Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

"Recognize this puss?"
""Never seen that chick before in my life… or afterlife.""

As someone who is not a part of the Beetlejuice cult following, but a big fan of Jenna Ortega, Winona Ryder, and now Monica Belluci, I actually had a lot of fun seeing this one. While I, myself, am not part of the Beetlejuice cult, I did see it early before theatrical release with a bunch of cult followers. Perhaps if I didn't have the energy in the theater around me I wouldn't of had such a fun time, but I did, and it was really fun seeing everybody who has been a fan of the original film come together to enjoy what's on the big screen; that's what movies are all about, in my opinion, regardless of taste, genre, or age. 

A little all over the place, which is why I only gave it 3.5 stars as opposed to 4. While I had a great time watching, and all I asked for from this movie was a good time as someone who barely remembers the first film and needs to rewatch, the plot was lacking in some departments. There were also a lot of cinematic choices that I was confused about, along with some characters who I really failed to see how they contributed to the overall plot. 

In my own personal opinion, I actually liked the many sub-plots that were happening, but I know that some others didn't. Additionally, I also didn't mind seeing Monica Bellucci staple herself back together for probably what seemed like too long, but I can see how others would. There are some characters that I thought would play a bigger role, but didn't, resulting in me wondering why they were even added in the first place; again, I had fun though, so I really didn't mind because I was only there for a good time and appreciated all of the chaos that was going on. I think that Beetlejuice himself represents chaos, so it coincidentally happened to fit the vibes of the movie. 

I also really enjoyed seeing Winona Ryder on the big screen again, as well as Catherine O'Hara, in which they both absolutely killed their roles (no pun intended) and really made me appreciate who they are as actresses. It definitely sparked my love for Winona Ryder again, resulting in me building a list of her prior films that I need to go watch again. It was also great to see Jenna Ortega in her as-per-usual pessimistic, hating-everyone, tired-of-life archetype once again. 

As I've said in previous reviews, I'm not here to be a film critique, while I try my best to analyze and review films in-depth. I appreciate a fun, entertaining movie that only does just that as much as I enjoy the film that makes me think for days on end after seeing it. All I wanted from the sequel to the original Beetlejuice was a good time and being able to see some of the most iconic characters, as well as actors, on screen again, in which I got exactly what I wanted. It's a good time for all audiences, and the atmosphere in which I saw it only made it better. I think that the cast did an amazing job and I've really been enjoying the press for this release, which in of itself is a bonus. I wouldn't mind sitting down and rewatching, and I definitely think that this is going to be a yearly, Halloween-season watch in the future.