It’s been over 35 years since Michael Keaton first charmed audiences as the ghost with the most with his iconic black and white striped suit and alarmingly green hair and now he’s back for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. After the 1988 film gave way to an animated series, as well as a recent stage musical, it’s clear that audiences everywhere are still hungry for more of the bio-exorcist. So, after decades of back and forth on whether a sequel would ever be developed, the day has finally come.
The movie focuses on three generations of Deetz women – Delia (Catherine O’Hara), Lydia (Winona Ryder), and newcomer Astrid (Jenna Ortega) – returning to the old Winter River house following a family tragedy. And of course, it wouldn’t be a return trip home without accidentally summoning everyone’s favorite ghost and journeying to the Afterlife.
Following the sequel’s premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, one thing was clear: the (beetle) juice was worth the thirty-five-year squeeze: critics are raving over the return to the wacky mind of Tim Burton. Read on to find out what critics are saying about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Alex Harrison of Screen Rant praises the performances of the beloved and masterful Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara, staying true to their roots and perfectly stepping back into the shoes of their over-the-top characters:
“Beetlejuice and Delia are deployed just the right amount, each injecting the movie with their own flavor of chaos whenever things risk feeling stale. Watching these lauded performers is always a pleasure, but they also understand this project the best; their scenes are the closest the sequel gets to how its predecessor felt. But chasing that singular tone would’ve been folly. It’s better I can say that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice does its own thing – and that, more often than not, it works.”
Nicholas Barber of the BBC applauds the sequel’s stellar use of practical effects to feel at home, rather than leaning into modern CGI:
“The nicest surprise is that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is that rare thing, a big-budget comedy which is actually funny. The screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar is packed with knock-out punchlines, and Burton’s visual gags manage to be hilarious even while pushing the boundaries of how eccentric and macabre a Hollywood blockbuster can be. A key point is that instead of relying on CGI, he uses such practical effects as puppets, prosthetics and bucketloads of goo, all of which make the jokes both funnier and more disgusting.”
Mike Manalo from The Nerds of Color emphasizes that Tim Burton has returned to his wacky, gothic best, infusing an additional thirty years of his life experiences into the story:
“Burton stated in our roundtable that he could not have done this sequel in the immediate years following the first, and it makes sense why. Lydia’s wisdom and trauma is something that could only be properly captured by a director with the benefit of age and experience. Knowing what it’s like to be a parent at odds with a teen, as well as an adult that has gone through his own share of toxic or traumatic relationships has allowed Burton to infuse his characters — Lydia especially — with a sense of actual honesty and verisimilitude that would not have been possible for a Burton in his early 30s. It’s because of this sense of realism within the characters and their relationships with one another that the movie remains grounded, even when set within a sea of surreal visuals.
And that is what Burton does within Beetlejuice Beetlejuice that authentically recaptures the magic of his earlier films like, Edward Scissorhands. Characters feel genuine, relatable, and personal to who he is as a storyteller, as they take part in a story with the look and feel of a gothic fairy tale. Burton’s best work has always explored the best and worst aspects of humanity and life in a hilarious way, but with amazing and whimsical visuals and worldbuilding, and just like the first iconic film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice knocks this out of the park.”
While the comedic moments of the film will have you laughing out loud, David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter says the real shining, emotional moments are shared between Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega:
“Ryder goes beat for beat with Keaton as the yin of the movie to his rancidly irreverent yang. The actress transports us back to the enchanting screen persona of her late teens, not just in Beetlejuice but also in movies like Edward Scissorhands, Mermaids and Heathers, in which she radiated a singular mix of smarts, sweetness and innocence but was just as effective when she veered into darkness. As much as anything, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a poignant mother-daughter story, played with real heart by both Ryder and Ortega.”
For Ben Rolph of Discussing Film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is more than just a return to the nostalgia of the 1980s film – it’s a love letter to cinema history and Burton’s influences:
“One of the best things about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is how free and unafraid it feels. Tim Burton spices up the flow with peculiar sequences that pay tribute to stop-motion animation, horror, and more. One stop-motion sequence, in particular, disrupts the narrative by depicting a plane crash and a shark attack. Other experimental sequences work far better, like Betelgeuse explaining his dark past with Delores, which is shot in black-and-white with film grain as he describes their first encounter in Italian while using a muffled microphone. It’s a creative way of giving exposition that pays homage to early horror movies made by filmmakers like Mario Bava.”
The juice is loose again! Say his name three times and get your tickets to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in theaters on September 6.
