The first reactions for Tim Burton's long-awaited Beetlejuice Beetlejuice have arrived – and people seem mostly delighted.
The sequel stars Jenna Ortega as Astrid, the daughter of Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder). When Astrid mistakenly gets taken to the underworld, Lydia calls upon her old 'pal' Beetlejuice for help. The cast includes Catherine O'Hara as eccentric artist Delia Deetz, Justin Theroux as Rory, and Willem Dafoe as ghost detective Wolf Jackson. The pic had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, where it received a three-minute standing ovation.
"#BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice has all of the fun reviving this horror-comedy from the afterlife. Tim Burton & the cast clearly loved making this movie, which is as bonkers, sweet, and twistedly funny as expected. The Juice is loose again, and it feels like old times," wrote CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes.
"Like a strong book-to-film adaptation, a strong sequel keeps the soul of the original while leaning into its own ideas," IndieWire wrote, adding that Burton "has married his jamboree of gags, visual spectacle, and charming practical effects with a distinctly human tale."
Vulture called the pic a "welcome Jolt of the Old Tim Burton," adding that "watching it is a small but significant relief, like reconnecting with an estranged friend and finding out that you still get along after all."
"It’s a wonderful afterlife For Tim Burton’s joyously macabre sequel," Deadline praised.
Delighted by #BeetlejuiceBeetlejuice. The original is an all-time favorite, and this new one plays like such a joyous romp back into that world. Michael Keaton doesn’t skip a beat. Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega’s mother/daughter storyline is a big winner for me — the element… pic.twitter.com/bWRY4w7adLAugust 28, 2024
Variety, however, was less impressed with the film, writing: "is just a lightweight riff on Beetlejuice – a piece of fan service, really. It doesn’t give you the full monster-kitsch jolt that the original film had."
Similarly, The Wrap said that the sequel "goes all-in on the legacy front, offering everything you want and less, playing as a Burton buffet that leaves you stuffed if not quite satisfied, and in no real hurry to go back for thirds."
Our own Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review says it's "enjoyable, inventive, and fun, but thanks to a wayward narrative, this legacy sequel won’t live too long in the memory."
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is set to hit theaters on September 6, 2024. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond
