New “Beetlejuice” thrills with spooky nostalgia
As a big fan of the cult classic “Beetlejuice,” I was ecstatic to go see the sequel and although it was a great time, it doesn’t compete with the original. Once I heard that most of the original cast would be reprising their roles, I knew that the movie would be a nostalgic piece that would be fun no matter what. This film, set 36 years after the original, had a modern feel to it all while still maintaining that Tim Burton flourish of unique-ness and fun. Jenna Ortega was the perfect addition to the cast and fit right in with the Deetz family, making the perfect daughter to Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz with her moody teenage angst. Ryder really embraces an older and more mature ver-sion of the Lydia we knew from the first movie with the added aspects of a troubled past and being a mother. Catherine O’Hara brings Delia Deetz in the funniest way possible. Her hilarious comebacks and witty re-marks had the whole theater laughing. I was most excit-ed that Michael Keaton was returning to play Beetlejuice again and he certainly deliv-ered. His portrayal of the beloved ghost, even after all these years, still felt fresh and funny all while still maintaining the nostalgia from the first movie. I will say that the plot of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is more well-rounded than the first movie and it takes place in more settings than just the house and underworld which gives it more dimen-sion. There’s been a lot of mixed reviews about “Bee-tlejuice Beetlejuice,” but personally I think it was such a great continuation of the original and it even ties up some open ends like what happened to Barba-ra and Adam. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was such a fun follow up that pays homage to the original film and is a great movie for anyone who loves silly, spooky movies.
