Written by: Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
Content Warning: This article contains spoilers.
The sequel to the 1988 cult classic “Beetlejuice” hit theaters Sep. 6, continuing the story 36 years later. Actors Winona Ryder, Jefferey Jones and Katherine O’Hara reprise their roles as members of the Deetz family, with Michael Keaton returning as the titular character.
Three generations of Deetz return to Winter River in the wake of a tragedy — the passing of Charles Deetz, the family patriarch played by Jones. Lydia, played by Ryder, is still haunted by Beetlejuice, and her life soon turns upside down when her daughter, Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega, opens a portal to the Afterlife.
Realizing she needs help navigating the Afterlife, Lydia summons Beetlejuice, who is attempting to stay hidden from his soul-sucking ex-wife, Delores, played by Monica Bellucci.
The film offers 105 minutes of hijinx, camp and a score by Danny Elfman, and in true fashion of its predecessor, Beetlejuice only appears on the screen for a total of 17 minutes, “He’s such a fun character to write, but he’s not the protagonist of the movie,” said writers and producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough. “It was tricky in terms of keeping the right balance. People love him so much. It’s called ‘Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice’ for a reason, so he needs to be essential to the movie. It makes you think harder about what those scenes are going to be, and what his contribution to the movie is. It feels incredibly satisfying, and like you’ve spent a lot more time with him than you think. That’s the magic trick of that character.”
The film’s reviews, however, vary between a love for the movie and a lamentation of the movie’s length.
“It takes way too long — nearly an hour of a 105-minute movie — for Beetlejuice’s actual story to emerge and for Keaton to take center stage again,” said ScreenCrush critic Matt Singer. Many fans also felt that Beetlejuice and Delores’ storyline felt tacked on and that the movie could have done without it.
However, those who loved the movie, like David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter, spoke of “zippy pacing, buoyant energy and a steady stream of laugh-out-loud moments” and how the actors “warm to dizzying lunacy.”“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” grossed $111 million domestically and $147 million worldwide on its opening weekend, and currently sits number nine on ScreenRant’s Top 10 Grossing Movies of 2024 So Far list, between “Twisters” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
