Hocus Pocus 2 Movie Review: Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker’s Witches Return In a Goofy and Fun Legacy Sequel! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Hocus Pocus 2 Movie Review: The Gothic Golden Girls are back in town as Hocus Pocus returns with a sequel that’s on par with the original. Almost 30 years in the making, Hocus Pocus 2 comes from director Anne Fletcher as she brings back the Coven of Sanderson Sisters to a modern era. After a bunch of teenagers light the candle again in the forbidden forest, the Sanderson Sisters return again as they target Salem looking for revenge. It's up to our trio now to stop them and put and end to the madness that ensues. Blonde Movie Review: Ana de Armas’ Hellish Turn as Marilyn Monroe Can’t Carry This Objectifying and Exploitive Psychodrama (LatestLY Exclusive).

I personally was never really that huge on the original Hocus Pocus. Seeing as to its cult status in recent times, the decision to revisit again proved to be fruitful as the experience for watching Hocus Pocus 2 became rewarding. Going in with minimal expectations, I was quite surprised to see how much I began to enjoy it from its opening sequence that featured a younger version of the Sanderson Sisters meeting a high-ranking witch for the first time. From there on it turns into madness as the Witches of Salem start running amuck in the town with their powers.

Shifting to present, we are met with the duo of Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) who have friction going on with their other best friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). While the trio isn’t able to match the iconic ranking of Max, Dani and Allison – they are still well portrayed and written that their adventures become quite serviceable to the story. Peak, Escobedo and Buckingham have some great chemistry with each other and their story ultimately boils down to having the power of friendship, and cheesy as it sounds, it very much fits with the tone of Hocus Pocus 2.

But you’re here to watch the witches of Salem – the Coven of the Sanderson Sisters. Reprising their roles nearly thirty years later, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker seem to have not lost their touch, and the trio of Winifred, Sarah and Mary is just as conniving and goofy as ever. Their story also takes for a great turn with Hocus Pocus 2 adding a bit more depth to the Sandersons. Being awoken again, sure it does hit on the same beats of the original, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve that doesn’t make Hocus Pocus 2 feel like a retread. Doug Jones too reprises his role as Billy, however it feels like the talking zombie wasn’t given much to do and that was a bit disappointing to see.

Watch the Trailer:

There are a few secondary plot-lines that go nowhere and can leave you a bit confused too. One involving Tony Hale’s Jefry Traske saw the witches target him for being a descendant of the pastor in past that banished them from the town. While there is one scene of conflict between the, later on the plot line is completely forgotten. Hocus Pocus 2 still more than makes up for it going forward with some hilarious scenes.

Hocus Pocus 2 also is lighter than the original, but the fun factor is just turned up to ten-fold. While the original did feature dark concepts, Hocus Pocus 2 focuses on being a comedy first, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing because a lot of jokes land really well. With a setup that saw the Sandersons going into costume competition that featured folks dressing up as them, their face off against the Drag Queens brought about a hilarious laugh that immediately lead into a cover of “One Way or Another.” However, the darker concepts of the original were missed a bit. There are also certain callbacks that will surely have fans of the original Hocus Pocus excited. Andor Review: Diego Luna’s 'Rogue One' Spinoff Series Revels In Providing Refreshing and Intimate Take on the Star Wars Saga! (LatestLY Exclusive).

Sadly, the finale does rush up things a bit with Hocus Pocus 2 just… ending. While there was a sense of capturing some emotional tone over there, the movie could have easily benefited with a more spread-out conclusion. The conclusion does have excitement; however it finishes up with a quick run-and-done that tries to cram up a lot.

Yay!

The Sanderson Sisters

Extremely Funny

Nay!

Secondary Plot-Lines Go Nowhere

Rushed Finale

Final Thoughts

With a good dose of goofiness and a committed performance from our original trio of witches, Hocus Pocus 2 is a certified good time. A really fun legacy sequel that embraces the elements of what made the original so special, Hocus Pocus 2 was a welcome surprise. The movie will releases on 30th September and stream on Disney+ Hotstar.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2022 08:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).