It’s been 36 years since the first “Beetlejuice” movie came out. But with the global hit Broadway musical, “Beetlejuice. The Musical. The Musical. The Musical,” there has been a new interest in the franchise. The highly anticipated sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which is PG-13, premiered on Sept. 6, slamming the box office and exceeding expectations.
With the help of the musical, a new generation of viewers has tagged along the journey of the Beetlejuice universe.This young audience, along with its hard-core fanbase, packed theaters this weekend and brought in $145.4 million in ticket sales.
With a nostalgic opening scene, viewers are pulled back into the Beetlejuice realm. I enjoyed the hypnotizing cinematography accompanied by the exciting imagination and mind of director Tim Burton. The movie is not only fresh but also has many references to the first film. Before I went to watch the continuation of the franchise, I had a Beetlejuice marathon. I watched the first movie, which I highly recommend watching to have a bit of a backstory, and on my way to the movies, I listened to the Broadway cast recording.
Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton phenomenally reprises his role as Beetlejuice. As the character Beetlejuice, who is very complex, talkative and rudimentary, Keaton transcends his role. He brings laughter that fills the movie theater and does a spectacular job portraying his most famous character.
The sequel follows actress Winona Ryder, who reprises her role as Lydia Deetz and her daughter Astrid Deetz, played by Jenna Ortega, going through their strange and unusual life. After many years of being frightened by the thought of reencountering Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz believes that she will never see him again.
The movie’s theme is all about family relationships. It is heavily portrayed between mother and daughter duo, Lydia and Astrid. It shows the hardships and challenges they face with grief and sharing emotions. The theme then continues throughout the whole movie, showing viewers the growth of their relationship and touching on the topic of the afterlife in a beautiful way.
The acting, the emotions, the animations and everything come together as one to make the long-awaited sequel of the “Beetlejuice” franchise extraordinary. Overall, it is really worth a watch as it covers the topic of grief, yet manages to have many comedic scenes.
