By Liv Dunleavy Staff Writer Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice… bee-ware of the sequel to the classic 1988 ghost story “Beetlejuice.” It seems like these days every movie is a part two. I’d say in most cases they aren’t needed either. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was the sequel to a beloved horror comedy that we definitely did not need. With several plots that run at the same time, the story becomes muddy and confusing, and the storyline honestly just feels like someone telling an anecdote of one really long run-on sentence and switching between plots randomly. Much of the cast returned, including Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara), and Beetlejuice himself (Michael Keaton). Also intriguing, though, were the new characters such as Lydia’s daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), a random love interest for Astrid, Jeremy Frazier (Arthur Conti), and one for Beetlejuice, Delores (Monica Bellucci). That is what drew me in originally. I was nostalgic to “Beetlejuice,” and wondering how the story could have progressed, but also wanting to see the return of original characters such as Bob and the Sandworm. After watching the trailer I was so excited to watch this film, to relive the fun times I had back when I was younger. That’s the problem with part two’s - they give us that nostalgic pull that makes us watch even if we know there is no reason for a second film! The problem really came in when I realized that this story they created didn’t need to exist in the first place. There are some stories that end in such a way where a sequel is not needed. “Beetlejuice” ended so the watcher would assume that everything was resolved, and there was a well-rounded finale. So there is no reason the sequel needs a bunch of random side quests for the viewer to decipher. Also, the actors themselves just don’t bring that same vibe that the first film did! For example, Astrid’s character seems to have a similar energy to Jenna Ortega’s other teenage, goth, mother-hating daughter character, Wednesday Addams. She even has a similar story arc to that show, and just can't seem to escape the worst love interests. And it feels like Lydia’s subplot with fiancé Rory (Justin Theroux) was filler for the whole movie. I don’t think it added anything to the story at all, or made an impact that much on any other characters. Rory just seemed annoying and felt like they needed someone to make me angry about. The only scenes I really enjoyed were Beetlejuice’s, but for a movie titled after him, I fear they missed the mark on literally any of the true essence of his comedic presence, and focused far too much on random world building of the Deetz family. The random introduction to Beetlejuice’s ex-lover Delores seemed tacked on and randomly inserted. Her presence wasn’t necessary. And the use of certain fan-service-esque features such as the soundtrack including the famed “Banana Boat (Day-O)” and new scenes with fun musical additions was definitely a point in the positive direction for the film. But I feel like there just wasn't enough structure or alignment with the first film for me to consider it as a strong contender for a second part. There were so many story arcs going on that it felt rushed and thrown together super messily, and at the end it honestly didn’t feel like anything was resolved either - mostly because there was nothing to really resolve. I couldn’t tell you what the main plot was, but regardless, the entire movie could’ve been an eight-episode Netflix series with how they decided to go about the story arcs. It probably would’ve been a better watch if they could have focused more on each character’s story. The game is in the name, and we are all aware. Although “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” missed the mark this time, we can assume the third time’s a charm. Guess we should all look out for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” in the future. Rating: C Less of a dream - really more nightmare material