Did the world really need a sequel to 1993’s ‘Hocus Pocus’? Its a question i’ve been wrestling with since the project was announced back in 2020/2021. But! whether I wanted one or not, it happened. and now having actually sat down and seen what 29(ish) years of planning for a sequel to what was a genuinely enjoyable family comedy has produced. I think this was a valuable lesson in ‘Just because an audience demands it, doesnt mean it needs to exist.’
The film picks up 29 years after the events of the first film with a new group of classmates who are heavily interested in the ‘occult’ when one of the gang (Cassie) splits from the trio because the magic stuff is ‘cringe’ and weird. the group feel deflated. However after a VERY ‘special’ birthday gift from the owner of a local witchcraft museum/store, the Sanderson sisters are ressurected and out for vengence against the decendent of a reverend who wronged them some 300 years prior.
And. At it’s heart. this film has the fantastic bones of a story. it has all the elements that would make a sequel to ‘Hocus Pocus’ work present. We have a bit more lore brought in, a plot around friendship, covens and being your authentic self. The original cast for the Sanderson sisters reprising their roles after all this time. and it pains me to say that while all these elements are present (and good!) the end product has sadly been focus grouped and sponsorshipped into a very dry end product that feels like its a tribute act to the first film, rather than something that could stand on its own two feet.
The script at its core is fine, I like the idea of the sisters reignighting a blood feud after centuries and how that line develops, I liked Becca and her group of friends. I thought they were animate and interesting. But the pain of 21st century ‘marvelfication’ of disneys output plagues this film relentlessly. Self aware 4th wall breaking is CHRONIC and way heavier handed than the occasional moments from the first film. the script cant go more than 5 minutes without referencing the events of the first film either directly or in a ‘hey! remember when this happened last time?!’ kind of way.
There are several moments that make no sense in this sequel, because either the Sandersons wouldnt have been alive to experience the events theyre referencing, or they contradict the events of the first film. Am I supposed to believe that the Sandersons, without ANY prompting or foreshadowing created the song ‘One way or another’ totally independently from Blondie, off the cuff? If I am, then I fear its a bridge too far for me to suspend my disbelief.
Thats another thing, the HEAVY leaning into elements that were kind of inpromptu in the first film. The ‘put a spell on you’ scene from the first film was organically grown into the film, Winifred goes to a party where the host band are playing a rocky version of the track, she listens into it and likes the vibe, and then later in that scene, she uses the song she just heard, incorporates it into one of her spells and transfixes the audience.
Other than that scene and Sarah Sanderson singing to capture children (Which is established here as being just a thing witches do and not something Sarah is particularly unique for), the Sandersons wernt ‘Known’ for enjoying singing and dancing…This film however pretty much opens by saying ‘OH YEH! THE SANDERSONS WERE A GODDAMN CHORUS LINE.’ and then, because the audience want them singing and dancing, theres 3-4 singing and dancing numbers that are forced in, dont make sense and dont really do anything for the plot.
There are moments like that all through the film where its clear someone in a ‘think tank’ session just said ‘Hey! I liked this bit’ and so they do it a dozen times in this film, but with non of the charm of warmth.
And thats not to mention the extended advertisements within the film itself…I dont want to get hocked ads for ‘Wallgreens’ (a store I cant even go to) and Siri in the middle of my family movie, at best its distracting and at worst its insideous.
The dialogue takes a hit too, with most scenes amounting to something KER-RAZY happening, followed immediately by one character saying ‘Well…THAT just happened!’ in a sarcastic tone, on repeat, for near enough the full runtime.
The pacing is lopsided, it opens slow, builds up fairly well in the 2nd act when the Sandersons actually make it to town, and then slows to a crawl as the in references, 4th wall breaks and gurning smother the 3rd act to within an inch of its life, before the film just kind of, abruptly ends with a hair pin character turn that genuinely left me feeling like i’d been short changed of the last hour and a half.
The humour here was hit and miss, I enjoyed a lot of the jokes here, and I think Midler, Parker and Najimy are a fantastic trio that play on the traditions of Stoogery and the marx bros well…When they landed a joke, I’d say it was on par with the quality of the original. But when they miss (and they miss a lot) ts groan worthy, or at worst it left me stoney faced. Again, I cant help but feel like somewhere a focus group had a lot of say in what jokes ‘worked’ and what ‘didnt’ and I feel like thats ultimately harmed the film more than helped it.
The direction is fine, this is a Disney movie…I had no doubt it wouldnt at least be passable, theres an overeliance on CGI here which I thought was a bit of a shame, and I dont think this does anything particularly ground breaking. But its a passible studio film. Or rather, to me? there was nothing glaring that made me wince.
Same goes for the cine, I feel like this one was a bit murkier than I personally would have liked. The colour is there, but the scourge of mainstream 21st century colour correction to keep everything looking sleek and cool over colourful and vibrant (unless your a kids film) strikes again. the edits fine enough, but honestly, that 3rd act needed a LOT of tidying up and I think had this been cut down to sub 90 minutes it would have easily gained another half star if not more.
Performances are fine, the Sandersons are animate, lively and havent lost any of the charisma from the first film, I do feel like Sarah and Mary have been somewhat ‘Fladerized’ in the scripting. they had a bit more nuance in the first film, but here Sarah only speaks when she’s being airheaded and Mary…if anything, ends up being a bit creepier than last time…and I didnt much care for that.
Our heros for the film (Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Lilia Buckingham) are fine, as mentioned, I dont feel the script does them any favours, but they work with the lines they’re given, they really bring a level of animation to their performances that is missing from mainstream YA features. I thought they were inoffensive, they did good with a mixed hand to me.
And the score is NOT as good as the original. the whimsy is gone and instead it sounds like dollar store Danny Elfman. its a real shame, and I feel in places its not really best implemented either.
Despite my protestation, ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ did have moments that I quite enjoyed. I liked the plot (broadly) The comedy was fun, the direction and performances were on the level and It was nice enough to revisit this world as I felt like after the first film there was still opportunity for unmined exploration.
However; I feel like the focus and purpose of this film has gotten lost along the way. nice little moments from the first film like the Sandersons invading a house owned by an old man dressed as the devil believing he IS the actual dark lord are totally absent in this film (and dearly missed) It feels too safe, to keen to retread old ground and its worst crime, is it feels like its ‘trying’ too hard to be ‘cool’. Which bizarrely goes against the ACTUAL message the films trying to put across.
In short, I didnt dislike this film. But its a FAR cry from the original. I’ll happily rewatch this one again, because like I say, it has its moments and its inoffensive on the technical level. But I cant recommend this one honestly, its a background film, something you have on while doing something else. and I feel like if they want to do a ‘Hocus Pocus 3’ in future. they REALLY need to let the writers and directors shape the production, rather than a committee.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/hocus-pocus-2/
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