Beetlejuice 2 Review: An Unnecessary Sequel With A Side Of Nostalgia

“Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” This name blew up the box office charts back in 1988 when Michael Keaton appeared on screen as the wisemouthed ghoul. After Beetlejuice was sent back to the afterlife in the first movie nobody expected to see a sequel. However, after 36 years, Beetlejuice is back with an uncalled-for sequel called Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Initially, when the trailer was released I was really hyped to watch this sequel in the theaters but as I did, it left me with a truckload of mixed feelings. So, in this review, let’s talk about Beetlejuice 2.

Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

What Is Going on in Beetlejuice 2?

Beetlejuice 2 takes us to a grown-up Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) who is now a renowned TV star for her ability to talk to and see ghosts. However, in the past few weeks, she has seen glimpses of Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) around her. A few minutes into the movie, we see her step-mom Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) call her and tell Lydia that her father had passed away in a plane crash in the ocean where even though he survived the crash, he was killed by a shark.

Then we are introduced to Astrid (Jenna Ortega) Lydia’s daughter, Astrid resents her mother a lot since she believes her to be a fraud and does not believe in spirits or ghosts. The three women go back to Winter River to hold the funeral where Astrid meets a boy named Jeremy (Arthur Conti) who turns out to be a ghost and tricks her into swapping her life with him so that Jeremy can come back to the land of the living. Now, Lydia has no other option except to call back Beetlejuice to help save Astrid from dying.

Beetlejuice 2 Is a Huge Clutter in Itself

The plot of Beetlejuice 2 in totality is pretty straightforward. However, there are so many elements in the movie that make no sense at all. First off, we are introduced to Beetlejuice’s Ex-Wife Delores (Monica Bellucci) who is a “Soul Sucker”. Essentially, she can kill-kill anyone in the afterlife by taking away their soul. Now, she is after Beetlejuice to take away his soul. However, she does not find him till the very end of the movie and is killed by a sandworm.

William Dafoe takes up the role of Wolf Jackson, who was an actor but when he died and came to the afterlife, he became a detective. He is shown investigating the deaths caused by Delores. His character was there for what we can call “Just Because”. His total screen time was less than 10-12 minutes and it was a similar case with Monica Bellucci.

These characters were unnecessary in the plot of the movie and just made it feel very cluttered. The screen time given to them could have easily been used to make the story of Beetlejuice 2 much better and more detailed. The movie was ultimately very chaotic and not in a good way. The first Beetlejuice movie was chaotic as well, but it had a steady flow of plot and the chaos in the movie was purely on screen, but made complete sense in the viewer’s mind which is not the case with Beetlejuice 2.

The Visuals Stays True to Its Legacy but Could Have Been Better

One of the defining factors of the OG Beetlejuice movie was the visuals used in the movie. The cartoonish and wicked visuals, people with weird makeup, and prosthetics gave Beetlejuice the element of humor it aimed towards without being too obvious. Beetlejuice 2 does it as well, however, it seems as if Tim Burton wanted to keep the visual appeal of this aspect similar to the first movie and still hold the 90’s element in there.

The issue I have with this is that these visuals could have been made better. In an attempt to keep it as close to the original material as possible, Beetlejuice 2 has downgraded the quality of visuals concerning what people would expect to see in a movie released in 2024.

However, Beetlejuice 2 Still Holds the “Beetlejuice” Essence

One thing I liked about Beetlejuice 2 was how it upholds the basic theme and essence that makes a Beetlejuice movie a…well…Beetlejuice movie. Michael Keaton is phenomenal as Beetlejuice once again and it seems as if he has not aged a bit by the energy and charm he plays the character. Beetlejuice 2 also gives us a choir version of Day-O previously heard in Beetlejuice multiple times.

The jokes Beetlejuice cracks are still as unhinged as they were in the original movie. On top of that, the weird magic Beetlejuice does on people is still as humorously weird and the one thing he does to Lydia when he is called upon the first time might be a bit disturbing for some viewers too. The practical gore effects are as gnarly as they were and overall, even with its flaws, you will get the basic essence you would expect while watching a Beetlejuice movie.

So, Is Beetlejuice 2 Worth Watching?

Okay, so in all honestly, this is a very tricky question. If you are someone who has been a fan of Beetlejuice for a very long time, you can watch the movie but it might disappoint you a bit so don’t keep your expectations too high when you walk in to watch this movie.

Another problem with Beetlejuice 2 is that it would make no sense to you if you had not watched the first Beetlejuice movie. Now, if you are someone who does not enjoy movies made in the 80s and 90s you will not be able to sit through Beetlejuice. And if you didn’t watch the first movie, the new one will not make any sense at all. However, for people who have watched the original one, this movie is most definitely a nostalgic trip but as I said before, if you keep your expectations too high, you will be disappointed. So, now is Beetlejuice worth watching? The answer is yes if you are familiar with the original one, and no if you are not.