We’ve seen Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: Do you have to have seen the first movie to understand and appreciate it?

As every year, the Deauville American Film Festival offers previews. After the Lee Miller biopic at the opening ceremony, festival-goers enjoyed Beetlejuice, Tim Burton’s new feature film, on Saturday night.

A sequel to the great 1988 classic, the film once again follows the Dietz family as they return to the River after a terrible tragedy, still haunted by the memory of Beetlejuice, Lydia sees her life turned upside down when her daughter Astrid, a rebellious teenager. , accidentally opening a portal to the Beyond.

With both worlds in chaos, it’s only a matter of time before someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and this prankster demon returns to wreak havoc…

Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton and the brilliant Catherine O’Hara are back in action, alongside a few “newbies”: Tim Burton’s two new muses, Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) and Monica Bellucci, as well as Justin Theroux.

So, is Beetlejuice Beetlejuice worth it, even if you haven’t seen the first film or aren’t a fan of the American director’s rather eccentric style? The answer is yes, even if we have to miss a few Easter eggs.

A generous film that knows how to entertain

To get into the Halloween spirit (and it’s never too early for that), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a great movie. Danny Elfman’s macabre music hits us from the very first pictures and sets us in the mood. We know Tim Burton’s cinema well enough to know that his film will be full of monsters and other creatures, but also that he loves the macabre as well as black humor.

And that’s exactly what Beetlejuice 2 is: a film of unparalleled generosity, with jokes and witty lines. Visually, the filmmaker is having fun, looking for novelty by changing styles and subgenres from one shot to the next. It offers 1 hr 45 of visual insanity that we enjoy watching (are you talking about the musical sequence?!!).

What does the press think about this continuation of Tim Burton?

It is not necessary to see the first film to appreciate the cinema of Tim Burton and this new proposal. It must be said that the script is quite simple to understand… even a little bit more. We can criticize it for its multiple intrigues and hastily tossed-in ending, for the very small role of Monica Bellucci, whose character is never really explored or rewarding. As is Justin Theroux’s role, which is only there for the audience to hate.

But it’s also because the other actors are taking the spotlight: The Ryder-O’Hara-Ortega trio does so much good that we only have eyes for them… and we hope for one thing that one day we’ll see them on screen again. .

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, in cinemas on September 11.