The long-anticipated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was released in theaters September 6th. The Warner Bros. production follows the original cult-classic, Beetlejuice made in 1988. The movie garnered over 110 million dollars in box office revenue during its opening weekend, surpassing the film’s budget of 100 million. The film had many recognizable stars from the original, including Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton but also fresh faces like Jenna Ortega and Willem Dafoe.
The plot follows a grown-up Lydia Deetz, the main protagonist of the original film, portrayed by Winona Ryder. After Lydia’s father dies, her family returns to their hometown for his funeral where her teenage daughter Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega, meets a like-minded love interest. Lydia’s life is turned upside down when Astrid discovers a portal to the afterlife. The villain introduced in this story is Betelgeuse’s ex-wife, Delores, who is played by Monica Bellucci and is trying to get Betelgeuse back.
The film contained many half-baked plot lines that left the viewers unsatisfied. Virtually no consequences were given to any of the characters, with the main villain dying easily as well as any other conflict for the main characters. The backstory of Astrid’s father felt rushed and the idea that he was the only ghost Lydia couldn’t see was. Many parts of this movie felt far-fetched. Not the rising from the dead, but the relationships between characters, their motivations, and their unnatural naivety, considering they already have gone through this before.
The directors tried to replicate the signature charm of the first film, but their work felt like nothing more than a weak imitation. The main characters suffered the same treatment, beloved characters like Betelgeuse and Lydia felt like mere parodies. The poor production of this movie did not match its tremendous budget. Although their special effects were some of the only positive parts of the movie, many scenes felt cheap. The only redeeming qualities of this film were aspects based off the original film, which they still managed to mess up. Once again, the movie industry churned out another mediocre sequel instead of an original production.
