I recently watched the new sequel to the Tim Burton classic “Beetlejuice.” It was a great movie that was 35 years in the making. The main cast was stacked with familiar faces.
Michael Keaton returns as the titular ghost we all know and love. Winona Ryder reprises her role as Lydia Deetz, the goth teenager that was the object of Beetlejuice’s affection in the first movie. Catherine O’ Hara also returns as Delia Deetz, Lydia’s stepmother.
Jenna Ortega joins the returning cast as Astrid Deetz, Lydia’s teenage daughter. These performances made this sequel one worth waiting for.
Keaton still shines as Beetlejuice even 35 years later. He fits back into the role like he never left. Keaton continues to crack jokes and make the ghost a funny character.
His comedic chops are given ample time to shine in the plot that revolves him avoiding his soul-sucking ex-wife. He is still pining over Lydia Deetz thirty years later and still holds the notion that they will eventually be married and be together forever. This lack of character development is what continued to make Beetlejuice an entertaining character to watch on the screen.
In contrast to Keaton’s similar character approach, Rider adds new layers to Lydia Deetz in the sequel. Lydia Deetz is the host of a show where she uses her supernatural abilities to communicate with ghosts. She is haunted by visions of Beetlejuice regularly which make it hard for her to do her job.
This causes her to be slightly on edge all the time, which Rider portrays well. Where Rider shines most is in her role as the mother to Ortega’s Astrid. She is unsure of her parenting abilities, which will resonate with parents of teenagers.
Astrid frequently ignores her and calls her supernatural abilities an act. This behavior will be familiar to parents. The audience sympathizes with Lydia in these moments.
O’Hara is funny as Delia Deetz. In the sequel, Delia is mourning the loss of her husband Charles in a very Deetz way. Delia is an artist and decides to turn Charles’ passing into a chance to examine mourning and grief through art.
This results in some scenes that might produce a chuckle including her screaming to photograph mourning and her demise at the hands of two snakes in a graveyard that she was told were defanged.
Ortega is a standout in her new role as Lydia’s daughter Astrid. Ortega utilizes the cool indifference that made her acclaimed in Netflix’s Wednesday. This indifference combined with Astrid’s plot about falling for a boy creates the perfect movie teenager.
Anyone who has seen Ortega’s earlier work in Wednesday can attest that her goth mannerisms are unmatched. As a viewer, I was delighted to see them unleashed again in this film. Ortega’s portrayal of Astrid’s crush on a boy is also sweetly genuine.
Her warmth is lovely to see, as is the awkwardness that comes with first love. Ortega fits into this role like a glove and if I didn’t know better, I would believe that it had been written for her.
She is perfect as Astrid and her and Rider have great chemistry as mother and daughter. When they bond further along in the movie, the audience enjoy watching the mother and daughter duo strengthen their relationship.
Stellar performances from a great cast make this film a must see.