Bitelchús Bitelchús

The wife and I were disappointed today when we watched the movie. It appeared that the writers were trying to be funny at times however they were just silly. One scene towards the end just kept going and going until it became boring and monotonous. The story line was average at best. The acting was good however the script was as predictable as stale beer. Instead of 1:45 run time they could have cut 20 minutes out of the movie and it would have had no impact on the story at all. The best character in the opinion of my wife and myself was "Bob", the shrunken head character from the original movie.

Beetlejuice, specifically Beetlejuice, and maybe Bob, were the only decent things about this sequel. The original Beetlejuice is legendary, and I'm going to pretend this one doesn't exist because, seriously, come on. 🤔 The sequel just didn't capture the magic of the original. The charm, wit, and unique style that made the first movie a classic were missing. It felt like a cash grab rather than a genuine attempt to continue the story. Fans of the original will likely be disappointed. It's a shame because there was so much potential. Hopefully, future projects will do better justice to the legacy of Beetlejuice.

Like many other GenXers who was a goth in highschool, the original Beetlejuice was (and still is) among one of my favorite films, and I had high hopes for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Visually and aesthetically, I was not disappointed; the film captured the blue-filtered, twisted atmosphere of the original afterlife effortlessly, including character design, and it was nice to see some claymation and good practical effects again. The writers did their best at making an excuse for Jeffrey Jones not to appear, I think the best they could given the circumstances, but given that he was a key character in the original it felt odd how much they kept the character at arms' length during the film. My main misgiving, however, was the sardine-can storyline. There were far too many side stories happening at once throughout the course of the film, making the new characters who were introduced feel superficial and consequently unrelatable and even forgettable to the audience. Shoehorned in was significantly more song and dance than the original, which make the film feel almost more like a macabre variety show than a story to sit and watch, unlike the original where there were outbursts of noise and activity but needed pockets of silence, melancholy and creepiness. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was missing these bits of reprieve, instead being a constant merry-go-round of noise and activity. Although there was a good bit of throwback references and fan service, this film just felt like it was trying to be everything to everyone at once, and as a result misses the charm and tone of the original. In summation, it has the look but is missing the heart.

As a big fan of the original, it pains me to say that the long-awaited sequel is a dull, scattered mess. There are too many storylines unfolding in this movie and not all of them are interesting enough to make us care. It's fun to see Michael Keaton reprising one of his most famous roles. He slips back into that striped suit like he hasn't missed a beat. But the movie doesn't really come alive (or become undead?) until the last third of the film. That's when the pace ramps up and the laughs start flying in rapid-fire fashion. By then, it's too late.

The original Beetlejuice was perfection. The sequel is a good example of why people say perfection is something you shouldn't mess with.

If you know the original then you will very likely be disappointed with this film, which suffers from a poor storyline and chaotic script - it's a big, high energy mess of a film.

The biggest problem is that unlike the original it lacks any sympathetic characters. Adam & Barbera were established early and were the catalyst for what was to follow. The 2024 version has no such characters meaning that the catalyst is missing along with any reason for the audience to invest in and care for any shallow characterisations, with the possible exception of Bob.

There are no "moments" in the 100 minute long presentation, nothing with the potential to become classic quotable scenes unlike the original which was peppered with them.

Keaton, Ryder and O'Hara are all criminally under used and struggle with a poor script which left my cinema quiet throughout and with an equally quiet shuffle as people headed out the doors.

You may get something from the movie and I genuinely hope you do, but lower your expectations before the lights dim.