Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) abruptly ends her supernatural talk show after a sudden vision of the ghost Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton). Shortly after, her stepmother, Delia (Catherine O’Hara), informs her that her father, Charles, has passed away. Together, they set out to pick up Lydia’s estranged daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), on the way to Charles’ funeral at the old haunted family home in Winter River.!

The legacy sequel is going nowhere fast, as originality brings great risk to the already precarious cinematic landscape, and financial stability and narrative safety are found in what has worked before. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) is still climbing past $1.3 billion and Alien: Romulus (2024) is becoming a fan favourite. Beetlejuice Deux follows the trend, ditching 30 years of story ideas that explored different environments, situations and the world and character of Betelgeuse. This sequel instead uses the same characters, setting and story beats as the first.

Sorely needed new characters played by Willem Dafoe and an amazing looking Monica Bellucci are underused, whereas some, such as Lydia’s manager and love interest, are not necessary. The choice not to feature too much of the title character is also very frustrating, even more so considering the amount of time since the first entry.

While there is innovation when riffing on German expressionism in Betelgeuse’s origin scene and the workings of the afterlife, it is too little when compared to the rest of the convoluted and derivative story.

Verdict: While visually solid, the story is a mess that lacks the Juice. 2.5 stars

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net. Viewed at Dendy Cinemas.