*Spoiler Alert*

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” came to theaters September 6, 2024 and is incredibly popular with audiences as well as a box-office success. It is a sequel to the original 1988 film. It follows Lydia Deetz, with Winona Ryder renewing her role, and her teenage daughter Astrid, played by Jenna Ortega after the death of Lydia’s father, Charles. When Beetlejuice’s ex-wife (Monica Bellucci) comes back from the dead and Astrid finds a portal to the afterlife, paths cross between Lydia, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), and the rest of the family when they have to go to the afterlife to save Astrid. 

This movie explores the themes of mother-daughter relationships through Lydia and her daughter, Astrid, and shows the effects of losing a family member and how it can make you more susceptible to manipulation. Both Lydia and Astrid parallel each other in the movie, with Lydia being manipulated by her new boyfriend and Beetlejuice, and Astrid being tricked by a new friend.

The movie, directed by Tim Burton, is visually interesting, as are all of Burton’s other films. It uses similar artistic scares to the original movie, such as the sandworm and the fake organs, but does manage to modernize some things such as the visual look of the afterlife as well as the special effects. It still keeps the same colorful tone and magic of the original. 

If you are a fan of the original movie, then you would most likely enjoy this reboot! It plays off of many gags from the original, so if you haven’t seen it then the reboot might seem hard to follow. It is a perfect movie to see during the Halloween season, and if you like spooky and weird things, this would be right up your alley!