Movie Review: Hocus Pocus 2

I think many a 90's or early 2000's kid will have grown up watching Hocus Pocus at least once throughout their current lifetime. I still remember the very first time I watched it, with it being broadcasted on Channel 5 in the UK once when I was very young. I think what caught my attention with the original Hocus Pocus was how fun it was. It was a film that encapsulated Halloween as it's central premise and tied it all around the evil Sanderson Sisters. The journey the young teenagers went on to stop the sisters from resurrecting fully throughout the course of the story was charming and comedic in all the best ways. What stood out for me then and even now was just how much fun Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy were having playing the roles of these wicked witches which helped make the original film feel timeless. It's important to recognise the legacy of the original film when talking about it's sequel; aptly named Hocus Pocus 2. 

Hocus Pocus 2 which was released in 2022 sees the return of the Sanderson Sisters over twenty nine years since they were defeated in the original movie. Anne Fletcher is credited for directing this Disney+ original movie with the screenplay written by Jen D'Angelo. All three of the original Sanderson sisters actresses donned their robes once more in this sequel which seeks to flesh out the sisters past a little more while incorporating them into a more modern world than that they saw in 1993. With a more modern world it's worth recognising how this film also tries to keep itself relevant to the original movie with a lot of similar story beats and references. 

Twenty nine years since the Sanderson Sisters were defeated on Halloween night, we see a new group of friends find themselves embroiled in a plot to resurrect the Sanderson Sisters once more. Becca and Izzy are best friends living in Salem who have a fondness all things witchcraft. On Halloween night in 2022 the friends decide to practise a spell which unbeknownst to them was set up to revive the Sanderson Sisters from their death. Newly awakened, the Sisters go about in preparing to conjure a very powerful spell called Magicae Maxima which will see them become the most powerful witches in all of existence. As the night proceeds it's up to Becca, Izzy and their supporting friends to foil the sisters evil plan before it's too late. 

It's sad to say that I personally feel the films narrative element is not nearly as captivating as it was in the original movie. I think the reason for this lies within how undercooked a lot of the narrative feels. There's an underlying theme with this film which tries to flesh out the background of the sisters and how they became witches, but this theme never really comes into relevancy until the very end of the film. The remainder of the films narrative is trying to re-tread all the same plot beats of the original movie yet never really doing it in as captivating a way. The new cast of characters simply couldn't draw my attention because of how one dimensional their character arcs were either. It feels like a lot of the films narrative was solely tied around getting he Sanderson Sisters back and doing quirky things again, which is fine to a degree but the rest of the film fails to structure itself around them.

Even though I didn't care much for the narrative structure of the film, I felt I was getting more than my moneys worth when the Sanderson sisters were back on my screen. Despite not being in these roles for twenty nine years these three actresses never lost a beat. They inhabited these roles once more like it was only yesterday we last saw them. Their comedic timing and energy never wavers whenever they are on screen and I had such a blast seeing them muck about (A muck! A muck! A muck!) throughout the film. The comedic writing for them is also worth recognising with how many new opportunities there are to explore with a more modern world. Technology has shifted since 1993 and the film uses this jump in time to fully explore all the potential jokes around ti. It's well worth watching just for how fun these sisters are in the way they interact with the world and with each other. 

Hocus Pocus 2 is definitely not as good as the original film but it doesn't mean there isn't any value to be found in this film. It's narrative structure fails to maintain itself in as way that doesn't make it feel like a re-tread in one respect and uninspired in another. When the film gives you exactly what you want with the Sanderson sisters however, it makes you forget about it's weaker elements. Hocus Pocus established a major legacy amongst many people across the world, so it means a lot to me to see these three actresses come back to give the Sanderson sisters another outing with all the same energy and bravado.