Beetlejuice Sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Delivers Quirky, Spooky Ghoulish Eye-Popping Fun

A horror comedy that is as quirky, spooky ghoul eye-popping fun as it’s iconic original 1988 award-winning Tim Burton-directed film, Beetlejuice. It’s sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is a pretty solid sequel. That has Michael Keaton in the title role and what is still his most iconic performance of his acting career. Still as funny, witty and devilishly possessed with the real world as his trickster demon was 36 year’s ago. While also teaming up Burton and Keaton once again to show they haven’t lost a freakishly ghoulish step together as well.

Burton and Keaton aren’t the only ones to return from the original film either. As the iconic Oscar-nominated Winona Ryder returns to her own iconic role as, Lydia Deetz, and two-time Emmy winner Catherine O’Hara as brilliant as she was in the original, returns to her also iconic role as Lydia’s stepmother, Delia Deetz. While newcomer Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s estranged teenage-angst goth daughter, Astrid, is one of several new characters introduced.

The new film mostly centering on the estrangement between both mother and daughter that was wedged mainly from Lydia not being able to see Astrid’s dead dad. As she continues to see ghosts like she did in the original, but also cashes in on it now as a famous celebrity paranormal physic TV host. That is also still haunted by, Beetlejuice. While Rory, who is played by Justin Theroux, is her clingy boyfriend TV producer that wants to try keeping the visions flowing at any and all costs. Which is one of several reasons why Astrid hates his guts and considers her mother a total fraud since she can see other spirits, but can’t conjure up seeing her dead father.

Within the first minutes of the film we find out from Delia, who’s now a famous performance artist that her beloved husband and Lydia’s step-dad, Charles, has been killed in a plane accident. As she weepingly and tragically calls Lydia with the sad news. That leads to the three generations of the Deetz family having to return to the famous haunted family home in Winter River, Connecticut for the funeral. That also inspired Lydia’s fame from the original 1988 film and still houses in the attic, the detailed model of the quaint village, where Beetlejuice used to hang out until you said his name three times.

While Lydia still continues to be haunted by Betelgeuse, who decades after trying to trick her into marrying him. Now works as the boss in the afterlife’s complaint call center and still has his sights squarely on trying to marry her and once again escape into the realm of the living. He has his own problems too. As we find out that soul-sucking Delores played by Monica Bellucci, who is the leader of an undead death cult who’s Frankensteined her dismembered body back together that we are introduced to slightly earlier in the film. Is on a mission of revenge against, Betelgeuse. That we eventually learn was married to him year’s ago.

Of the newcomers to the franchise, famed Oscar nominated legendary actor, Willem Defoe, is absolutely brilliant and easily the best new character. Virtually stealing the show with his performance as Wolf Jackson. An over-the-top Afterlife cop with half his skull blown off that was a B-list action movie star before becoming a detective in the afterlife. His good cap, bad cap routine and clever satirizing of method acting. Plus his perfect deft comic timing are what makes his character so brilliant and why aside from Keaton’s once again brilliant turn as the title character. He got the most laughs from the audience in the theater that are sure to make his character a fan favorite among movie-goers in much the same way his turn as the Green Goblin did for him in Spider-Man.

One of the things that makes, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, so good is once again having an absolutely brilliant score from Oscar-nominated composer, Danny Elfman. Who like having Harry Belafonte singing, Day-O, as the signature riff in the original film, does it a few times here. But more focused on Donna Summer’s 1979 pop hit, MacArthur Park, as more that here for the long-awaited sequel. Fans of the first film will also love how Burton brilliantly echoes things like once again having certain characters like Shrunken Head Bob, and the Sandworm. Plus the, Handbook for the Recently Deceased. That is once again integral to the story. Whether it be Betelguise reluctantly out of desperation being summoned by Lydia to try to help save Astrid from the Afterlife after she’s tricked into giving up her soul to be able to see her father again or the climax that can help both, Lydia and Astrid, finally repair their broken relationship. That made them both make so many bad decisions before that.

With much of his same crazy checkerboarded, sandworm-infested wackiness to the wait line of the Afterlife from Burton already in place. The funny and groovy soul train being a play on the actual popular TV show that started in the 70’s. Is a nice funny and brilliant add-on too.

For as much as, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, recaptures the ghoulish fantasy world with eye-popping visual effects, quirky morbid humor, physical gags and verbal zingers. That the iconic original 1988 award-winning film did. There is also a few downsides to this long-awaited sequel that could have made it better. Such as the plot needing to be better and more unique. Plus some of the same unhinged, kooky magic that made the first one so brilliant and iconic definitely not as prevalent in this new one. Which you could tell and there could be more of.

Overall, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is a pretty solid sequel to the long-awaited original iconic 1988 film though. That the main storyline between Ryder and Ortega as Lydia and Astrid, is at the heart of showing how death can literally pull you apart from the living and one another. While at the same time eventually repairing a broken relationship and heart to bring you closer together. To live life among the living more than ever before.