exactly what we needed as watchers, allowing for that nostalgic feeling.
The breathtaking effects like makeup and CGI were obviously way more advanced than the ones in 1988, but they were way more special than that. Even with all the new technology that can create anything you can imagine, the effects were still in that famous Tim Burton style. It still incorporated the vintage horror, gothic tone and cringe aesthetics that we all know and love.
The movie kept the sinister atmosphere throughout the whole thing; the lighting was on point and all the outfits fit the characters.
The new and old castings were great, embodying everything that they needed to. Jenna Ortega was perfect for the role of Astrid Deez, and every new character fell in with the time burton style
I’ve seen that many people think that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”had too many side characters that felt underdeveloped, like Delores but this is anything but true. The characters only really helped develop beetlejuice and his backstory. Delorese’s story helped enlighten his womanizing and selfish actions that he has always had.
Overall the sequel had everything that viewers would want; from comedy, to horror, to heartbreak. it stayed as authentic as possible without recorating the same movie over again making it the best sequel so far of 2024.
