Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Legacy sequel time and fortunately there should be more smiles than frowns after a viewing of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Not only could you reward this with the best title for a legacy sequel but it also brings back Director Tim Burton and the main players from before (minus, understandably, the Maitland ghosts) and it also sticks lovingly in the playhouse of the original.

This is no modern retread but instead another absolutely batshit, weird and wacky film destined for cult classic status.

First up, it doesn’t make much sense to make a sequel. Despite the cast still looking miraculously young and the characters still being great, there wasn’t much plot to go on from before and there is an element of the actual story here feeling rather shoehorned in.

Even the first film is more a cult collection of set pieces and it is the clear weak element of this sequel, which does feel distinctly old-fashioned (for both good and ill) in the current cinema canon.

The first third of the film feels almost improv-like in its seemingly random tangents and, even though some threads of story are dropped and some villain arcs teased and suggested, nothing really pays off in any sort of deeply satisfactory way.

But that also isn’t really the point. We’re here to revel in the wackiness, the joy of Burton’s afterlife world and the icon status of its titular character.

Here it delivers with some standout performances from the returning Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara who are all met equally with new Burton favourite Jenna Ortega and a typically excellent Willem Dafoe, chewing scenery for fun here. Shout out to new favourite Bob as well who may be 2024’s Halloween costume du jour.

So it’s a Halloween cult classic in the making and every bit the equal of its older sibling, retaining the energy, tone, humour and creation. It’s a breath of fresh air in a modern cinematic landscape but isn’t necessarily a typically ‘good’ movie in the modern sense.

Definitely line it up for a yearly Halloween binge with the first one but don't hold you breath for a Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in the future.

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