Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Venice Film Festival 2024 Movie Review Starring Michael Keaton
1988’s Beetlejuice was ‘the’ movie for quite a few of us, a rollicking horror comedy that
introduced us to the dark and zany mind of Tim Burton. A whopping 36 years after the
original came out, Burton is finally back with a sequel at this year’s 81st Venice International
Film Festival. Soaring above sky high expectations, the film, which reunites most of the cast
of the original, received a 3 minute thunderous applause at the festival.
Truth be told, we never expected Beetlejuice 2 to materialise but as Hollywood tries to redo,
resurrect and reboot every single movie from the 80s, all of us are excited to see the team
reunited once more. This is a direct sequel to the first one, finding the Deetz family returning
home to Winter River after Charles Deetz's unexpected death. Still haunted by what happened
with Beetlejuice so many years ago, Lydia Deetz’s life as a mother is turned upside down
when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid unknowingly does the unthinkable. All hell will
break loose as the mischievous demon returns once again to unleash his very own brand of
mayhem on the Deetz family.
Michael Keaton is back as the charming yet completely weird ghost and is just as energetic as
he was four decades ago. Also returning are Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz and Winona
Ryder as Lydia Deetz who nearly married Keaton’s ghoul in the first film. Lydia Deetz now
has a daughter, played by teen sensation Jenna Ortega. Ortega’s iteration of a rebellious teen
is on point and Catherine O’Hara looks as gorgeous as ever. Also along for the ride is
William Dafoe as a ‘bad actor turned cop’ whose presence elevates the whole affair. Finally, Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice’s ex-wife is delightfully marvellous. Everyone is in top form
and completely onboard for Burton’s script which combines horror, hijinks and a hefty dose
of demented fun.
From the set design to the makeup and special effects, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a homerun.
Four decades of advancement in these technical aspects really shows as Burton once again
conjures up images of terror and horror with malevolent ease. What starts out as a homage to
the first film quickly evolves into something more as Burton reaches deep into his creative
mind and sets up a story that will satiate both long time fans and new audiences alike. Thus, 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a fantastic return to form for Tim Burton whose last
couple of films never quite hit the mark. After his Batman redo in The Flash last year, this is
another Michael Keaton resurrection that hits all the right notes. The film is charming, funny
and horrific all rolled into one and while some fans of the original will take a while to love
this outing as much as they did the first one, we can all agree that we are thankful to see a
Beetlejuice sequel in our lifetimes.
Official Trailer | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Venice Film Festival 2024
About | Venice Film Festival 2024
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and one of the
most prestigious. The Festival was organised for the first time in 1932, under the auspices of
the President of the Biennale, Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the sculptor Antonio
Maraini, and Luciano De Feo and obtained a great popularity, so as to become an annual
event from 1935 onwards. The Venice Film Festival is today a prestigious event that presents
every year a selection of world-class films, bringing some of the most successful directors
and actors of our time on the red carpet at Lido di Venezia, continuing the tradition that adds
the glamour charm that always marked the Festival to a high artistic value program.
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