In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton transports audiences back to the creepy desert of Saturn’s moons and brings back the striped sandworms, however, these new scenes don’t quite match up with the originals. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the highly-anticipated sequel to the cult classic horror comedy, Beetlejuice. The movie sees the return of the eponymous demon, alongside Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz. Though the movie succeeds at recreating the wacky and strange atmosphere of the first film, some of the details included in the sequel break the original movie’s canon.

The plot of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice revolves around the strained relationship between Lydia and her daughter Astrid. When Astrid is tricked into her trading her life for another’s and becomes stuck in the afterlife, Lydia must call on Beetlejuice to save her child. Thus, much of the movie sees Lydia and Astrid exploring the depths of the afterlife, including the horrifying orange desert and vicious sandworms that first appeared in 1988’s Beetlejuice. The scene was a great callback to the original, but left many with burning questions about how the place actually works.

How Can Lydia & Astrid Breathe On Saturn’s Moons In Beetlejuice 2?

How Beetlejuice 2 Changes Saturn’s Moons

Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) in shock in Beetlejuice 2
 Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) in the attic of a house in Beetlejuice 2 Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and Astrid (Jenna Ortega) at the cemetery in Beetlejuice 2 Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz riding her bike in Beetlejuice 2 Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) are running through the desert, trying to escape from a strange creature in Beetlejuice 2
Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) in shock in Beetlejuice 2 Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) in the attic of a house in Beetlejuice 2 Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and Astrid (Jenna Ortega) at the cemetery in Beetlejuice 2 Jenna Ortega as Astrid Deetz riding her bike in Beetlejuice 2
Astrid (Jenna Ortega) and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) are running through the desert, trying to escape from a strange creature in Beetlejuice 2

If the orange desert in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice really is one of Saturn’s moons, then it makes no sense that Lydia and Astrid are able to breathe while they are there. Although they come from the afterlife, where these types of rules don’t seem as important, they are quite literally transported into space, where oxygen is most certainly at uncertain levels. In this way, both women should have suffocated long before the sandworm actually showed up. Yet, breathing didn’t seem to be a problem for the pair, and they were able to get away safely, saved by Astrid’s father.

In Beetlejuice, the matter of breathing on Saturn’s moons was of less importance. When Barbara and Adam arrived on the deserted plane, they were both already dead. In this way, neither of them were breathing to begin with, so the oxygen content in the air didn’t really matter. However, Lydia and Astrid are still living humans, and thus, need oxygen. Obviously, this is a very small and subtle plot hole, but it is one that is hard to ignore once it is brought up, and the sequel doesn’t do much to cover up this issue.

Lydia & Astrid’s Sandworm Scene Forgets Beetlejuice’s Time Dilation Problem

Why Beetlejuice 2 Ignored The Time Dilation Problem

A sandworm roars in Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice leaves out another major aspect of Saturn’s moons. In the first movie, both Barbara and Adam unexpectedly get sent to Saturn’s moons. Although they believe they were only there for a minute or two, the other reveals that they were gone for hours. This implies that when someone is sent to Saturn’s moons, time moves differently there. However, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ignores this fact. Lydia and Astrid are in the desert for a few minutes, and there doesn’t seem to be any lost time, both in the afterlife and in the living world.

If they had lost several hours, they never would have been able to save Astrid or escape the afterlife.

This is a plot hole that is pretty understandable. While the time dilation problem definitely made the first Beetlejuice movie more interesting, it only causes problems in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Lydia and Astrid are already on a time crunch as they attempt to track down Jeremy and get Astrid’s life back. If they had lost several hours, they never would have been able to save Astrid or escape the afterlife. In this way, it makes sense that the sequel cut the time dilation problem, even if it messes with the canon of the franchise.

Beetlejuice’s Inconsistencies Are Part Of What Makes It Such A Fun Movie

Beetlejuice Shouldn’t Follow The Rules

Delia, Astrid, and Lydia looking at the ground in Beetlejuice 2

Although some may be bothered by the ways in which Beetlejuice Beetlejuice messes with its own rules, viewed a different way, it is part of what makes the movie so fun. The Beetlejuice franchise has always been mind-bending and chaotic. It is the nature of demons and the afterlife to be tricky, confusing, and beyond comprehension. Therefore, it is right on target for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice to change and not stick to any particular set of rules.

Arguably, Beetlejuice would be worse if it was strict about how its world works. What makes Beetlejuice Beetlejuice so entertaining is all the ways in which it surprises the audience. Every fight scene or demonic trick is an opportunity for Tim Burton to try something new with visual effects. If audiences knew how everything worked, then the movie wouldn’t be nearly as exciting. Therefore, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of the few movies that can mess with its own canon.