Now Reading
HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back

HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back

Avatar photo
HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back

Trying to recapture the magic of Hocus Pocus feels like trying to capture lightning in a bottle. Considering the film was originally going to be a TV movie, ended up in theaters, bombed in theaters, and then formed a cult following on home video, that’s a tough act to follow. Even with legacy sequels being the latest trend, expectations should probably be low.

HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back
source: Disney+

Disney seems almost obligated to go down this road given the heavy appeal. The best-case scenario is a mere reprisal and not a reboot. Thankfully, Hocus Pocus 2 does an okay job finding some of the magic, even if it still feels like half the movie it could have been.

Return of The Witches

The filmmakers are smart enough to throw more screen time to the witch trio, The Sanderson Sisters. We get to see their origins of evil in the most adorable of child-like interpretations. It’s silly and their origins don’t reveal much of what we already assumed, but it’s still a solid little prologue highlighting the strengths of the first film. It’s also a decent aside to watch Hannah Waddingham play a devilishly tempting witch, providing foreboding about power and loneliness.

HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back
source: Disney+

This aspect doesn’t exactly play a heavy role when the sisters of Winnie (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker), and Mary (Kathy Najimy) make their big return to the 21st century. They’re the same old over-the-top women with a lust for power and a hunger for children’s souls. They’re just not smart enough to know it’s not located in an aisle at Walgreens which is pretty funny.

The Mundane Humans

Reviving the Sandersons is a Salem populated with eccentric yet basic characters. Becca (Whitney Peak) is a high school student with a love of witchcraft. Her obsession coupled with her best friend Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) and estranged friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham) leads to them reviving the Sandersons.

Aiding in their supernatural explorations is the big-time witch fan Gilbert (Sam Richardson), doling out all the exposition and sometimes making some light humor in his witch merchandise shop. Tony Hale is also present as the town’s mayor. He doesn’t do much besides having a strange addiction to candy apples which, I must admit, was a surprisingly funny C-plot.

HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back
source: Disney+

All of these characters are fine but treated with such kid gloves as they stay neatly in their lanes. The trio of Becca, Izzy, and Cassie have okay chemistry but not a whole lot of personality, where even their wittiest lines come off like dry banter. Richardson can be a comedic force but he’s given little to work with here. Hale is doing his best to candy up this tasteless apple of a role he’s been served. Even the bully of the girls feels like a nothing character who is stood up to and reformed with routine ease.

Some Old Magic

Really, though, I doubt anybody is going to care about the plot involving Becca possibly having witch power. The real draw is the Sandersons and anytime they’re on screen the movie feels fun. The energy and chemistry of the three actors never miss a beat, and they feel just as eccentric and goofy as they did in the 1990s.

Even familiar gags have a new touch of absurdity to them. Remember when the witches lost their brooms in the last film? Now they acquire new brooms, which happen to include Roombas that make flight quite a sight. This gag also has a solid punchline where the Roombas come in handy to stop a concealment spell.

Did you enjoy hearing the Sandersons sing at a Halloween ball? Well, you get three songs this time, including a studio recording of the actors in character to close out the picture. Having the Sandersons once more put a spell on a crowd while dancing up a storm is still as much of a fun treat as it was in the first film.

HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back
source: Disney+

It was also so much fun to see Doug Jones return as the zombie Billy, this time with more lines with his mouth not being constantly sown shut. Much like the Sandersons, Jones maintains his character well and is still a wealth of slapstick. His head gets torn off, his limbs break, and he has the perfect comedic timing in his many interactions with Richardson. It’s a bit of a shame we don’t get more time with him, even though he probably has more screen time than in the previous film.

Safety Wands

And, yet, I couldn’t help but feel there was more that could be done with this material. While there’s a tad more to the Sanderson trio, this narrative feels far too safe. It trots along with witch lore that is spooky but never scary enough for little kids and comedy that is suitable for kids yet lukewarm for adults.

HOCUS POCUS 2: The Witches Are Kinda Back
source: Disney+

This is a sequel that really only succeeds when embracing its theatrics. The spells are clever, the staging is charming, and the energy runs fairly high. Every time the film finds funny stuff for the witches to do, I found myself transfixed by the supernatural hi-jinks. Even Hale’s candy-apple obsession had me loving his character. But the teen trio is so bland that I honestly didn’t care whether or not the Sandersons succeeded in their quest to become all-powerful witches.

Conclusion: Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus 2 is like pulling out that year-old candy from last Halloween and being mildly surprised it doesn’t taste that bad. There are some notes of nostalgia that still rang true and brought back fond memories. That being said, so much of the aged and ho-hum elements of the first film feel just as present here as well. The result is pretty much what I expected for this Disney+ sequel; harping on nostalgia that is not too tiresome but also not too compelling to topple the original. Those hoping for more of the Sandersons may be satiated but don’t expect a full-course meal with this by-the-book legacy sequel.

What did you think of Hocus Pocus 2? Did you watch it on Disney+? How does it compare to the original film? Let us know in the comments below.

Hocus Pocus 2 is currently playing on Disney+.


Watch Hocus Pocus 2

 

Does content like this matter to you?


Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.

Join now!

Scroll To Top