BEETLEJUICE!

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Cathrine O’Hara, hit the theaters Friday Sept. 6, in time for the fall and Halloween season. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is the sequel movie to 1988 film, “Beetlejuice,” both movies directed by Tim Burton.

Betelgeuse, performed by Michael Keaton, drags audience members along with him in his comical, con artist ways to escape his former wife, Delores (Monica Bellucci) but also rebuild the mother-daughter bond between Lydia Deetzes (Winona Ryder) and Astrid Deetzes (Jenna Oretga).

Alluding but not straying from its original roots, the opening credits appeared on the screen while soaring through the model of the town, Winter River, in a birds eye view with the classic upbeat trickster main title song.

After the starting credits roll, Lydia Deetzes opens the movie, staring into the camera and welcoming the viewers of her show to the paranormal hauntings that she encounters after finding out she can see and interact with ghosts when she was a teenager. Cut the cameras and push the Hollywood glamorous lifestyle aside, Lydia keeps seeing Betelgeuse in her visions, causing her to panic.

BEETLEJUICE!!

Winona Ryder’s performance throughout the movie made it seem as if the audience was watching her teenage-self perform. Her classic gothic hair and dark eye makeup kept true to the original movie character style along with Betelgeuse’s classic black-and-white striped suit, and green, messy and unkempt hair. Tim Burton’s attention to detail in costume design displayed the dark but quirky personality of the characters throughout the movie.

Danny Devito made a cameo as a janitor in the iconic, checkerboard jagged hallway, while listening to Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” on his Walkman tape player. While waxing the floor with a wax machine, he runs the wax machine over water, sending an electrical current to wooden crates of dismembered body parts bringing life to a mysterious but captivating woman, Delores. Delores sucks out the soul of the janitor, leaving behind a shriveled empty pile of skin, revealing not only her creepy power but also her mission – to find her ex-husband’s soul.

Delores’ entrance showed her character to be powerful and seductive as she pieced and stapled herself back together along to the song “Tragedy” by The Bee Gees. Her strong entrance fizzled out as the movie gave the character little screen time and failed to build her personality. Besides her entrance, audience members get a view into her background before and after her death revealing Betelgeuse’s backstory as well.

Throughout the movie, Tim Burton’s art style is used in various ways to tell small side stories that impact the main story line. The first scene was the clay animation style about the death of Lydia’s father who was involved in a plane crash and was bit in half by a shark. The second scene was the small backstory of Betelgeuse himself that was told in a black-and-white, silent film style, but Betelgeuse comically told his story of falling in love with his ex-wife in another language.

Aspects of the original movie were hidden throughout the movie, such as the iconic art piece made by Delia Deetz, that kept the connection between the first and second movie alive. Cast members who were a part of the original movie cameoed throughout the film, besides Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis and Jeffery Jones. The classic wedding attire, Lydia’s blood red lace wedding dress and Betelgeuse’s maroon suit, was worn at the end of the sequel which was similar to how the end of the first movie was set.

Two looming themes appeared throughout the movie: being deceived and used and the reconnection of mother-daughter bonds. Both Lydia and Astrid experience being used and deceived by those who they are fond of, Rory (Justin Theroux) and Jeremy (Arthur Conti). Both Lydia and Astrid are pressured and deceived into sacrificing themselves for the personal gain of their false love interest. Lydia helps Astrid escape, with the help of Betelgeuse, making the mother-daughter bond strengthen as Astrid realizes that her mother can see ghosts.

In addition, Lydia and Delia’s stepmother and step-daughter relationship grows throughout the sequel as they both bond over the death of Charles Deetz. Compared to the first movie, Lydia has become more open and emotional towards her mother after living in the house in Winter River, especially after the torment of Betelgeuse. Their bond throughout the movie is comical as both characters are opposite. Lydia is concerned about the death of her father, taking the funeral and plans very seriously while Celia is thinking about how she can create a new art piece and symbolic exhibit to cope with the death of her husband.

The end of the movie shows Betelgeuse being defeated and Lydia and Astrid moving happily on with their lives without having to worry about the nonsense of the trickster demon. Scenes of Astrid appear of her growing up, getting married and having a child who resembles to be–

BEETLEJUICE!!!

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is a must-see film for those who enjoyed the original “Beetlejuice.” The comedy horror film kept its roots not only in the plot of the movie but the characters, props, scenes and overall style of the movie. Tim Burton has added another movie to his list of classic and beloved films. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is the perfect movie for those who like the spirit of Halloween but want a laugh without a scare.