Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

[Giuseppe]

Since the first official teaser trailer is now out, figured it might be time to start a thread for a long-awaited sequel. I. for one, cannot wait for September.

 

[Spartan Girl]

“The Juice is loose!”

40 years, and Lydia still has that same hairdo?!

Yeah, I’m in.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Jenna Ortega is really becoming the go to actress to carry the torch in these iconic IPs, first Wednesday and now this, and I am here for it. Good to see Winona back for this as well.

[Morrigan2575]

The Teaser worked. I love that they got Keaton back. Wouldn't gave worked without him

[tv echo]

CINEMACON 2024: DAY 1 - WB SHOWCASES JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX, FURIOSA, AND MORE
by Anthony Alicea | April 9, 2024 
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/cinemacon-2024/

Quote

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

One of the larger ensembles amassed for the event came on stage to promote Tim Burton’s upcoming sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Not only was Burton on hand, but he was joined by Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, and returning stars Catherine O’Hara and, of course, Michael Keaton. Keaton explained he and Burton had been kicking around the idea of doing another Beetlejuice for some time and said, “I can tell you this, though. It’s really f—ing good.” All of the stars chimed in on their experience working on the film, with Bellucci calling out the beautiful costumes and Dafoe praising the handmade effects, and the presentation ended with a new look at the film’s trailer.

Warner Bros. 2024 CinemaCon Panel Live Blog
By Sean O'Connell   April 9, 2024
https://www.cinemablend.com/news/live/warner-bros-2024-cinemacon-panel-live-blog 

Quote

The lure of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is complete and total immersion into the mind of Tim Burton. And Michael Keaton insisting that if they are going to even bother to do it, they need to rely on techniques and effects that they did on the original movie. The footage shows a lot of behind-the-scenes moments on filming of both Beetlejuice and the sequel. And if you like that movie, this is very much up your alley. 

Tim Burton is now on stage with his cast, including Catherine O'Hara, Willem Dafoe, and Michael Keaton! 
*  *  *
It has been 35 years since Beetlejuice. Originally, Tim Burton was interested in the Lydia character. Now, he says the Deetz family is the anchor of the story, and so we will see generations of Deetz women. The movie, he says, feels like a big family reunion. 
*  *  *
Justin Theroux warns that he can't say anything about his character or the plot. Tells us every day was fun. (Sigh) Keaton, meanwhile, compares this one to the original, when he and Burton were figuring it all out. This time out, he credits the supporting cast being hilarious, and specifically calls out Jenna Ortega for being a "perfect" addition, understanding the tone immediately. They're showing an extended version of the existing trailer, but Burton is heading back to London to finish the movie. It looks amazing. Great looks at the new characters, some sequences of stop-motion animation, and deep looks into the underworld. Looks amazing!

Edited April 10 by tv echo

[Giuseppe]

12 hours ago, tv echo said:

(Keaton) credits the supporting cast being hilarious, and specifically calls out Jenna Ortega for being a "perfect" addition, understanding the tone immediately.

I hope this is true, because honestly the one thing I've been kind of worried about ever since I heard about the sequel was the casting of Jenna. She's just so "It" right now and putting her in this movie seemed a little too on the nose, and it felt like they were casting her just for the star power. I don't want it to feel like the original characters are basically playing second fiddle to her. Hopefully that's not the case.

[Morrigan2575]

I wonder if they're going to address what happened to Adam and Barbara? Did they cross over at some point?

[JAYJAY1979]

Yeah... Jenna Ortega... over-rated and over exposed.  Why must she ruin so many franchises with her presence 

[BetterButter]

 

[Morrigan2575]

That actually looks really good. I hope it's more Lydia/Beetlejuice than Astrid/Beetlejuice...interactions wise (not romance or anything).  I understand passing the torch but, I'd really prefer focusing on the OG crew (or what's left)

Edited May 23 by Morrigan2575

[Giuseppe]

5 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I'd really prefer focusing on the OG crew (or what's left)

Agreed. I wish Delia had more lines in the trailer instead of just basically seeing her react to stuff. I'm curious how she ends up in the waiting room??

Am also curious about that dance scene...another "Day-O" type moment?

I've seen a few people comment that the trailer looks like it incorporates a lot of elements from the cartoon series, which I didn't fully watch. I hope I won't have to in order to enjoy the movie.

Still very excited for September!

[heatherchandler]

On 3/22/2024 at 5:11 AM, Spaceman Spiff said:

Jenna Ortega is really becoming the go to actress to carry the torch in these iconic IPs, first Wednesday and now this, and I am here for it. Good to see Winona back for this as well.

Uugh I can’t stand Jenna Ortega.  

Winona I LOVE!

[BetterButter]

 

[Giuseppe]

I'm still excited for it, but I think I'm going to be in my head too much about how different Beetlejuice seems to be...I can't put my finger on it, but aside from the voice sounding more gruff (age, I know), it seems like Keaton is playing him, I don't know, doofier or something. Reminds me that we only got like 20 minutes of screentime for Beetlejuice in the first film. Think it's pretty obvious he'll get a lot more this time, haha. And still very noticeable that Delia has had not one bit of dialogue in any of these trailers.

Still, the story looks pretty good. I really really want to love this!

[baldryanr]

On 7/19/2024 at 1:21 PM, Giuseppe said:

Think it's pretty obvious he'll get a lot more this time, haha.

Unless he's lying, think again

[Giuseppe]

That's actually good to know. But I do hope that doesn't mean we've seen all his best bits in the trailers, lol. 

There are tons of newly released clips and videos from the movie circulating on social media lately, and i'm trying to avoid them because I don't want to feel like i've seen the whole movie before i actually go to see it. And i'm trying to decide if I want to get any of the movie collectible items...the sandworm popcorn bucket is pretty cute but AMC doesn't appear to be offering those, and that's my preferred theater. The shrunken head drink containers are pretty cool, too but I'm seeing all the chains have already sold out of those. I'm sure they'll re-stock before the opening.

[Morrigan2575]

19 hours ago, baldryanr said:

Unless he's lying, think again

Well, that just killed my enthusiasm 😒 

[Orbert]

I think it (Beetlejuice not having more screen time) makes sense.  The original story was more about Adam and Barbara and learning how to navigate the afterlife, with Lydia's relationship with them and with her own living parents a close second.

I agree with Keaton that shifting the focus to be all about Beetlejuice would probably upset the balance.  He's definitely one of those characters where a little goes a long way.  He did play a key role in the plot of the first movie, and it says a lot that his 17 minutes of screen time made such an impression, but it sounds like they're going for a similar formula to the first movie, with Beetlejuice more of a catalyst than the "star" of the show.

[Chaos Theory]

I haven’t been to the theaters in like 5 years but I am seriously considering actually purchasing a ticket for this.

[baldryanr]

2 hours ago, Orbert said:

I agree with Keaton that shifting the focus to be all about Beetlejuice would probably upset the balance.  He's definitely one of those characters where a little goes a long way.  He did play a key role in the plot of the first movie, and it says a lot that his 17 minutes of screen time made such an impression, but it sounds like they're going for a similar formula to the first movie, with Beetlejuice more of a catalyst than the "star" of the show.

Exactly, being the title character doesn't mean you're the main character.  He's like the villain or sidekick from a Disney movie in some ways.  Everyone rightfully remembers Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin, but it takes him a long time to show up and he's out of focus for multiple stretches.  He'd get tiring if he was front and center for the entire movie (or rather it'd just be an animated version of Robin Williams riffing, which would be entertaining but not really a movie).

[Giuseppe]

Here is a look at most of the collectibles that the theaters will be offering. I wish the sandworm bucket had you reaching into its mouth instead of just being the worm wrapped around the bucket, but I still want it, lol. There's also a popcorn bucket shaped like the Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

Tons of other merchandise being promoted...limited edition Keebler cookies, special edition Fanta soda cans, Funko pops...they're going all out for this one. My wallet already hurts, lol.

[Chaos Theory]

I like Jenna Ortega.      I mean she actually looks like she could be Wynona Ryder’s daughter she gives off so much of the same vibes.   So yeah I can see her playing the same general character or a remade character as Wynona did her youth.       Heck now I want to see Ortega do  Heathers.

Edited August 28 by Chaos Theory

[BetterButter]

 

[Giuseppe]

So...who's seen it? I just got back from the theater. Honestly I didn't love it as much as I wanted to, though I did enjoy it quite a lot. All the ingredients were there but for me the execution was a bit off. I know I don't need to spoiler tag anything, but I will anyway since it's still in its first weekend:

Spoiler

Most of the plot was solid, but there was a lot of extra that felt completely unnecessary. Monica Belluci's character in particular. It felt like the movie kept building up to her finding Beetlejuice and being the one to vanquish him somehow, but once she did find him, it was a lot of nothing and she didn't even do anything to help make BJ go away...instead HE basically got the best of her and it ended up being Astrid who saved the day. So her whole "where's Beetlejuice?!?" plot line lead to nothing and that whole arc felt pointless.

Also the case with Willem Defoe's ghost cop character. I can buy his character searching down BJ for illegally breaking Lydia into the afterlife, but tying him into the Delores arc made him feel pointless as well.

The Bobs running around...I wanted to see more freaking out and chaos caused by the escaping into the real world. Fun characters to look at, but again, felt basically useless.

If they had cut all that out and just had the plot be Lydia getting BJ's help after the dead boy Astrid met tricked her into the afterlife, I think it would've felt a lot tighter.

I also didn't really dig the animated sequence showing Charles' plane crash, or the 'flashback' to how Delores and Beetlejuice met. Didn't fit with the rest of the movie.

I'm mixed on Delia. I was somewhat most looking forward to her return as I loved her so much in the first film and I love Catherine O'Hara, but Delia was a lot kookier here than in the original. I don't know if that was a directing choice or if Catherine had a hard time finding Delia again...it's like she tried to inject a little Moira Rose into Delia, and I didn't think it worked. There were a few scenes where I thought "Ah! There's Delia!" But for the most part she seemed a slightly different character. And I didn't think it was necessary for her to die, though it was kinda fun watching Charles' shark bitten body running around the afterlife and Delia eventually finding him. Side note, nice way of getting around Jeffrey Jones' "unavailability" by having the top half of his body completely gone.

And as for Adam and Barbara...one line from Lydia about them having found a loophole and moving on, but that was it.

 

So, all in all, it was fun, and I'll probably watch it again when it's streaming or on TV, but I think I'll stick to the original for regular viewing.

[Brn2bwild]

I liked it well enough.  Agree that the plot with the ex-wife seemed to end abruptly.  Also the plot with Astrid's dad felt incomplete.  When Lydia said she never saw his ghost and Astrid said they never found his body after his boat sank, I thought that would set up a reveal that he was still alive.  Instead he was dead, but it was never explained (that I recall) why Lydia never saw him.

To me, the most disturbing part of the movie was the end when 

Spoiler

Astrid gave birth.  Not because of the nasty Beetlejuice baby that came out, but because Jenna Ortega looks like she's freakin' TWELVE years old.  Ughh.

 

[Phebemarie]

My cousin, a big Beetlejuice fan, really loved it.  She's ready to go back and see it a second time.

The flashback to Beetlejuice's origin story with his ex-wife was odd.  Why was Beetlejuice narrating in French? It made me think of the truly horrific French documentary Night and Fog.  

 

[Browncoat]

I thought it was fine.  There was a lot going on -- I lost count of how many different plot lines there were -- and, as others have said, the ex-wife plot was odd.  I think it was just an excuse to have someone staple themselves together.  I expected more from that plot, though.

I suppose I'm overthinking how someone with no head could talk, or even see where he was going.  Or perhaps it's because the headless ghost in Ghosts can't see where he's going (or talk) unless his head is attached to his body.  I absolutely understand why Jeffrey Jones wasn't invited to return, but it was extra weird.

I won't see it again in the theaters, and I probably won't seek it out on streaming, but if there's nothing else on, I might stop my channel surfing.

[Chit Chat]

On 9/7/2024 at 1:40 PM, Giuseppe said:

So...who's seen it? I just got back from the theater. Honestly I didn't love it as much as I wanted to, though I did enjoy it quite a lot.

Ditto!  There was a lot going on!  Overall, it was fun to see these characters again.  I liked Willem DaFoe's character as an actor who thinks he's a real cop, and the assistant who was always handing him a cup of coffee!  

I liked all of the music, especially the nod to Soul Train!  Bringing back the Day-O song was a nice touch. 

It was a bit darker than the original, and some of the language isn't suitable for kids, but overall, it was pretty good.  

Spoiler

I was a bit perplexed with the ending, so I've been reading varying opinions on that.  I guess we can all draw our own conclusions on Burton's intent with the ending.  Was the whole thing (both films) a dream?  Was this one just a dream?  It wasn't a dream, but Lydia will be haunted by Beetlejuice forever? Many different ideas floating around out there!

 

[DisneyBoy]

This movie definitely needed to be rethought. As you said, Chit Chat, there was a lot going on. More than was needed, frankly. The ex-wife was wasted.

It also felt very final, which I wasn't expecting. 

[tennisgurl]

This didn't quite have the focus of the original, but it was still a lot of fun. I'm glad that they got Winona back and gave her some good material, and that Catherine O'Hara got a lot of time to shine, she's an absolute treasure. Jenna Oretga has really become our modern day scream queen, and of course they let Michael Keaton just cook away. He's still got it.

I loved spending more time in the afterlife, its such a fun creepy place, and I loved seeing the Soul Train, which is not only funny but paints a better picture of an afterlife than just spending the whole of eternity in a bureaucratic nightmare. I would be pretty happy to soul train to the next life.

While I had a lot of fun, it was all over the place with the plot. The ex wife ended up being pretty pointless, we had a million subplots, most of which didn't go anywhere, and that ending was just bizarre. What are we supposed to take from that?

I got to watch this at a drive-in theater which I think gave it an even more of a fun spooky vibe, so much that a lot of the randomness didn't even hit me until the drive home. They had tons of fun Beetlejuice themed costumes, food, drunks, and photo opportunities!

[Chit Chat]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

What are we supposed to take from that?

I'm still pondering it! 

Spoiler

Did Burton want to leave it to our imaginations to fill in the blanks, or was everything in this movie a dream, or just the part with her daughter giving birth to a little demon being the dream and everything else happened?  The possibilities are endless!!

I really liked all of the music in the movie.  That was fun.  

[methodwriter85]

The ending felt like a pretty clear homage to Carrie, but to complete it, they should have had Astrid coming over to Lydia to comfort her as an inverse of the Carrie montage.

I did enoy it, but Monica Belluci felt like such a waste. 

[Chit Chat]

I read an article by the writers, and here's what they said about the ending:  (Obviously, spoilers!!)

Writer's explanation

Edited September 15 by Chit Chat

[Spartan Girl]

Finally saw it, and you know what? It was fun. Tim Burton seems to be rediscovering himself. Man, that opening theme was so good to hear!

Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara were the VIPs, and Winona seems to be having fun; she certainly is embracing the Winona-Face meme that Stranger Things brought. Though it was disheartening that Lydia grew up to be the kind of adult her teen self despised, let alone got sucked in by a tool like Rory. I know the Maitlands (who were more parents to her than her real ones) and then Astrid’s dad (getting split then him dying) left her vulnerable.

The ex-wife plot was tacked on but didn’t take away the fun.

At least BJ proved he has some standards, first by screwing over Jeremy (“I think it was Dostoyevsky that said ….later, fucker!”) then letting Lydia super punch Rory. Loved those parts.

Using “MacArthur’s Park” was…a choice. I don’t know how they filmed that without cracking up.

Sucks that Delia died right when she and Delia had finally begun to care a little about each other, but it figures she’d be a victim of her own artistic stupidity.

My interpretation of the fake out dream ending is that you can’t run from your trauma. Beetlejuice is still out there.

And I just have to ask it, why is he still obsessed with Lydia? In the first movie she was just a means to an end. Now he seems like he’s really into her…ew.

Edited September 23 by Spartan Girl

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

My interpretation of the fake out dream ending is that you can’t run from your trauma. Beetlejuice is still out there.

After seeing the writer's explanation, that's the way I see it too!

It's sad if Delia & her husband are stuck there for very long.  Maybe things are better wherever the Soul Train takes them!   

 

[Hanahope]

I thought the ending was to let us know that of course they want to make a third movie, BBB.  

and the explanation as to why Lydia could not commune with her dead husband was either (a) he didn't want to or (b) because he was working in public service.

the loophole as to why the Maitlands had moved on was "age."

Agree that the whole Delores plot was unnecessary (though fun for William Dafoe) and Monica Bellucci was seriously underused.  

[Spartan Girl]

54 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

 

and the explanation as to why Lydia could not commune with her dead husband was either (a) he didn't want to or (b) because he was working in public service.

That and he and Lydia split up before he died, so that might have been a factor.

[BetterButter]