Michael Keaton stars in the movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” (Parisa Taghizadeh/Warner Bros./TNS)
Beware spoilers of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
“It’s showtime!” Almost forty years after the first film’s release, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” made its way to cinemas on Sept. 6.
Prior to the release of the film, fans, including myself, were worried. The first film was considered a cult classic, but the unexpected sequel could have ruined the franchise.
To my surprise, it reignited the fanbase, and received praise worldwide. It was then time for me to see the film for myself.
I sat down in the theater full of anxiety. I knew it was bound to be enjoyable, but I did not know what to expect.
The second that Danny Elfman’s brassy soundtrack began, I knew it was going to be a great ride. Surprisingly, the film opened with a hovering shot of the town, just as the original did.
The cast of the film, both original and newcomers, had a synergy that worked perfectly.
Seeing Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) grown up felt strange to me. I believe that on Tim Burton’s end it was a great idea to have her become a television host, but she did not have the same kind of vibe that she did as a child. As a child she was incredibly rebellious, but she matured so much more than I expected.
However, her daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) captured this energy to the fullest. Ortega, best known for playing Wednesday Addams, is always incredible at utilizing emotions such as emptiness and hatred.
The titular character, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), once more stole the show. The character’s goofiness, humor, and false promises made me smile whenever he was on screen. Sadly though, he only had seventeen minutes of screen time, just like the first film.
Newcomer Delores (Monica Bellucci) also was a perfect addition to the franchise. Her first appearance creepily depicts her putting her corpse back together. It was definitely a Tim Burton idea, and the simultaneous playing of “Tragedy,” by the Bee Gees, perfected it.
Fans wondered if the film would bring popularity to old songs such as how Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” did. In fact, it did. During the wedding scene at the end of the film, “MacArthur Park,” by Richard Harris, plays. The song became an instant trending sensation on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, and I believe it was the best song choice.
Truthfully, the only complaint I have about the cast is that there wasn’t much of an answer of what happened to Adam and Barbara Maitland (who were played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis). The answer of there being a loophole doesn’t really make sense to me.
However, the actors have aged. I do not believe that it would be right for their ghosts to age; regardless, their absence did not stand in the way of the storyline.
I did catch a joke in the film though about Alec Baldwin’s court case. Detective Wolf Jackson (Willem DaFoe) mentions that his death occurred because he did not know the prop grenade of his final film’s set was real.
Something that I enjoy about this film is how Tim Burton based this sequel from a joke from the first film that flew over viewers heads. In “Beetlejuice,” Beetlejuice pulls out a finger with a ring on it while searching his pockets. He then disposes of it. Finally, in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” we learn that the ring belonged to Delores.
When it comes to the film itself, I have a major complaint about the runtime. The film was extremely short, only being a little longer than an hour and a half. Due to this, many scenes were at an incredibly fast pace.
The ending, though, was very similar to the first film. Both included a wedding and sandworms swallowing the antagonists whole. However, this time around it was obvious that this scene was created with genuine care.
Will Beetlejuice return? Given that the ending of the film teases that he still has a connection with Lydia, probably. However, it is certain that Tim Burton would find a threequel completely unnecessary. Burton even hesitated on creating “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is currently playing in theaters.
About Post Author
