BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (USA 2024) *** ½
Directed by Tim Burton
Say the name BEETLEJUICE three times and Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton reprising his role as the titular character) will appear. In this sequel, the character is summoned not once but a couple of times. The second film of the franchise has finally appeared after many fans of the original BEETLEJUICE have summoned a sequel.
Director Tim Burton is a master craftsman in the gothic macabre comedy, evident again in this movie. He introduces all the characters at the film’s start and the funny macabre increases as the film progresses, while never disappointing.
The film’s prize is also the special effects, costumes and makeup. The weird-looking monster like Beetlejuice's right-hand man is Bob with a shrunken headband his cohorts are hilarious to watch. Another impressive segment is Monica Bellucci as Delores, a ghost who’s been hacked to pieces and is laying dormant in different boxes, putting her body parts together to form a complete whole using staples to connect her body parts together like her (sawed-off torso, legs and arms, face that’s been cut in half. She is after her ex, who is Beetlejuice who must escape her as she is desperately hunting him down. Beetlejuice is warned by a wannabe cop (Willem Defoe). Meanwhile, in the human world, Lydia, a gothic celebrity is trying to win back her daughter (Jenna Ortega) while bearing with her mother (Catherine O’Hara) and her annoying manager/fiance (Justin Theroux). The two worlds come together in a neat story that brings the family together while solving the Beetlejuice/Delores problem.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLE JUICE succeeds as a worthy sequel, hitting all the right notes, with a fresh new story involving all the old characters, complete with twists and keeping the spirit of the original intact complete with the use of the popular tune DAY-O seen at the beginning of the original.
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