Hocus Pocus 2 Review

This review was written as part of the Rebel Badge Club Halloween Challenge.

29 years since the original (why not make it a round 30?) and the Sanderson sisters are back in Salem, but only half as menacing.

We meet our terrible trio as children, back in 1600s Salem, and very quickly notice that nothing about them has EVER changed. Their younger selves are exactly as one would expect based on the 1993 film, which throws away any ideas of there ever having been any form of character development for these three main characters. Upon running away from the people of Salem, having been apparently banished forever (how does this affect their living situation as we see them in the first film?), the trio meets Hannah Waddingham as The Witch Mother. It is from this powerful being that they first receive the infamous Book, with a stark warning never to perform the Magica Maxima spell. We can all imagine how this will end...

Back in the present day, we are met with a trio of teenage girls, whose friendship seems to be falling apart somewhat - although we are never really given cause to particularly care about any of the relationships encountered.

The film seems to be trying to capture the magic of the original by cashing in on the nostalgia more than the actual substance. There are many, often quite heavy-handed references to the original, which tend to feel like they were included because they are certain beats that people remember and therefore we must provide them again. 

The young friends (played by Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo and Lilia Buckingham) are very much just typical teenagers, with very little character and depth. This could almost be forgiven if the Sanderson sisters had a level of evil or even just some good old-fashioned Disney villainy, but they too are sorely lacking depth. Their eventual attempt at redemption does not feel earned and is rather rushed, so there is not enough time to feel an emotional connection to them before the end of the film. This is such a shame as we have already seen what Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker are capable of in these roles, but they are just not given anything to properly sink their teeth into.

Another of the new characters that we are introduced to is Gilbert (Sam Richardson), who tends to provide some comedic moments, but is also not really given enough scope to fully explore his character. 

The movie overall feels quite haphazard and rushed, not taking enough time to establish characters and relationships to allow the audience to come to care for them. It really is rather disappointing (especially as someone who has loved Hocus Pocus since first seeing it as a child), but this sequel does not hold a (black flame) candle to the original. It remains to be seen whether this film will have the same legacy as the original - but I quite highly doubt it.