Movie Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2 Is A Nostalgic Hit

There is something inherently nostalgic Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and it is not simply that it is a 1980s classic. More than its iconic characters, it is a testament to a lighthearted kookiness that does not feel common in the current movie landscape. If anything, it feels divided between deep, indie films and Marvel, of which Netflix rises to give us the occasional, breathy easy to turn on film. Yet, there was a time where all films held that fun briskness, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice reminds us of that era. 

Out September 6, it is hard not to recommend this film with some gummy worms in your popcorn bucket. The storyline is simple: Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) has a daughter that judges her as much as she judged her step-mom Delia , but when she meets a boy… let’s just say Mommy and Beetlejuice know best. To be honest, the film felt rather quick for how much I enjoyed seeing it characters back and actually working together. Similar, to the cartoon more than the film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has our protagonists actually building a cooler, friendlier dynamic that I wished was more explored just because it was so fun. 

Michael Keaton is such an iconic actor, and does not get praised enough for his natural versatility. He’s the only man that can play a predatory, 600 year old demon that has stalked a woman for 30 years of her life, since she was a teenager, and make me say, ¨He’s horrible, but he does have some heart.¨ That, in part, was what was so delightful from a rather funny, always outlandish film: it revealed that the years has only made everyone maturer about how they give and receive love. Ryder´s Lydia is softer, and trying to maneuver what it means to empower a daughter that lost her father and is about to get a new one: Justin Theroux as the perfectly detestable Rory.  Meanwhile, her scenes with Catherine O´Hara´s Delia are some of the best of the film: proving that, like wine, a mother-daughter dynamic ages so well with the grapes of understanding. As for the new characters, they do not stay behind. 

Even though Monica Bellucci´s Delores was not, necessarily, the most necessary character, when ever she appeared with her beauty and a banging soundtrack in the backdrop, all I wanted to scream was ¨Yes, QUEEN!.¨ SIDE NOTE: the soundtrack was PHENOMENAL, and added a lush layer of camp to the film, along with Willem Dafoe´s performance as a dead, noir actor named Wolf Jackson. Overall, It was fun to see Jenna Ortega bust a rhythmic move, and show that she is absolutely amazing at emanating feelings without uttering a word. She stands her own in a cast of exceptional actors and beloved characters, and assures that Astrid does not become a stereotypical, annoying teen. Instead, she, like her mom, has edge that, unfortunately, is bladed by grief. Yet, the hallmark of Tim Burton films is not their signature, goth aesthetic, which was awesome to see. It is that amidst its cold, gloom is an undeniable colorfulness and warmth that show, like Beetlejuice, even the dark can have its moments of light.