In 1988, the world was introduced to the rude and crude chaotic force of nature, Beetlejuice. Directed by Tim Burton, it became one of the most memorable films in history and one of Michael Keaton’s iconic roles next to Batman. In the years since and after only a single film and a cartoon series that lasted four seasons, The Ghost with the Most has maintained relevance making him a pop culture icon.

After 36 long years, the Juice is finally loose once again, making his triumphant and ghoulish return to the silver screen, as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice creeps its way to cinemas worldwide. Tim Burton returns to the director’s chair with Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara returning from the original film and Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and more joining the cast.

36 years after the events of Beetlejuice, Lydia is now the host of her own talk show focusing on connecting with the deceased family members of her guests. She begins feeling the presence of Beetlejuice again, fearing that he might reappear. She has an estranged relationship with her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, who is the polar opposite and believes in science over the supernatural. After hearing the news of Charles Deetz’s unexpected death, his wife Delia, their stepdaughter Lydia with her current partner Rory, and their step-granddaughter Astrid reunite for his funeral.

Lydia still struggles to connect with Astrid and after even more life-changing news, they become more emotionally distant than ever. After finding out that Astrid has been dragged into the afterlife, the only way to save her, much to her grief, is to reluctantly enlist the help of Beetlejuice by speaking his name three times and agreeing to his terms.

Michael Keaton is back in full force as the over-the-top, spine-tingling, and politically incorrect, Beetlejuice. Even after not portraying the character for 36 years, he hasn’t missed a step and is as ghoulish, whacky, and random as ever. He’s back in his iconic black and white striped suit but also appears in various other outfits. He still desires to marry Lydia, but also has a ghost from his past that he must face. Much like the 1988 original, the film doesn’t focus entirely on him, but he does more than enough to be the star of the show and this time, fans won’t have to wait until the second half of the film for him to appear.

Winona Ryder also returns as Lydia Deetz, now a fully grown adult with a daughter. She has shown plenty of character development since her teenage years in the original film, while also keeping the same personality. She’s the same character, just older and uses her experience with the supernatural to make a living hosting her own talk show, even if everyone else thinks she’s crazy. Her relationship with her mother has improved, though they still sometimes conflict with each other, but she struggles more to connect with her daughter, Astrid.

Jenna Ortega portrays Astrid and has the same deadpan personality as her role as the title character in the hit Netflix show, Wednesday. That personality fits in perfectly with how this character was written. Instead of being creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky, Astrid believes in the factual, logical, and scientifically proven, which clashes with her mother’s supernatural beliefs and the other students in her school make fun of her for it. In many ways, she mirrors how Lydia was when she was her age in the 1988 film, creating an interesting contrast. Jenna Ortega feels like she was perfectly cast for this film, as the character of Astrid Deetz fits right in, which does have a lot of similarities to Wednesday Addams, but also plenty of differences to set the two characters apart.

Catherine O’Hara also returns from the original film as Delia Deetz. She’s closer to Lydia than before but is still as overly and embarrassingly dramatic as ever. She has plenty of memorable moments throughout the film. The original actor for Charles Deetz doesn’t return for obvious reasons, but the character does appear in hilarious fashion.

Justin Theroux stars as Rory, the current boyfriend of Lydia and a television producer for her show. He’s overbearing, tries too hard, is full of himself, has the worst timing and has hints of ulterior motives. His annoying personality fits perfectly with the comedy of this sequel to Beetlejuice.

Monica Bellucci portrays the wicked Delores. She is the ex-wife of Beetlejuice from his past and has a spectacular and memorable first appearance. Her design is one of the biggest standouts of the film and it gets fans excited to see what she does. Unfortunately, though, she doesn’t do a whole lot in the film and it’s easy to forget she was in it at all. It’s a shame because she had such a big buildup, only to be incredibly underused. Hopefully, there were extra scenes removed from the final edit that could be included later.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice features a star-studded cast, which becomes one of the film’s issues in trying to fit everyone in. Danny DeVito has a nice cameo and Willem Dafoe also appears and it seemed he was going to have a bigger role like Monica Bellucci.

He still has some memorable and funny moments as Wolf Jackson, a deceased B movie action star who now works as a ghost detective, but seems more interested in looking good for the cameras, even though his movie days are long behind him. Danny DeVito and Willem Dafoe are perfect casting for a Beetlejuice film even with their limited appearances, so hopefully we’ll see them again in a potential sequel.

Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin unfortunately don’t return as Barbara and Adam Maitland, respectively. It makes sense since they’re both much older now and their characters are deceased and much younger, but it would’ve been nice if there was more explanation for their absence, rather than a passing mention.

Unlike other long-awaited sequels in other movie franchises, this is truly a sequel done right. The overall style, presentation and cinematography have that signature Tim Burton feel, providing some excellent fan service, with plenty of callbacks to the original film. It uses a mix of practical and special effects just like in 1988. The special effects quality today is of course a big improvement, but still maintains the same look and feel as it did 36 years ago.

The 3D animation of certain creatures returns as well, but rather than giving them smoother animations, they use the same low frame rate as seen in the first film, which keeps it consistent and adds to the creepy vibes.

The soundtrack features various hit songs from the 70s and 80s including ‘Right Here Waiting’ by Richard Marx used in a funny scene and ‘Tragedy’ by the Bee Gees, used in some of the trailers and a very fitting scene with Delores’ introduction. They’re not the type of songs that should work in a Beetlejuice film, but somehow, they do, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the long-awaited sequel that fans have been waiting for. Even if certain elements feel incomplete or ended abruptly after some good buildup, the film still delivers so much fan service that will please longtime fans. It truly feels like the sequel it deserves, delivering on the comedy and gothic nature of the 1988 original, with a star-studded cast who all fit in perfectly whether their roles were big or small.

Whether another sequel will be made remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt that The Ghost with the Most is yearning to hear his name spoken a third time. Until then, the Juice is loose in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!

Written by: Sammy Hanson