Kaisersoze’s review published on Letterboxd:
36 years ago I was a massive fan of Beetlejuice as a kid. I'm not sure whether, like most too-long gestating sequels, this one has simply lost its magic, or whether I've changes so much in those three and half decades that this type of thing no longer lands with me.
I suspect it's both.
Which is to say, I'm willing to own my part in this, but there is no doubt that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is over-stuffed with so many ideas that it cannot do them all justice. The pacing is off with the set-up taking too long, before the second half warps to ludicrous speed, jumping between the various plot threads without allowing any of them to breathe. There are vengeful undead, shonky boyfriends, first loves, mother-daughter issues, an obsessed "cop" ... and that's before we even factor in the title character himself. Which is to say a major issue with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is there's not enough 'Guese being loose.
Some of the visuals are fun, the character design of the new citizens of the afterlife are fantastic (rubber fish aside), and the way the film steps around re-casting Jeffrey Jones is pretty clever. But Michael Keaton is the star of the film and I wish the script they landed on had have done a better job of putting him front and centre. Willem Dafoe also gets very short thrift in a thanklessly over the top role.
In line with the above, I also wish the way the villains were dealt with in this film felt more earned for their actions.
But look, the other long-terms fans of Keaton and Beetleguese seem to be lapping this up, so go, see it. Enjoy it (or not) for yourself.
2.5 Bobs Everyone Needs at Their Workplace for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Listen to a more detailed review on The Countdown podcast.
Find the podcast here or check it out directly on Apple Podcasts.
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