Holy shit, they actually did it.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is, on paper, not something that should work. Comedy sequels are notoriously difficult to do well, Tim Burton's non-Wednesday output has been mostly bad for the past decade or so, and legacy sequels have become so oversaturated that even I, the queen of pointing and clapping when a character Says The Thing, have started to grow tired of pointing and clapping when a character Says The Thing. Plus, Michael Keaton's last big nostalgia role was in The Flash; so that kind of feels like a bad omen. This should not be good and yet against all odds, it's great.

I think what sets Beetlejuice Beetlejuice apart is that unlike many other legacy sequels, even good ones, it doesn't get wrapped up in reverence for itself. There's callbacks and references to be sure, but there's never any longing wistful shots of old iconography, they don't trot out Alec Baldwin or Geena Davis for Act 3 "Deus Ex Machina" cameos, and they don't feel the need to shove in a bunch of self-important lore or backstory because of how "meaningful" the original movie is to people. I love Beetlejuice, but the reason why I and so many others love it is because it's a screwball comedy with over-the-top, often deliberately grotesque effects work and set pieces that places its focus on character relationships and rapid fire gags that, while having a solid emotional core, is by and large irreverent. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice smartly chooses to continue that same tone and it works wonders here.

Moreover, they smartly chose to portray Beetlejuice and the overall world of the afterlife using practical effects rather than CGI. I'm sure there's a couple of CG shots in there somewhere, but for the most part, it's all prosthetic makeup, stop-motion, puppetry, and so on and it looks fantastic. It really adds to the feel of this being a more genuine and direct sequel rather than a cash-grab nostalgia sequel as well as further emphasizing the otherworldly feel. You can usually tell that something's a puppet or stop-motion or what have you, but it still feels more tactile than CGI typically would and thus makes you feel like you're stepping into an entirely different, living, breathing, world.

The returning cast are, as to be expected, fantastic. Winona Ryder is perfect in everything, so of course she perfectly embodies exactly who Lydia Deetz would grow up to be. Catherine O'Hara is a surprise highlight for me, often stealing the show in unexpected ways as Delia. And Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice himself is once again an absolute riot. Kudos to him for still being able to pull off that manic energy at his age. Oh and shout-outs to all the shrunken head people, especially Bob. He's a real one.

As for the new cast, Jenna Ortega is about as perfect a casting for Lydia Deetz's daughter in the current moment as you could possibly get, Justin Theroux does some solid work as the cringy pretentious stepdad, and Willem DaFoe as an actor turned afterlife cop is such a perfect addition to this universe that it almost feels weird that he wasn't in the first movie. Unfortunately, the other new cast members lead into my few criticisms of the film.

Let's start with Monica Belucci's character. I love her. She's got a great design, the backstory and hook with her is compelling, and Belucci puts in a great performance. BUT she's not in it nearly enough. They set her up at the beginning to be an important figure but she kinda ends up fading into the background for large chunks for the movie. I really wish they had utilized her more.

Then there's Arthur Conti as Jeremy. To get too deep into his plot would involve spoiler stuff so I won't say too much. What I will say is that while his character ultimately works for what it is and he's putting in a solid performance, the storyline between him and Jenna Ortega's Astrid feels distractingly similar to the Wednesday/Tyler storyline from Wednesday Season 1 (The Wednesday show runners wrote the screen play for this? You don't say?) right on down to the Jenna Ortega character clearly being not straight but having an extended romantic subplot with a guy anyway. Only this time there's no Enid analogue to make the "Not Straight" aspect clearer for everyone else. It's not one to one and does have a few unique elements, but it was one of the weaker aspects of the film for me.

Aside from those admittedly kinda nitpicky things, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a massive pleasant surprise for me. An actually good Tim Burton movie and an actually good comedy sequel with some great performances, spectacular practical effects, and a cavalcade of laugh-out-loud gags. A raucous and joyous cinematic treat perfect for the Halloween season.

P.S. Everything involving Charles Deetz: No notes, Chef's kiss.