I believe that the movie industry’s biggest sin can be summarized in one word: sequels. Unnecessary follow-ups to a perfect ending. Or perhaps, the movie is such a desperate cash-grab that it doesn’t even know why it exists; a personal attack on everything the original movie stands for. Take “Jaws: The Revenge” for example. The original movie has one of the most impactful and historic endings in film. It had a very obviously closed ending. The shark literally explodes from the inside out and dies. Yet, for reasons no deeper than stuffing a fat cat’s pockets with money and satisfaction, a sequel was horrifically and meaninglessly created. 

So naturally, when I saw the trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice on its eventful release day, I did not join the crowd of nostalgia and excitement. Rather, I remembered the butchering of my favorite movies with sequels and remakes. I love the original Beetlejuice, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time and it makes me feel very sentimental. So while the trailer did give me goosebumps seeing Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton on the big screen together again, I felt like I had been wronged when Jenna Ortega appeared in my nostalgia train. There was the problem of Jenna Ortega, or at least what I thought was the problem.

When I watched Wednesday, and Scream, I felt like Jenna Ortega had nothing to offer performance-wise. For a while, I even believed she was an industry plant. However, by the end of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, I walked out smiling. Yes, I, a cynic of the entire movie industry, LOVED Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. I exited the theater fully believing that yes, good sequels to old movies can be made, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice proves it.

The movie was lacking in some parts, however. There were casting decisions that I didn’t agree with, the ending felt odd, and sometimes I felt like the subplots like the dead father or the hot-murder-ghost teen love interest were unnecessary (though I eventually understood at the end of the movie), but altogether I knew Tim Burton had a real reason to make Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. He clearly wanted to follow-up with the characters and continue the antics introduced in the first. The new cast all felt like they kept the first Beetlejuice close to their hearts, and the returning actors all clearly remembered how to portray and get into the mind of the characters they played all the way back in 1988.

The film follows Winona Ryder’s character, Lydia Deetz, now as a 52 year-old TV show host, as she deals with the troubling world of the undead and a demon whose name spoken three times brings shenanigans and trouble. However, she also struggles with being the single mother of Astrid Deetz, played by Jenna Ortega. When Betelguese (a character also known as Beetlejuice) is in trouble, and Astrid is lured into the world of the undead through a ghostly trickster, Lydia and Betelguese reunite as Lydia makes deals with the demon to rescue Astrid for Betelguese’s safety. Lydia herself is also handling a leech boyfriend who wants to tie the knot and get as much money out of her as possible. In this way, the movie purposefully ironically provides Betelgeuse as a better option for Lydia, even though he’s clearly the worst of the worst. The movie is filled with nostalgia, and an easy-to-follow, highly entertaining plot, told by the legendary director Tim Burton through a talent-packed cast. The practical and special effects also make the movie a joy to watch. 

Altogether, I would rate Beetlejuice Beetlejuice an 8/10 rating as a movie, but a 9/10 as a sequel. If you have the time, definitely go see it. It gave me the most compelling argument for the validity of sequels to older movies and was a great watch!