Welcome to a story with twists and turns for new and old audiences alike.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was released to the public on Sept. 6, and fans have been quick to go out and watch. This week it was already reported that the movie opened with the second biggest opening for a film in September.

On Saturday, I went out to see the movie and was surprised by how entertaining it was. The first film came out in 1988, and was directed by Tim Burton, with him coming back to direct this one. As a child, I watched the first one and was terrified of Micheal Keaton as Beetlejuice. The new film takes the creepy tone from the afterlife side and gives more involvement for the sequel.

Fans dressed up as characters and even wore matching shirts for this occasion. The theater was packed and the energy was high with excitement for it to start. The film begins like the first, with the title theme playing while showing cast names across a town montage. This start tells you exactly what movie you’re in for. The direction of the opening is clearly from the mind of Burton, which long-time fans can see shining through the new age of his films.

With the daughter-mother bond highlighted in this movie with Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega, fans are pleased to see a new relationship go through similar struggles that the first film showed. What is interesting about this film is how they took aspects of the main character's identities and expanded them to highlight a different side to the story. Delia’s character, played by Catherine O’Hara, goes in-depth with her art and even gives little callbacks to different sculptures in the first film.

Sequels are usually downgraded by the public as some films don’t do the first one justice, like completely removing the plot of the first film or just not hitting the mark. From seeing the first one and lots of other sequels, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is definitely a movie that is a great continuation and special on its own. The only downside of the film is the many storylines that take place in an hour and forty-four minutes. It felt like the plot should’ve been edited to not include the storyline of Beetlejuice’s ex-wife. Not saying that it didn’t give more background knowledge to his character, it just felt like it was more out of place. The main storyline in the movie could've been more in-depth and given more scenes to flesh it out. The story was still great, but some parts didn’t seem as important as others.

Just like the first film, the soundtrack enhanced key moments and even had funny jokes within it. It also had more flashy dance sequences as well as stunts like the first film. These key aspects made it easy to get immersed in the story as well as feel the stress when the characters were in certain situations.

While watching the story unfold, I was on the edge of my seat with twists happening that I never even saw coming. The most important reveal is the highlight of the second half as you start to connect the dots from things that happened before. When this certain scene came on screen, my jaw dropped and questioned everything that happened. Not many films can do that, so this part was the one that I kept thinking about later. Depending on the person, some might see it from a mile away, but the movie tries to include good twists.

From my experience with newer media, some direction and acting don’t do well in the film. It wasn’t perfect back in the 80s or 90s, but some newer shows and movies seem to be a hit or miss. All the acting from the actors in this was flawless. I was so invested in the storyline that no questions about the acting even came to mind. The cinematography and the lighting for scenes created the atmosphere and the feeling that this could really happen. There were a few new supporting characters that helped push the story. The iconic Beetlejuice shrunken-head guys were back for small cameos, which also became a fan favorite with the one named Bob. He had a small role but, in my opinion, was definitely the best character in the whole film. 

With the first movie released 36 years ago, it’s a great accomplishment for the success the movie has brought. It gives you the nostalgia to go back to the first and reenjoy where the story began. So just like the first, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” will most likely become a classic that should be seen in theaters.

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