Life keeps moving on, and the presence of loss only brings Lydia and Astrid closer together — resolving their tensions in the process. And hey, maybe in another decade or sooner than later, we’ll finally see Beetlejuice truly let loose in a film that states his name three times.

This review contains spoilers for the film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Resurrected from the dead is another decades-old Halloween classic, something that proves to be no surprise for 2024. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to the 1988 original finds Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara reprising their respective roles as Lydia and Delia Deetz. (The latter’s husband Charles, played by Jeffrey Jones, did not return and thus, had his absence explained away by the character’s death.) 

This time, however, Scream actress Jenna Ortega plays Astrid, who is dealing with both the grief of her biological father and the hereditary moodiness passed down from her mother, Lydia. They also exchanged the same closet. Rounding out the rest of the cast is Monica Bellucci as the titular character’s scorned ex-wife, Justin Theroux as Lydia’s new partner, and the ever-adorable creature called Bob. Of course, Michael Keaton is also back as the chaotic demon Beetlejuice. 

A few weeks ago, in preparation, I rewatched the film that started it all. At a runtime of 1.5 hours, I felt quite disappointed that there was once again barely any screen time for Keaton’s character, considering the film’s tension hinges entirely on his contribution. How are you going to have a movie named Beetlejuice, but only give the actual character only 17 minutes of being on-screen? Even by the time he is verbally summoned at the end, he disappears back to the underworld just as fast. 

By this measure, as the film was titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, you would have expected Keaton to have a significantly larger presence. And in some regards, he did. The performance didn’t waver from the original slightly-perverted nature of the uncontrollable man in the pinstripe suit, as he convinces Bob to don a disguise to keep Bellucci’s soul-sucking character off his scent. 

However, the film quickly became bogged down by all the new characters whose plot lines never fully felt fleshed out. As one example, Astrid finds herself falling in love with a boy, who winds up being the ghost of a murderer that convinces her to swap her living soul. And sure, they mention his name, but we don’t really get much beyond that once Lydia rescues her. It all begins to feel like time wasted that could have been providing some eerie gags or even exploring Beetlejuice’s past a little bit more. (We discover that he was once a human before his first wife got her hands on him.) 

There is only so much you can try to cram into a film of a similar runtime. By the time Bellucci reappears to interrupt Beetlejuice’s attempt to marry Lydia again, it doesn’t even feel special — because so much has happened since then. The movie felt like it wanted to pull itself in all directions, except the one it should have primarily focused on. Is it about Beetlejuice continuing to torment Lydia and have their history introduced to her daughter Lydia? It should have been! However, director Tim Burton wanted to show off his girlfriend and who can blame the guy? Bellucci’s scene of stapling herself back together has made the rounds of virality on TikTok, so if that’s what they were aiming for, the job worked. 

All of that said, the film doesn’t fully explore all the themes present, but it does do a decent job of addressing the throughline of grief. Astrid wants nothing more than to reunite with her father, making it a sweet moment when she and Lydia find him again. Delia has just lost her husband. And, by the end, Lydia has to come to terms with the passing of her own mother at the hands of venomous snakes. 

Life keeps moving on, and the presence of loss only brings Lydia and Astrid closer together — resolving their tensions in the process. And hey, maybe in another decade or sooner than later, we’ll finally see Beetlejuice truly let loose in a film that states his name three times.

Grade: B-

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design
Should be Considered: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design

Where to Watch: In Theaters