Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ★★★☆☆
Tim Burton’s return to the afterlife with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is like catching up with an old friend who hasn’t changed a bit in 36 years—which is both comforting and, let’s be honest, a little stale. While the movie offers heaps of nostalgic fun, it’s not without a few hiccups that make you wonder if it couldn’t use a good exorcism of its own.
The film picks up with Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder, still a beacon of goth perfection), now a mother, trying to keep her sanity as her rebellious teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) stirs up trouble. Predictably, Astrid accidentally unleashes Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) from his dusty underworld prison, plunging the family into another round of chaos. This time, Beetlejuice is as delightfully gross and inappropriate as ever, while a slew of new ghostly hijinks threaten the Deetz family, both in the land of the living and the afterlife.
At its undead heart, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice remains a tale of family, identity, and belonging—wrapped in a cacophony of eccentric Burton-esque visuals. It touches on generational angst, with Lydia’s battle to connect with her daughter mirroring her own youthful rebellion, but don’t expect too much emotional depth. Much like its spectral protagonist, this movie doesn’t concern itself with growing or evolving; it’s more interested in letting the freak flag fly. And fly it does, with gags and absurdities galore.
Tim Burton is in full “let’s play dress-up” mode here. The film revels in the grotesque, with gaudy set pieces, oodles of practical effects, and a return to the hand-crafted zaniness that made his earlier work so beloved. It’s fun to see Burton lean back into that DIY aesthetic, with everything from puppets to Danny Elfman’s familiar score working overtime to deliver a world that feels both chaotic and carefully curated. But there’s a certain overstuffed quality, as if Burton is trying to pack in every visual gag he can think of, at the cost of the film’s coherence.
Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice hasn’t lost a step—he’s still the obnoxious, scene-stealing ghost with the most. Keaton chews through the scenery with ghoulish delight, and Winona Ryder’s return as a now-older Lydia brings a certain wearied charm. But it’s Jenna Ortega as Astrid who stands out, capturing that angsty teen vibe with just the right amount of sarcasm and heart. The chemistry between the cast is solid, even if the new additions, like Justin Theroux’s slimy TV producer, feel a bit undercooked.
Here’s where things get a bit dicey. The film is crammed with subplots, from Astrid’s ghostly encounters to Lydia’s complicated love life. Unfortunately, the constant hopping between realms and characters makes for a somewhat disjointed experience. Some of the best moments, like Beetlejuice’s chaotic antics or Astrid’s budding ghost-hunting skills, don’t get the room they need to breathe. As a result, the film feels both overlong and underdeveloped, as though it can’t quite decide which story it wants to tell.
Watching Beetlejuice Beetlejuice feels like stepping into a time machine, whisking you back to the days when Burton’s weird, whimsical take on the macabre was fresh and exciting. There’s an undeniable pleasure in revisiting these characters and the universe they inhabit, but at the same time, I found myself wishing for a bit more. It’s the cinematic equivalent of wearing your old prom tux—fun for a while, but eventually you realize it doesn’t quite fit the way it used to.
For fans of the original, this sequel delivers enough visual and comedic delights to make it a worthwhile watch, but it doesn’t quite capture the full magic of its predecessor. It’s a fun, messy romp that’s more about revisiting the past than offering anything new. If you’re a Burton enthusiast or just in the mood for some campy supernatural chaos, you’ll likely get a kick out of it—but don’t expect any groundbreaking revelations. As Beetlejuice himself would say: it’s showtime, but maybe not a full standing ovation.
