Monday Movie Mania a Day Late - Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

I know Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is out of the theaters, but DH and I went to see it while it was still playing at our local cinema. It was part of his "get Suzan out of her funk" plan. I'd like to say my funk colored my perception of the movie, but I'm afraid it didn't.

We did watch the original before we bought tickets for the sequel. And the sequel was . . . okay. It didn't stick in my mind for very long. Frankly, I had to read the film's Wikipedia article to remember the plot when I first tried to write my review.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) I was amazed how easily Winona Rider slipped back into the role of Lydia Deetz. She was the Queen of Goth in the 80's and 90's, and she clearly has a grasp on the fears and trials of an older Gen X.

2) Jenna Ortega is the prime successor to Winona's acting legacy. She's very believable as Lydia's daughter Astrid.

3) Michael Keaton hasn't changed one bit from the original movie. If I hadn't seen his other movies over the last forty years, I would have thought he lived in his Beetlejuice costume 24/7.


CONS
1) The Maitlands (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) were given short shrift in the sequel. It would have been nice to learn how they managed to get to the Afterlife.

2) With Jeffrey Jones' legal problems, I understand why the producers did not want him back. I would have rather seen his character given the short-shrift that was handed to the Maitlands.

3) I love Monica Belucci, but the talented Italian actress was totally wasted as Beetlejuice's ex-wife on a rampage for revenge.


Overall, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice is a pretty forgettable sequel to a movie I loved in the 80's. It's not bad, but it's not good either. However, it's a serviceable reason for Gen X's children and grandchildren to laugh at us. I give it 5 out of 10 stars.