The 2024 Venice Film Festival kicked off August 28 with the long-awaited Tim Burton-Michael Keaton sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opening the 81th edition, which runs through September 7 on the Lido. Deadline is on the ground to watch all the key films.
The lineup for the world’s oldest fest also includes world premieres of Todd Phillips’ Joaquin Phoenix-Lady Gaga pic Joker: Folie à Deux, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Pablo Larrain’s Maria Callas biopic Maria starring Angelina Jolie and new works from the likes of Alfonso Cuarón, Walter Salles, Harmony Korine, Thomas Vinterberg, Brady Corbet, Takeshi Kitano, Claude Lelouch, Errol Morris and others.
Below is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which last year awarded its Golden Lion for best film to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, who went on the win the Best Actress Oscar. Isabelle Huppert heads the competition jury this year.
RELATED: Starry Venice Kicks Off Awards Season Scramble: What’s The Buzz On The Lido Movies?
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
Warner Bros./Everett Collection
Section: Out of Competition
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Arthur Conti
Deadline’s takeaway: Michael Keaton is back as the compellingly horrible undead star, but it’s not so much a sequel — serving up more of the same — as a kooky, spooky school reunion where you find out what happened to the class weirdo. It’s also funny, all the time, and a blast to watch.
RELATED: ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’: What The Critics Are Saying
RELATED: Peter Weir To Receive Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion For Lifetime Achievement
RELATED: Venice Critics’ Week Unveils 39th Edition Line-Up Featuring Omnes Films’ ‘No Sleep Till’
RELATED: Alberto Barbera Renewed As Venice Film Festival Artistic Director For 2025 and 2026
RELATED: Venice Film Festival 2023: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews