Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, say it three times, and you will arrive at the opening weekend of the return of Tim Burton and Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Fans worldwide are excited to see the duo reunited with Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara and add a new person to the mix, Jenna Ortega. Was the over thirty-year wait worth it? Let’s dive in.

My expectations for the movie were moderate because I had seen the trailer before every movie I’ve seen since it came out, and the trailer didn’t land for me. Also, I will not dive too deep into the film or its storylines because I don’t want to spoil any aspect of the movie for you. However, there are some fun callbacks and Easter eggs within the movie that will provide great fan service.

The premise is simple: a family tragedy strikes the Deetz family, and they all return home to Winter River, where Lydia’s (Ryder) life is turned upside down when her daughter Astrid (Ortega) discovers a mysterious portal to the afterlife. She must summon an old friend from her past in Beetlejuice to help save the day.

What I liked about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The film has a cheeky comedy that is cheap laughs for the sake of laughing. It works at times, and at other times it doesn’t. At it’s peak, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice works when Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara are on the screen. These two know how to make you laugh and have some hilarious one-liners sprinkled throughout. Keaton is perfect at the juice, and man how I wish we got more of him.

The addition of Jenna Ortega works when she is working alongside her film mom, Winona Ryder. The chemistry between Ryder and Ortega is out of this world. They play the perfect mother-daughter combo that I wish the film explored more. Ortega fits perfectly into this little world that Burton has built, and it was a great casting choice. Another great addition to the cast was Willem Dafoe, who I won’t say much about his character, but he had me on the floor LAUGHING every time he was on the screen. He was my personal MVP of the movie.

The run time is smooth and crisp. I thought for sure this would be a cool two hours or even two hours and fifteen minutes. Thankfully, they kept it at a cool hour and forty-five minutes. Some moments felt like a drag, but for the most part, the film’s pacing worked for me.

What I didn’t like about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

The entire script felt absolutely unnecessary. Many of the storylines that weave all these characters together were just to get some of these ancillary pieces in the movie. In the third act, when they try to bring all the pieces together, it is so rushed they lose sight of the stories they spent the entire film building.

I wanted more from Lydia and Astrid. The two have great chemistry, but their relationship has not developed much beyond knowing that Astrid’s hatred for her mom is due to her father’s passing and career choices. It was a massive missed opportunity to let them soak up the screen doing anything besides what they were given.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Final Thoughts

I am 100% confident that audiences will soak up much of the fan service. Because of that, I give the movie a slight recommendation. If you are a fan of Burton, Keaton, Ryder, and Beetlejuice, you will enjoy this. Personally, it feels like a massive missed opportunity to build something special that could’ve been on par with the original. If you end up checking it out on the big screen, let us know how you feel about it in the comments below.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters on September 6, 2024