Nostalgia likely moved most of the people who have gone to the movie theaters these last few days to see “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” the sequel to the classic Tim Burton film.

On Sept. 6, 36 years after the release of “Beetlejuice,” Burton decided it was time to present a sequel. Again, starring Winona Ryder playing Lydia Deetz and Michael Keaton, who once again gives life – or death – to the character of Beetlejuice.

This new movie continues the macabre and funny story we already know, adopting again the stereotype of the typical family drama, but in this case, it is the young actress Jenna Ortega, who plays Lydia’s daughter, Astrid. She is a teenager who shows great rejection towards her mother and the eccentricities that characterize her.

Ryder’s character, however, is now a famous host of a paranormal stories television show, and her new partner, Rory, is the producer, a character who will do everything possible to displease the audience.

The film is full of chaos, as Lydia loses her first husband, she is tormented by her inner world and gets engaged to a man who wants her for her money. Her daughter Astrid, is distressed by the world around her throughout the first half of the film, until she meets a boy, who seems to treat her differently, something we are used to seeing in teenage dramas.

Although in this case, this is the reason why the teenager enters the world of the dead, and has to be saved by her mother, thus reviving the relationship between the two. A happy ending, which is not unexpected.

Although told with humor, there are moments during the film that cause the audience to feel somewhat lost. Several internal stories do not have a clear ending, or simply remain in the air: Astrid’s father, who appears to save them in the world of the dead without much sense, the entourage of workers that Beetlejuice now has called Bob who escapes to the world of the living and stay there, but mainly Delores, played by Monica Bellucci.

The new character seems to appear to embellish the film, playing the deceased and dismembered wife of Beetlejuice who pursues the desire to find him throughout the film, apparently to absorb his soul. There were subplots in the film that were not fully understood or realized.

On the other hand, the film experience always feels more fun in the cinema, even if there are films in which the big screen is more worthwhile than others. In this case,“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is worth it to pay to see it in a cinema rather than waiting for streaming platforms.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has a good cast of actors and a renowned director in Burton. The fact that several of the main characters are played by the same artists as in the 1988 film, has been an important factor in encouraging people who enjoyed “Beetlejuice” at the time, to want to experience the funny story between Lydia and the eccentric ghost again. Ortega (also known for her role as Wednesday Addams) is a solid choice to play the role of the tormented teenager.

Even though we don’t see anything new or extraordinary, it is a fun film in which the music, the colors, and, above all, the characteristics of the world created by the director more than three decades ago, create a pleasant time. The open ending leaves you wondering whether this series of films is now dead, or still has life ahead of it.

Tags:

---

About Ana Guerrero Ródenas

More articles by Ana Guerrero Ródenas