Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), directed by Tim Burton, stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Arthur Conti, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and Burn Gorman. The film takes place 36 years after the events of Beetlejuice (1988) and follows the various members of the Deetz family after they reunite to mourn the death of one of their own. When Lydia’s (Ryder) skeptical teenage daughter, Astrid (Ortega), finds herself in some hot water, Lydia has no choice but to summon Betelgeuse (Keaton) for help once again. As expected, Betelgeuse’s wildcard antics threaten to shake things up completely – leading to a zany odyssey that threads the needle between life and death. 

Keaton steps back into the role of Betelgeuse with ease, proving once again just how irresistible the character continues to be to this day. It also helps that the script, regardless of its many missteps, at least gets the title character correct. I was happy to see that his creepy/funny/gross aspects are carried over from the previous film (even the ones I didn’t think would be). Whenever the movie inevitably starts to feel like a step down from the original, it always has Keaton to fall back on (and that’s not a bad thing). It also helps that Burton remembers how to use the character to his full comedic effect – creating inventive sequences that build to satisfying conclusions. 

Ryder is fun to see return in something that’s not Stranger Things-related, but her character doesn’t particularly stand out. Likewise, although it’s nice to see Ortega, she gives a somewhat dull performance. Thankfully, Catherine O’Hara’s return as Delia captures exactly what was so funny about her character previously. This, and the addition of Willem Dafoe as an undead noir-film actor save Keaton from having to carry the film completely on his back. 

Whenever Keaton is on screen, the movie is furiously fun. Everything else is unfortunately a bit dull and directionless. The character interactions are often aimless and the comedy not involving Betelgeuse regularly falls flat. This causes the movie to feel like much less of a perfectly streamlined experience than its predecessor. It also struggles similarly to other long-awaited sequels and features shameless callbacks to the original film. Granted, this isn’t as big of an offender as most sequels in this regard, but it’s still here and none of it works. When Burton focuses on creating original ideas/sequences, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice flies. 

Overall, this isn’t a long review, because honestly, I have little to say. Is it an amazing sequel? No. Is it pointless and insulting? No. It’s just kind of one of those movies that’s fun at the moment but isn’t very memorable. That being said, there’s something in terms of quality and creativity that elevates this slightly above most forgettable sequels: Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse. This is his show and I think it’s for the best. Let’s just hope we don’t get a Beetlejuice 3. I think this juice has been squeezed. B-