Last night we took a chance on Beetlejuice 2. Both my significant other and I had grown up watching the movie, and the cartoon for Beetlejuice, so of course we were interested in a new feature film. However, knowing films these days, we went in with low expectations so that we couldn’t be disappointed.

Did we like it? Well…. it was… okay.

And I suppose that is the best we could expect from some films these days. Okay. It didn’t have any terrible plot elements, it didn’t reference modern society, or make commentary on politics. It was just a film about a mom and her daughter in a world full of ghosts.

But it wasn’t great either. The film felt like it had three plotlines running through it, and the plotlines were at odds with each other instead of complimenting each other. The advertisements all were so keen on Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, but she was only in about five minutes of the movie so when it came to the conclusion it felt… hallow and forced.

The plot around Lydia and her daughter, Astrid, was far more interesting, and had more chances for hijinks. Instead it felt like it was cut short in favor of showcasing the waiting room with all the weirdly dead people in it over and over again, or having brief scenes with the actor turned police chief ghost played by William Defoe.

It had good elements, funny scenes, interesting background characters that dressed the scenes nicely… it just didn’t have a full plotline that felt really satisfying. So it ended up being… okay. Not great, not horrible, just… okay.

So if you just want to get out for a night and spend some time at the theater, it’s okay.