“Beetlejuice” is true to its title with its many disgusting moments and characters. Beetlejuice, which has been around about 40 years, has recently made a sequel to the movie. Originally released in 1988, Beetlejuice was directed by the renowned Tim Burton who is known for his distinctive visual style and eccentric storytelling.

The original story follows Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin), who tragically died while trying to avoid hitting a dog, find themselves haunting their home to scare off the new owners, the Deetz. However, the Deetz aim to exploit the Maitlands for publicity. Their daughter, Lydia (Winona Ryder), is the only one who can see the ghosts. Despite being warned against it, the Maitlands summon the mischievous Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) for help, but as they bond with Lydia, they have a change of heart and start seeing things a different way.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (2024) shows a grown-up Lydia with her daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), and her fiancé Rory (Justin Theroux). When the family goes back to the ghost house in Winter River for a funeral, they go through a series of disturbing events, where Lydia and Astrid grow closer.

Because of the 36-year gap, the new film shows improved animation and special effects. You can see this difference when noticing the improved sand world and sandworm in the second compared to the first.

Additionally, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has a darker tone to it, including a more twisted sense of humor. Fans of the original film will have high expectations, and those who appreciate dark comedy are likely to enjoy and appreciate it.

Although “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” has better special effects, the first movie is much more structured, in a Tim Burton way, than the second. The second movie does not really follow a storyline and feels incomplete with how it makes a big deal about subjects and then just drops them after a few minutes.

Michael Keaton is still just as good an actor and has the same energy as Beetlejuice in the second film. Winona Ryder, on the other hand, just doesn’t put out the energy that her character should have. Justin Theroux and Jenna Ortega both play their parts well and believably. In the first Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder plays her part as a goth teenager well.

Overall, both films are beloved by many people and are both very quirky. The second movie, though, has better animation and the first movie has a better structure and storyline.