Hocus Pocus 2 — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
I’ll start this review off by first stating that I hadn’t seen the original Hocus Pocus until a couple of years ago, so I never grew up watching it like a lot of other fans have. I enjoyed that film for what it was. It was very much of its time and that was part of the charm for me. It’s not great, but it had its moments, and that’s pretty much how I felt about the second film as well. Hocus Pocus 2 is now streaming on Disney+, 29 years after the release of the original, and while I don’t think it’s a great film, it’s a very fun watch and I may even prefer it over the original.
Picking up in literal time, 29 years after the events of the first film, two young girls discover what is known as the black flame, which enables these three witches from 1600s Salem to return. Basically telling a similar story to the first, Hocus Pocus 2 is all about trying to get them sent back to where they came from (being dead). This film treads some of the same story beats, but I just found their performances and antics to be much more enjoyable this time around. The first film had its own sense of charm for being made in the 90s, but this sequel felt like it had many more fun set pieces. I just straight up had more fun with this one overall.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy have always been great as these over-the-top characters and it just felt like they fell right back into their roles. They looked and felt the same as they did 29 years ago and that alone put a smile on my face. I can’t say the same about the main kids this time around. I’ll commend the filmmakers for casting children that are more likeable than in the original, but sadly, their storyline and dialogue throughout the film were weak. Their presence slowed the film down for me. The biggest issue is that the witches that everyone watches these films for, completely overshadow everything else in the film, in good and bad ways. I have to also that I really enjoyed Sam Richardson’s performance as Gilbert. He stole the show on multiple occasions for me.
In the end, it was nice to see these characters once again, especially since they were once again devoted to delivering a fun experience and I thought the overall message of the movie this time was better as well. The modern technology sequences were great because they have a payoff and everything else was just well-done, especially for a lower-budgeted film that went straight to streaming. My two big gripes are in the fact that it feels similar in story to the first and that the children in this film don’t have much to do and are incredibly overshadowed by the witches, once they show up. Those complaints do impact my overall enjoyment, but I still had a lot of fun. I recommend Hocus Pocus 2 as a breezy watch around Halloween, especially if you’ve seen and liked the original.
Rating: 3.5/5
Check out the trailer below:
