Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

This weekend, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to the 1980's Beetlejuice released in theaters. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice centers around the Deetz family as they reunite after an unexpected tragedy. When Lydia's daughter gets taken to the afterlife, Lydia must once again release Beetlejuice to help save her daughter. The original Beetlejuice film is one of my favorite Halloween movies. This movie was also one of my most anticipated of the year so of course I was very excited to see it.

This movie was a bit of a mixed bag for me but in general, I still enjoyed it. There is a bit of novelty to seeing Michael Keeton as Beetlejuice again. He is just so great in the role, stealing every scene he is in, while also having so much fun with the role. I thought Jenna Ortega was a solid addition to the franchise. She has a darker style to her personality and thus fits well within this Tim Burton world. The plot itself has a bit more momentum than the first film did. There is a clear conflict and goal here that keeps the story moving a bit better. I also like how Tim Burton stays true to his visual style which is known so well. A lot of the animation moments still look a lot like stop motion animation which is what so much of the special effects of the original film were. I like how the movie switches things up a bit and has the living characters journey into the afterlife instead of the other way around. It lets us explore that land of the dead a bit more and build out this world. I also liked how the movie has some deeper themes about coping with loss, connecting with family, and moving on. It gives a bit more of a mature aspect that the original film did not have. Finally, I liked how this movie had a nice little plot twist to it. I was expecting a fairly straightforward story so to have some twists and turns like this was a pleasant surprise.

The biggest issue with this film is that it has way too much going on. There are just a few too many subplots that make the movie feel a bit bloated and overstuffed. I felt that the whole Delores plotline had no business being in the movie. The movie implies this plot to be the main conflict of the story but all it really does is bookend the film. The film could have completely cut this character out of the movie and it would have made no difference to the story. I also felt like the first half needed to be tightened up just a tad. Granted part of what made it feel long was the backstory of Delores and Beetlejuice, but that first half just takes a bit to get going. I think the movie should have removed the Delores plot, tightened up the first half of the movie, and focused on rescuing Astrid. Had it done this, it would probably have moved up a rating.

In the end, while I still had a lot of fun with this movie, there is just a bit too much going on that it knocks the score back a little for me. One more pass in the editing room and I think this would have been a much better film. Regardless, the good of this movie still outweighs the bad for me.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

Recommendation: Check it out if you are a Beetlejuice or Tim Burton fan