Beetlejuice Beetlejuice First Reviews: Michael Keaton’s Return as Betelgeuse is Worth the Wait 

Burton. Burton. Burton. According to the first reviews of the long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton is back. Critics are mostly praising this return to the sort of work that got him fans in the first place, as the Beetlejuice follow-up is being called one of the rare great legacy sequels that captures the same magic as the original. Michael Keaton slips back into the black and white suit perfectly, while the practical effects are welcomed with open arms. As for what’s new, is it any surprise that Willem Dafoe fits right in with Burton and the rest?

Here’s what critics are saying about Beetlejuice Beetlejuice:

Does it live up to the first movie?

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is just as funny, vibrant, and campy and will satisfy both nostalgic audiences for the first film and those just discovering this amusing world from the creative mind of Burton for the first time.”
— Ema Sasic, Next Best Picture

“Quirky, joyous, vibrantly macabre, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice managed to recreate the original’s winning mix of innocent, childlike wonder and morbidly mad imagination.”
— Zhuo-Ning Su, Awards Daily

“It’s a silly little sequel to an equally silly original, and it’s hard to imagine wanting or needing much more from it.”
— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

“The movie is just a lightweight riff on Beetlejuice — a piece of fan service, really. It doesn’t give you the full monster-kitsch jolt that the original film had.”
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

Is it a return to form for the director?

“Miraculously, it represents Tim Burton getting his groove back, successfully returning to the dark comedy and outrageous visuals that marked his extraordinary early work.”
— Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict

“This gleefully zany farce is one of Burton’s most enjoyable films and a welcome return to his own brand of oddball creepiness after the Disney dud that was his 2019 live-action Dumbo remake. ”
— Nicholas Barber, BBC.com

“Fans of Burton will definitely not be let down…Tim Burton is back.”
— Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

“I scrawled ‘Tim Burton’s back!’ in my notes.”
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“This long-gestating sequel is the most brazenly Burton-esque and bonkers Tim Burton has been in years in terms of macabre Frankenstein creatures, weird situations and off-beat humor.”
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

“Few would mistake Beetlejuice Beetlejuice for a confessional or particularly self-revealing work, but it does hew closer to that original artistic spark that dimmed once the director became a trademark.”
— Ben Croll, The Wrap

(Photo by Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection)

Does it work better than most sequels?

“As far as sequels go, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of the better examples of how to honor the past while bringing a story into the modern era.”
— Ema Sasic, Next Best Picture

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a legacy sequel in all the right ways.”
— Alexander Harrison, Screen Rant

“While the track record of sequels in general — and sequels arriving more than 30 years after the original, specifically — is spotty at best, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice defies the odds.”
— Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict

“As in Top Gun: Maverick, the long gap between the old film and the new one turns out to be beneficial. Instead of seeming like a retread, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice stands up as a comedy with its own story and its own concerns.”
— Nicholas Barber, BBC.com

Is Michael Keaton still terrific in the title role?

“Michael Keaton’s return as Betelgeuse is worth the wait.”
— Ben Rolph, Discussing Film

“Keaton has exhumed the role he first played in 1988 and plays him with the same energy, intelligence and devilish gusto as he did in the original all those years ago.”
— Jo-Ann Tit-marsh, London Evening Standard

“Keaton is brilliant as always in a role that fits him like a glove.”
— Hannah Strong, Little White Lies

“Keaton, given more of a leading role in this film compared to the first, still has the goods to bring this iconic character to life, and it’s such a treat to watch all his gags and comedic deliveries still land in his 70s.”
— Ema Sasic, Next Best Picture

“Keaton occupies the role with the same off-the-wall pizazz as previously, but — how to put this — he is less annoying, more restrained, slightly melancholic (maybe).”
— Sophie Monks Kaufman, In-dieWire

“Michael Keaton clearly adores this character; once again, he pours pure love into Beetlejuice’s maniacal, depraved soul.”
— Stephanie Zacharek, Time Magazine

(Photo by Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection)

What about the other returning actors?

“Among the top-flight cast, Ryder and O’Hara excel.”
— Jonathan Romney, Screen International

“Ryder goes beat for beat with Keaton as the yin of the movie to his rancidly irreverent yang. The actress transports us back to the enchanting screen persona of her late teens, not just in Beetlejuice but also in movies like Edward Scissorhands, Mermaids and Heathers, in which she radiated a singular mix of smarts, sweetness, and innocence but was just as effective when she veered into darkness.”
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“Ryder isn’t always great in comedies but her rapport with Burton probably helped shape this delightfully loose performance.”
— Zhuo-Ning Su, Awards Dai-ly

Are there any standouts among the new additions?

“The addition of Willem Dafoe, who is known for his various kooky roles, is perfect for Burton’s world…Dafoe hams it up every moment he gets and draws in plenty of laughs as a result.”
— Ema Sasic, Next Best Picture

“Dafoe is clearly off in his own movie, one that’s barely connected to the rest of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice…but like most of the cast, the actor is having infectious fun.”

— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

“Justin Theroux is perfect for the role of Rory, and manages to make a mark despite his short screen time, delivering some of the best lines of the film.”
— Serena Seghedoni, Loud and Clear Reviews

(Photo by Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection)

Does it ever feel unnecessary?

“At no point does the 36-years-later revival tout itself as capital-I ‘Important’…it’s fine – at times, it’s even charming – and it doesn’t need to be much more than that.”
— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

“There’s good fan service and bad, and as stilted and gimcracky as it can sometimes be, I had a pretty good time at Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
— Owen Gleiberman, Variety

How Does it look?

“There’s lots to feast on visually…the comic-gory special effects are also memorable.”
— James Mottram, Total Film

“The film’s most laudable achievement is its boisterous way of reclaiming highly tactile practical and animatronic effects for the CGI age.” — Jonathan Romney, Screen International

“Burton both recaptures and expands beyond the aesthetic of the original, mix-ing the macabre and the cartoonish, and running the gamut from stop-motion animation to the most sophisticated CGI.”
— Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict

“There is an abundance of practical effects, with the caveat that some CGI effects (namely a cringe-worthy scene with some influencers) are not as graceful and tactile.”
— Connor Lightbody, Movies We Texted About

(Photo by Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection)

Will it make us laugh?

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is funny, all the time.”
— Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline Hollywood Daily

“The nicest surprise is that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is that rare thing, a big-budget comedy which is actually funny.”
— Nicholas Barber, BBC.com

“The priority is to cram in as many grisly comic riffs as possible, from visual puns on phrases like ‘inner child’ and ’spill your guts’ to a relishable digression on Betelgeuse’s romance with Dolores.”
— Jonathan Romney, Screen International

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is filled with low-stakes wisecracks and kindergarten-style one-liners, but the effect works.”
— Stephanie Zacharek, Time Magazine

Is it for kids?

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice [is] an ideal gateway to the horror genre for younger viewers.”
— Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies

“The original script for Beetlejuice was deemed too dark and was lightened in tone, while this seems to have experienced similar sanitation as an F-bomb is covered by a very sharp and very unneeded bleep.”
— Connor Lightbody, Movies We Texted About

(Photo by Photo by Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection)

Are there any complaints?

“Monica Bellucci’s role is wasted.”
— Ema Sasic, Next Best Picture

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice could use more Delores: she pops up, elegantly, only here and there.”
— Stephanie Zacharek, Time Maga-zine

“The film’s only flaw is that it has a couple of plotlines too many, which give it a drawn-out middle and a rushed and jumbled finale: as in the original Beetlejuice, it could have done with spending more time with Betelgeuse.”
— Nicholas Barber, BBC.com

Thumbnail image by ©Warner Bros. Pictures
On an Apple device? Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Apple News.