36 years after the original movie “Beetlejuice” came out, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was released on Sep. 6, 2024. Numerous fans were excited to see that the film brought back some of the original cast including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara. Coupled with the notable performance of the newly introduced actors such as Jenna Ortega, the movie brought a new perspective to the story that people adored.
This new perspective featured ghost television show host and mother, Lydia Deetz, and her family as they move back home due to a death in the family. The movie features how while living in their haunted home, the family is threatened in a myriad of ways by the afterlife and its inhabitants. As the movie progresses, it delves into deeper subjects such as family and new subplots that add complexity to the movie.
“It felt like there were too many subtopics that led to the final topic, but they didn’t really add up,” Paige Tomasello, freshman, said.Having watched the original and Broadway musical, Tomasello loves the “Beetlejuice” franchise. However, a common opinion on the movie was that the various subtopics disrupted the pacing of the movie.
“One character, Betelgeuse’s ex-wife… they just kind of, killed her off. Never really talked about her significance to the story,” Lillian Almeida, sophomore, said.
Despite this, many praised how the new movie did the original movie justice by portraying a well-thought-out, new representation. It even brings back the original well-known soundtrack style by Danny Elfman.
“I felt like it was definitely a good thing with nostalgia for people who grew up watching,” Leah Defalco, junior, said.
Despite being known for its comedy, the film also gives a different experience by being more grim than most comedy movies.
“A lot of plot twists. It’s a little dark, but it’s really good,” Ava Christie, sophomore, said.
Its use of dark humor and unexpected jokes was an element of praise for both movies, but some have pointed out a difference in the style of the humor from the way it was portrayed in the original film.
“I liked the original humor because I felt like it was more within character for someone [Betelgeuse] who’s been dead for that long, because he just doesn’t care anymore about what other people think,” Tomasello said.
The new movie also brought back many cinematic aspects of the original. The visual style was well-portrayed through the use of editing, design, color and costumes.
“It looked amazing,”Christie said. “They brought back Lydia and Betelgeuse’s original costumes from the wedding.”
The movie was a fascinating watch and should be recommended to those who are fans of the old movie or those who like its style of film. Some plot points should have either been removed or properly expanded upon since they made the pacing of the movie weird. It was still a great film overall, with wonderful execution and attention to detail.
