movie Hocus Pocus 2 | NOW ON D+

[Bloo]

I’d give it a 3/10. Better than I expected it to be. But it still felt like a cheap cash grab with endless contrived nostalgia-driven jokes. The movie felt like it was constantly screaming at me, “Remember that joke from the original?!” The only enjoyable moments are when the Sanderson sisters are together and seeing their chemistry which is still solid and can huge you a few moments of laughter. Beyond that, the movie is pretty bad. The plot is nonsensical, so many of the characters feel like Disney channel sitcom characters, the editing was bad (there were several weird cuts where a character would say “let’s go!” and then immediately they’d be there with no proper transition to communicate travel).

 

I hope they leave it at this and don’t make another sequel. But they probably will because exploiting nostalgia is easy and reliable. 

[igninton]

I really enjoyed this.

 

One of the few recent sequels/remakes that are up to par with the original.

[Nashe]

I wish we never got a sequel... literally a waste of time

[shark_heather]

The Mayor with his apple was the most idiotic thing in the movie 

 

The sisters KILLED IT though , i loved every second of watching them again 

[Amaru]

The Walgreen's scene alone was worth it.  The girls killed every time they were on screen, though SJP's seem oddly censored in costume and humor.  

[publikcitizen]

After thinking about this for awhile, I think Hocus Pocus was actually more mature/darker in tone whereas Hocus Pocus 2 feels more "Disneyfied" in the vein of Maleficient where their evil is being shown as redeemable. 

[Horizon Flame]

The kids were awful. The sisters were wonderful. 

[Bethenny Frankel]

not as good as the original, but the sisters slayed

[Bombshell]

Winnie, Sarah and Mary are main pop girls

[FLAallday]

The absence of a character like Binx is also a bit of a loss to the fantasy tbh. Billy’s inclusion was fine but I almost wish the witches would have bewitched the shop owner into a cat or locked him into the cellar and betwitched his cat into something, idk, I just feel like part of what made the first story work so well was that the group of teens in the first movie had the assistance and guidance of Binx and you feel that absence in this movie for sure.  
 

I’ll also say, these girls were never going to compare to the excellence that is Thora Birch or Vanessa Shaw in the first film.  

[shark_heather]

The young Sanderson sisters were AMAZING 

 

I would kill for a Disney Series on them 

[Drowned8World]

Froy Gutierrez is by far the WORST actor in this movie. 

 

the movie feels very disney channel overall

[StarsAllAligned]

2 hours ago, publikcitizen said:

After thinking about this for awhile, I think Hocus Pocus was actually more mature/darker in tone whereas Hocus Pocus 2 feels more "Disneyfied" in the vein of Maleficient where their evil is being shown as redeemable. 

This describes it perfectly, was just telling my friend this exact thing.

 

Also, what’s up with Billy’s sudden accent? 

[dman4life]

I really enjoyed it! The tone was noticeably lighter than the first one but it didn't make a difference for me. Me and my friends had a small watch party and consumed alot of alcohol while watching. Can't wait to rewatch it sober tonight ?

[justin.]

It was cute, but I could have done without the musical numbers. I also agree with everyone saying it felt like a Disney Channel movie. Really hope there isn’t a third movie tbh. 

[Bencharmer]

5 hours ago, publikcitizen said:

After thinking about this for awhile, I think Hocus Pocus was actually more mature/darker in tone whereas Hocus Pocus 2 feels more "Disneyfied" in the vein of Maleficient where their evil is being shown as redeemable. 

At this point im glad they didn't water them all down... They still want to eat humans even tho it's took indeed lighter.

 

You can really feel the Hocus Pocus cult inspired the characters here... 

But fan service is also what made that sequel possible so.

 

 

[Dula Peep]

I enjoyed it for what it was 

[BonniemcChicken]

i loved it. the one scene at the end made me so emotional

[FLAallday]

It kinda needed a little more camp and a little more darkness. Also I don’t know if this is necessarily true but I almost feed like the background scoring in the first film is so much better used. 

[Miss Show Business]

The main cast did a great job of reprising their roles. They carry the entire movie.

 

I noticed some inconsistences with the originals plot that this one introduced that I noticed while watching. Firstly was, in the original, Winnie's spell book was given to her "by the devil himself". Secondly, in the original, Binx said "nothing good" can come from the book.

 

(Mild spoiler)

Spoiler

(Yet, the girls use it to reverse Winnie's spell.)

Overall I liked it, but I think it could've been better.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Miss Show Business

[Canon]

3 hours ago, Dula Peep said:

I enjoyed it for what it was 

This 

 

If you come into this expecting Oscar-level anything, you're watching the wrong movie. The amount of reviewers I've seen acting as if this movie killed their children need to chill and just have a fun watch. 

[Gossip_Boy]

Yeah this did not do it for me at all. The main trio was excellent and brought the camp and the younger actors were fine too (young Winnie in particular was really great), but script was weak and everything felt so blue and cheap (which is an ongoing problem with Disney in general over the last decade or so). Where were the beautiful autumnal colors? The original had an essence of darkness and beauty about it. This was filmed around Halloween time if I recall correctly so like ????

 

I also didn’t vibe with the ending. It was very much giving the power of sisterhood which was to be expected to an extent I guess since it’s D+. Why can’t evil people just be evil people anymore? Not everything has to be so sugarcoated.

Edited October 2, 2022 by Gossip_Boy

[Delirious]

Disney nowerdays is quantity over quality

[Bencharmer]

11 hours ago, Miss Show Business said:

Firstly was, in the original, Winnie's spell book was given to her "by the devil himself".

A lot of people pointed that.

 

"the devil" was believed to be a force, even back in the 17th century. The devil was said to be represented by a particular person (an animal, a man in black, a woman in trance) so it's not a big unconsistancy to me.

 

Plus they always look up when they talk about their Mother, i found that very clever so got portrayed as a raven woman.

 

 

[Mystic Warrior]

11 hours ago, Miss Show Business said:

The main cast did a great job of reprising their roles. They carry the entire movie.

 

I noticed some inconsistences with the originals plot that this one introduced that I noticed while watching. Firstly was, in the original, Winnie's spell book was given to her "by the devil himself". Secondly, in the original, Binx said "nothing good" can come from the book.

 

(Mild spoiler)

  Reveal hidden contents

(Yet, the girls use it to reverse Winnie's spell.)

Overall I liked it, but I think it could've been better.

I think a lot of people are overlooking the time period these things were claimed in. Any women accused of witches were said to be “dancing with the devil”, and I’m sure Winnie had no interest in correcting that rumor. It’s more power to her. 
 

Binx’s view of Book is biased and that should be the simplest to deduce. They used Book to turn him into an immortal feline to keep him from Emily. Of course he would claim nothing good can come from Book. 
 

Overall, it was a solid sequel for a classic that had a lot of hype behind it. I’m glad to see people are able to enjoy it for what it is— a harmless campy romp with our favorite witch sisters.