A rare case where the legacy sequel far surpasses the shitty original. Unlike the first one, which was a total mess with its scattered plot, this one has a much better flow and actually brings something meaningful to the table—like the importance of living in the moment. I appreciated that.

There are still a few structural problems in the story, but overall, it moves along far more smoothly. The different storylines come together nicely at the end. While the conclusion feels a bit anti-climactic, it’s still pretty satisfying.

The movie does have its share of odd coincidences though too, like Beetlejuice’s wife coming back to life out of nowhere or running into Jenna Ortega’s dad in a random scene. And the fact that dead people seem to….die again? It was weird, but none of this really affected my enjoyment. It’s also strange that Danny Elfman composed the score, yet the film leaned heavily on soundtrack music. Why hire a legend only to fill the movie with songs you’d hear on the radio?

It was a little bittersweet seeing Michael Keaton. He wasn’t as energetic in the role, and it’s a reminder that age is catching up with him, kind of like Harrison Ford in The Force Awakens. He gives it his all, but he comes off more like an older guy trying to keep up. Jenna Ortega, on the other hand, didn’t leave much of an impression. Her performance felt super vanilla, like she wasn’t given much to work with. I also thought her character, or her boyfriend had died at one point, which was a decent twist but ultimately led nowhere important except a vague lesson about family or something along those lines.

All in all, it was a solid watch. Definitely better than the original. I’d probably watch it again if it happened to be on FX, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to seek it out.

2024 RANKED