Sophia Costa
Staff Writer
After 36 years, Michael Keaton has revived his role as poltergeist “Beetlegeuse” in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The anticipation for this film has been in high regard as most of the original cast is returning for their sequel, such as Winona Ryder as “Lydia Deetz” and Katherine O’Hara as “Delia Deetz.” New characters include Jenna Ortega as “Astrid Deetz” and Monica Belluci as Beetlegeuse’s wife.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has become a smash hit at the box office, so far being added to the top ten list of U.S. movies for 2024. The film has made $264 million worldwide at the box office during its first 10 days. IMDB has “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” sitting at a 7.1/10 rating and a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the film’s obvious success during its first few weeks, opinions seem waver with this film. With split opinions about how well the execution was compared to its predecessor.
When asked to describe “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in one word, senior Lexi Patillo and junior Regan Huennerkopf both agreed on words to share such as “edgy,” “funny” and “unique.” They also shared split opinions they had on the film.
“It didn’t feel like Tim Burton, at times it felt a little bit boring,” Patillo said.
On the flip side though, Huennerkopf felt that “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” did “feel like a continuation of the original. Looking back at the first movie it was bizarre and had bizarre songs so it did feel organic or with the original vibe.”
Despite disagreements about Burton’s touch throughout the movie, Patillo and Huennerkopf did agree that the introduction of Beetlegeuse’s wife seemed out of place, Patillo asking “where is she coming from?”
Huennerkopf felt that there “Was not enough time with her (in the film)” and was confused about her place in the plot as she thought her role was “unnecessary.”
“Is she just there to be a bad guy trying to kill someone?” Patillo said.
Concerns also were born with the announcement of Jenna Ortega being featured in the film, that she would be another goth character like in her role in Burton’s show “Wednesday.” While film critics appreciated her role in the film, Patillo and Huennerkopf are becoming bored seeing the same character being recycled and used in other films. Patillo believes that Ortega does “play the role well” but “it is hard to see the same face over and over again.”
“She is talented and I love seeing her in horror movies. By the way they are being released back to back like “Wednesday” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” they are almost like the same person,” said Huennerkopf.
While Ortega gained her fame from these unusual characters, many fans want to see her escape the box that she has created and star in new roles that break the stereotype she succumb to.
“I know she has more range. In other movies, she has portrayed a lot of different and complex characters. I know she can break this character she has built and I wish they gave her the opportunity to,” Huennerkopf said.
Despite split opinions about the sequel, the statistics prove it to be successful and ultimately this is another major success for Burton and Warner Bros.
