Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was released on September 6th of this year and follows the story of Lydia Deetz and her daughter Astrid Deetz as they deal with a demon from Lydia’s past. Directed by Tim Burton, I feel this movie should have been a lot better than it was. The film gets nostalgia points – but not much else.
Returning from the first movie is Micheal Keaton as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder as Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz. I think it’s wonderful that the casting directors sought out the original actors. This, however, is one of the few things I actually enjoyed about this movie.
I had very high hopes for this film as Beetlejuice is one of my favorite movies, but I believe the Beetlejuice franchise would be better without this sequel under its belt. The movie itself feels very rushed, which is concerning as it runs for almost two hours. The plot was unorganized and sporadic, which may fit the aesthetic of Beetlejuice but is not very appealing to the viewer.
Too many conflicts were introduced and not developed. This movie could have been so much better if they expanded on the given conflicts especially if they just chose one. I feel as though all the conflicts would have made separate captivating movie. For example, Beetjuice’s ex-wife would have been a great main conflict, if we had seen more of her revenge arc and the lengths to which she would go to find Beetlejuice. But the story never expanded on her.
The amount of relationship subplots, specifically Astrid’s, was too much. Astrid’s character did not need a romantic relationship. That being said, I would have loved it if they chose to focus on Jeremy’s storyline more. His arc was the most engaging and I would have loved to see the sheer amount of manipulation he is capable of.
While the characters were not bad, I never got truly attached to them. I feel as though Jeremy’s reveal would have been a lot more impactful if we actually got to know him. As with Beetlejuice’s ex-wife. Because the movie was so all over the place, we never got to understand the characters and grab an attachment to them.
While I did not enjoy this movie, it wasn’t all that bad. The claymation work, a Tim Burton classic, was well done as always. The costumes, done by Colleen Atwood, were phenomenal. I would love to have had Astrid’s closet at my disposal.
The movie ended with a cliffhanger, signaling they want to make a third movie for this franchise. Personally, I really hope they don’t as I feel this sequel was totally unnecessary. If you wish to see this movie for yourself, It is on various streaming platforms to buy or rent. I recommend you watch this and form your own opinions if you haven’t already.
