Note: I watched it in a press screening.

The one good thing about these reboots and sequels is that they kinda force me to watch the original films before I get to them. And so in preparation, I watched the original Beetlejuice classic. And somehow, it didn't stick to me. While I appreciated the creativity they put into the art design, it wasn't that well structured, and other than Lydia Deetz, it didn't make me feel like any of the characters are notably likable - Beetlejuice himself included. But, I was willing to come to this movie with an open mind, as I believed such a movie in modern times could actually work. I was also promised it would be a lot more fun, and so I gave it a chance. And it turns out, they were actually right.

This sequel, coming 36 years after the first one, is actually and undoubtedly a better film. It's a better Beetlejuice film to be exact. The main reason for that is that this film allows itself to incorporate much more of the wacky world of the recently deceased hand-crafted by Tim Burton, making it an actual thrill ride of a film, which is what this whole concept should've been from the beginning. I think the best way to describe it would be zany. While I would also say that this film is not perfect, and I do have some critiques about it, I can say that I generally had a fairly enjoyable experience.

The script definitely has its high and low points, where its high points are mostly in colorful rooms, filled with bizarre-looking creatures. The low points are those grounded in reality, especially those not featuring the film's strong actors. You can go from a laugh-filled scene to a rather dull occurrence, and you'd still find the entire thing to fill you with happy vibes, but these moments are moments to take into consideration, managing you expectations of a non-stopping train of laughs - for a rather Israel Railways train of laughs.
I would say this film does a very good job delivering the vibes of a classic 80s film, and despite taking place in modern days with today's technology, it intends to have the same warm and small-scaled atmosphere of the first one, not going over the top in the sake of CGI abilities or budget for a grand adventure in the real world. You can believe it never went beyond the boundaries of the original town's small-scaled model at that attic.

The film works so well largely due to the amazing acting of, once again, Winona Ryder, who returns to her iconic role as Lydia Deetz, now as an adult. Even with all the time passing and her having a different position in the narrative, she is able to carry this movie with her impressively believable impressions and reactions, selling us both as the dark character who believes in ghosts but is terrified of Beetlejuice, and as a fitting adult-version continuation to the character we learned to know in the original. Her dedication to the role really sells the adventure and makes it fun to see, and it wouldn't be the same without her.

Michael Keaton returns to his classic character of Beetlejuice, and this script actually gives us much more of his day-to-day business which he incorporates his randomness into. We enjoy a whole lot of wacky and random humor in the weird and colorful realm of the dead, and with them cutting his crude humor in favor of a little more creepiness and a whole lot more comedy, we come to learn he is a pretty fun character to hang out with - especially when straight faces around him are terrified by his behavior. Despite not liking him in the original, he definitely shines here, and you can really see Keaton had a lot of fun filming each and every scene.

Even supporting actors get to enjoy their time here, and that energy is transferred to every viewer watching, every bit of wackiness feels simply fun. Catherine O'Hara gets to go beyond the typical role of a generic fancy stepmother, and drives several great jokes into the narrative of the film, serving as the relatively grounded counterpart to Lydia's concerns - only to be ridiculed for her passion towards her laughable art ideas. Willem Dafoe also had a new character introduced, that allowed him to goof off even in his old age, and to also have some self-referring comedy about Hollywood. He was able to provide his scenes with the exact blend of seriousness and cockiness required for his character, that despite having a very small role, turned out to be a standout in the grand scheme of things. And also, a small cameo would be very fun to watch, that's all I'm gonna say.

Now, about Jenna Ortega... regardless of her political opinions, I don't really find her a really good actress, not in this project to say the least. She is described in-world as morbid and dark, but her character, Astrid, is nothing close to the levels of darkness shown by Lydia in the original or even her Wednesday Addams. To me, she looked very much like a normal moody teenage girl, feeling quite unrelated to the atmosphere of the movie. She got a couple of scenes with another, normal-looking actor, and I think her reactions and general acting in these scenes were anything but cinema-worthy. Looked quite amateur if you ask me. In other scenes, she just looked like a generic teen, nothing as motivated toward darkness or wackiness as the film required.

Some other supporting characters also didn't feel like they enhanced the experience for the better. Justin Theroux's Rory, introduced as Lydia's supposed new boyfriend, was probably needed in the story for the sake of contrast, but I felt his lines were designed to make him insufferable. This is fine, I believe, but as his insufferably is present throughout a large chunk of the film, it made most of the scenes featuring him less likable than they could've been, which annoyed me in times when I just wanted to go back to the wacky underworld.
Arthur Conti was also included in the role of a teen, who, it seems like, has only one acting expression and it is being a smug young adult, with a chuckling tone and all. Even other scenes, featuring him in an environment that would've justified a different personification, were wasted on him being a generic smug guy. He wasn't able to convince me he was a true representation of his character on paper.
Monica Bellucci is also introduced as a soul-sucker seeking revenge on Beetlejuice, but overall, her inclusion had no important impact on the story, and I feel they either couldn't have her role pay off properly, or that she was an excuse for a filler. Either way, investing some scenes in introducing her and talking about her turned out to be for nothing. And even more than it being a mild bummer, I believe it could've been cut entirely and nothing major would change, so I wonder why it didn't.

When it comes to technical details, this film excels. Set designs, props designs, and special effects take Tim Burton's creative mind to a new level, with a whole lot of respect for the classic methods of stop-motion animation and live puppetry. Some things enjoyed the benefits of CGI advancements, but a whole lot of it was very obviously practical to an amazingly creative degree. Standouts in this regard are his employees - Bob and the others - who have large bodies and suits but tiny heads, which are actual characters in costumes, providing comedy without any words at all. Truly unique, and definitely a bold decision for a modern film, which I personally adore and support, and would love to see more of.
The same goes for Danny Elfman's original score, which I think accompanied the feature very, very well. The opening titles tune really introduced me again to the tones I should expect, and multiple locations and scenes had their own, unique music that simply felt natural, enhancing the presented events to a cinematic level.
I can't say the same for most of the licensed music that is rarely used in scenes designed specifically for them, which while still being in the tone of Beetlejuice, I couldn't see myself enjoying them more than a normal degree, so when they were extended for large sequences, I found myself not enjoying them and those scenes as much as originally intended.

I truly think that this is one of the rare occasions where if someone would ask me "Did this movie really justify a sequel?", I would say "Actually, yeah!". Despite the original's classic status, which I have yet to learn the true reason for other than its release date, I think the original film doesn't stand the test of time and would not work very well in a common rewatch these days, for both young and old. The sequel, however, is an amazing adaptation of the Beetlejuice world into a full adventure that never feels restrained and sets people's expectations early on with funny scenes throughout the entire runtime, I am sure it'll be a favorable Halloween classic by itself in no-time, and likely be a film young people would deliberately like to rewatch occasionally. It's that much fun.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (I'm not saying it a third time!) is the film the original Beetlejuice always should've been, and it definitely brings a new wacky, and enjoyable life into a relatively old franchise. It has some minor issues that can be addressed and recognized, but the viewer would easily disregard them as he is taken back into the zany underworld shortly after, without being able to expect his next his next random quirk. Winona and Keaton put a lot of care into the modern versions of their classic characters, and it definitely paid off, as people will likely find these versions more enjoyable than previously offered. Burton's touch is felt in every small detail, even after all this time, and I expect audiences of all ages to enjoy the ride alongside these characters - as it feels like a timeless creation, that doesn't seem like it's going to die anytime soon.

(Rated as a high 3.5/5, like 7.5/10)