How crazy at nostalgia being so common, such an idea
for movie industries to actually do, that “Hocus Pocus,” a movie from 1993 that
looked like a made for Disney TV movie, has now been brought back with a
sequel. Leo Brady admitted in his review, “Yours truly is guilty of
perpetrating that nostalgia. Truth be told, I watch Hocus Pocus with my wife
every Halloween night, but in many respects it’s the kind of movie that
wouldn’t need a sequel. The reason is because the original is fine without
anything else added to it but since this gained steam after Gen-X-ers and
Gen-Z’s started watching it on Freeform or talking about it on Twitter, we now
have Hocus Pocus 2, premiering on Disney+.” It’s a cheaper looking production,
with undoubtedly entertaining skills of the trio protagonists of witches, and a
plot that redoes the original. The expectations should not be high because they
never were, but “Hocus Pocus 2” is not memorable enough, nor exceeds the
original to explain its enchanting fruition.
The beginning brings viewers back to old Salem, with
sisters Winifried (Taylor Paige Henderson), Sarah (Juju Brener), and Mary
Sanderson (Nina Kitchen) were just teenagers, and the orange haired Winifried
has turned 16. Winifried’s resolution to the old-fashioned customs of Salem
leads to the sisters being banished. This is also when they discover the power
of witchcraft from a mysterious Witch Mother, played by Hannah Waddingham,
introducing the magical book of spirits and with their sisterly bond they could
become their own coven. Obviously, this would eventually lead to the events of
the first “Hocus Pocus,” but now 28-years later and the Sanderson sisters sill
have a place in Salem.
The new group of high school kids are Becca (Whitney
Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and Cassie (Lilla Buckingham), but with getting
older the traditions of Halloween change. Boys are damaging the friendship,
Cassie chooses to party, while Becca and Izzy stay with the Salem Halloween
festival run by Cassie’s father who is running for mayor (Tony Hale), and visit
the magic shop of Gilbert (Sam Richardson). As you would think, this is when
the girls receive a new mysterious candle from the magic store owner that their
lighting of the candle leads to the resurrection of Winifred (Bette Midler),
Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary (Kathy Najimy) and now the night turns
into a mission to stop the Sanderson sisters from bringing disaster on Salem.
Brady mentioned, “There are unfortunately more cons
than pros in Hocus Pocus 2, but the pros do keep things moving smoother than I
expected.” One undeniable fact is that Midler, Parker, and Najimy still work
well off of one another and have the talent to put on a good show. There’s a
combination of original songs and a cover of Blondie’s One Way or Another
that lets viewers see that great theatrical energy from all of them. However,
the cons exist in the usual issues that new revivals – like “Ghostbusters:
Afterlife” or “Space Jam: A New Legacy” all have. Brady noted, “The story is a
retread of the original, the visuals are often plastic, looking as if shot on
sound stages in back lots of Hollywood, while the various jokes land on cringe
more than funny. It’s obvious that the three Sanderson sisters are from a
different universe and now everything seems out of place.”
Writers Jen D’Angelo, David Kirschner, and Blake
Harris are well aware that inviting everyone back to Salem is about celebrating
the witches again, but that’s also done in service of nostalgia, and not of an
original story. The direction from Anne Fletcher is serviceable in the reality
of straight to streaming movies and that in the end becomes the main damage in “Hocus
Pocus 2.” Brady commented, “A blatant and hideous co-sponsoring with Walgreens
is the film’s funniest and most pathetic moment. Hocus Pocus 2 also finds a way
to make the typically masterful work of Doug Jones- returning as zombie Billy
Butcherson- seem obsolete to the amounts of plastic scenery that surrounds him.
I wouldn’t call Hocus Pocus 2 a complete failure.” It’s nice to see Midler,
Parker, and Najimy give some song and dance numbers. There’s just not enough of
it to bring out the right stuff.
Overall, I just found this to be ok. It’s not as good
as the first one, but then again, I wasn’t really a fan of the first movie. I
only saw it because my siblings were saying they saw it and enjoyed it, and
after seeing the Nostalgia Critic review this for his “Nostalgia-Ween” a few
years back, that’s when I decided to check it out. These movies are not
something I would see every October around Halloween time, but if you do,
great. I just don’t think this sequel was needed and I think after seeing them
once, I won’t need to see them again. Check it out if you would like to on
Disney+, but if not, you’re not missing much.
Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay
tuned tomorrow for the continuation of “M. Night Shyamalan Month.”
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