Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus 2

29 years since the Black Flame Candle was last lit, the 17th-century Sanderson sisters are resurrected, and they are looking for revenge. Now it's up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on All Hallow's Eve.

  • Released: 2022-11-18
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
  • Stars: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Froy Gutierrez, Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham, Sam Richardson, Belissa Escobedo, Doug Jones, Juju Journey Brener, Taylor Henderson, Nina Kitchen, David Torres Jr., Ginger Minj, Kornbread Jeté, Kahmora Hall, Skyla Sousa, Aiden Torres, Emma Kaufman, Ryan Rosenthal, Amanda Shepherd
  • Director: Anne Fletcher
 Comments
  • beckydobro - 6 January 2023
    Once was enough
    The first Hocus Pocus is a movie I can rewatch any time and never get tired of it, even after three decades. I watched the sequel right after it came out and, since I was expecting a live-action Mulan level failure, I came away thinking the sequel was okay. Then, I watched it a second time with other people and the flaws were much more obvious.

    The humor was probably my least favorite part. It was so over the top, which is way too common these days. The first one was silly, but it felt more theatrical rather than childish and cringey. The first one felt like they gave the actors more freedom to make the characters their own, which is probably why the comedy felt more natural.

    I also think Disney's creative team primarily focuses on their image these days, rather than good storytelling. Sometimes a good movie slips out, but it's the exception, not the rule. With Hocus Pocus 2, it felt like they were trying way too hard to be diverse, like so many other shows. They included diverse characters in a more realistic way than most shows these days, but it felt like that was their main priority. That just leads to bad storytelling because writers are put into a box. I'm part of the LGBT+ community and there was never a point in the first movie where I thought, this would be so much better if there was an obviously gay character, a gay couple briefly shown, and drag queens. I don't appreciate pandering. I just want a good script.

    Also, I wanted more cameos. The witches and Billy were the only good things about this movie (except Billy's carnival excursions (which were done better in Stranger Things season 3 with Alexei), but I wanted others. It makes sense that Max wouldn't have stayed in Salem and I know Thora Birch had scheduling conflicts. But the Dennison parents would be there, Ice and Jay would be there, and Allison would definitely have stayed. She loved Salem.

    To be fair, cameos for the sake of it might not work, but Salem isn't a huge town. It would make sense for the new characters to run into the old ones once in a while. For example, Allison could've been the owner or manager of the museum. The lack of cameos and that end credit scene make it feel like they're trying too hard to create a franchise where there really doesn't need to be one.

    On Christmas Eve, I watched the Christmas Story sequel and I kept thinking, this is what I wanted Hocus Pocus 2 to be. Whatever you think of the Christmas Story sequel, it's hard to deny it had the same energy as the first one, which is the only thing I wanted for Hocus Pocus 2.
  • UniqueParticle - 23 November 2022
    Huge disappointment compared to the original
    The only good things is bringing back the 3 Sanderson sisters and the nostalgia most of it is bad. The acting is terrible throughout, so is the directing, and it's not funny mostly awkward! I don't know how people enjoyed this I usually do with most things I watch but this is unbearable I'll still finish but I wouldn't recommend it. Sam Richardson is awesome in most anything that's for sure just not in this. At least 80% of Hoscus Pocus 2 is bad every scene is annoying and I really hate the acting! I'm curious if others were frustrated with this mess of a sequel. Sad cause I wanted to like this and was expecting a better experience.