I remember at the beginning of this year when I saw the first teaser trailer for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” I also remember thinking, how are you going to bring back a bunch of actors from 36 years ago and make a good sequel? The original Beetlejuice was a classic film that became a classic in the spooky movie genre. How will the second live up to the first? Well, it turns out it won’t, at least for the “Beetlejuice” movies. Warning, there will be spoilers ahead. 

The story follows the Deetz family more closely than the Maitland family as they return back to Winter River after the passing of Charles Deetz. Lydia (Winona Ryder) is now an adult and uses her spiritual powers to host a TV series. She also has a rebellious teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega) who does not believe in her mother’s powers. As they both return to Winter River with Lydia’s stepmother Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara), more paranormal events happen to the family, and Beetlejuice (Micheal Keaton) is back and ready to marry Lydia once more.

The main issues with this movie are the various subplots. Beetlejuice has this ex-wife who is trying to suck his soul. However, when she finally meets him she just… disappears? They set her up to be this huge part of the story, but she just goes away after one meeting with her ex-husband. The same thing happens with Lydia’s boyfriend/fiance. They set him up to be a bigger part of the story, but again, he’s barely in it. That’s not even all of the subplots, either. There’s one about a boy tricking Astrid, Astrid trying to find her dad’s ghost and an undead agent played by William Dafoe who is trying to arrest Beetlejuice. It’s very confusing. If they just stuck with one or two of the subplots, the story would’ve gone a lot smoother.

It’s not all bad, though. The visuals in this movie were stunning. The movie brings back the iconic sandworms, and the stop-motion animation used is gorgeous. The movie still retained the creepy yet comedic feelings the first one had. For example, they showed Beetlejuice’s shrunken head henchmen, who are creepy yet hilarious at the same time. The movie has a lot of eye candy. I just wish they used some of that budget on better writing.

So no, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is not a perfect sequel – far from it. If the writers took some more time on their scripts, the movie could have been something really great. If you’re looking for a silly, dark comedy to watch with fun visuals, then I’d recommend it. However, long time fans will quickly realize Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is just OK.

For those who can’t get enough “Beetlejuice,” there are still more chances to experience it. This February, “Beetlejuice – The Musical” will be in Kansas City. You can book tickets through the Broadway in Kansas City series.