32/37
After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by the beetle juice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter Astrid accidentally opens a portal to the afterlife. Jenna Ortega, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci share why they’ll never forget filming Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. Tim Burton has said that this film would only be made if Michael Keaton returned to reprise his role. Keaton in 2014 in March said it was the only sequel he was interested in making. Lydia tells Astrid that Rory wants to get married at midnight on Halloween night. That would be November 1st, because midnight is the start of a new day, so it wouldn’t be Halloween anymore. Beetlejuice: I think that’s what Dostoyevsky said… Later, damn.. SPOILER: There’s a dedication in the closing credits about Bob Skinner, who died in the movie. In Late Night with Seth Meyers: Michael Keaton/Connor O’Malley (2024). MacArthur ParkWritten by Jimmy WebbPerformed by Donna Summer. Courtesy of Island Def Jam Music Group. I have Universal Music Operations Ltd. license. I admit, I went into this movie without any expectations, anticipation or nostalgia for the first movie. I wasn’t sure if this was going to be the movie for me, but as the movie started, the camera panned over the ground and the dark but light score played, I thought I might like it. In fact, the score and soundtrack were some of the highlights, even though it featured less Jokers and more The Addams Family. We’re introduced to a lot of fun and quirky characters old and new, including three generations of the Deetz family, but I love that the movie didn’t just repeat the first one. For example, while Lydia Deetz was quirky and sympathetic to the paranormal in the original film, her daughter Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega, is a skeptic and still manages to give off a Wednesday Adams vibe. When you think about it, of course the story had to go in a new direction, including the afterlife. She was quirky, funny at times and good looking. While the story can be overdone and actually predictable in places, it’s fine for what it is, but with a running time of an hour and 45 minutes, there’s a lot left to do. Overall, I had fun with Beetlejuice and it was better than I expected, and I’m sure it might attract some new fans. If you liked the first one, will you like this one too? I can’t say, but I wish this had been released closer to Halloween because it would have been easy, spooky fun.