The Sanderson sisters are back! About 30 years after the first Hocus Pocus is out, Disney+ returns to Salem with a sequel. Originally, the first film was considered a box office failure, costing Disney around $16.5 million. Over the years, however, Hocus Pocus has become a beloved cult classic with sales and streaming numbers soaring every October.
The notion of Hocus Pocus 2 is almost identical to that of the first. Three teenage girls unwittingly bring the Sanderson sisters back to Salem – three 17th century witches with a vendetta against the community that sentenced them to death. As the sisters gallop around present-day Salem, cursing and seducing its citizens in their sole purpose of revenge, the girls must find a way to stop them.
Also read: The greatest witch movies of all time
Hocus Pocus 2 is true to the theme of its predecessor
To be honest, the plot of Hocus Pocus 2 is irrelevant to its quality. The arcs crossed by the protagonists are staples of the family genre. Nevertheless, Becca from Whitney Peak, Izzy from Belissa Escobedo and Cassie from Lilia Buckingham stand out. They are easy to encourage and humorous heroes.
‘HOCUS POCUS 2’ debuts with 66% on Rotten Tomatoes from 32 reviews.
Read our review: https://t.co/DeTwst02zA pic.twitter.com/MYBdbTKFog
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The appeal of the 1993 Disney cult classic has always been its wacky energy and the even wackier humor of the Sanderson sisters. It’s campy and certainly memorable. It’ll be a hit as long as the inevitable sequel hits the same notes. And so it goes Hocus Pocus 2.
Hocus Pocus 2 works best as a “legacy sequel” because if it came out five years after the original it would be cliched, and if a third installment came out within the next five years it wouldn’t make sense. The sequel pays both homage and riffs to the original. Sure, there’s some inherent hilarity to the fish out of water plot, but there’s also the added layer of this film’s release 29 years after the first.
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Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson are back, and it’s terribly fantastic. Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy return to their quirky personas with ease, while Sarah Jessica Parker is as great as it always has been. The bond between the sisters is the same and yet doesn’t feel overdone or weary. Some moments are nearly identical replicas of the original, but even then they’re still fun because the sisters are fascinating to watch.
Hocus Pocus 2 gets a low Rotten Tomatoes rating
Rotten tomatoes gives Hocus Pocus 2 a dismal 66%. This Disney+ exclusive ran the risk of being too current in its comedy or appearing flat. Hocus Pocus 2, fortunately, manages to avoid both. Anne Fletcher’s direction manages to convey a spooky tone, and while the film isn’t as visually rich as its predecessor, it isn’t as close to lifeless as many of its live-action peers.
Also read: 5 POP CULTURE AND NERD LOVER SHOWS MUST WATCH ON DISNEY+
This film was made for fans of the first Hocus Pocus. If you haven’t seen the first one and are intrigued by the campy notion, the sequel will be great – but you should watch the first one anyway. It’s a profitable legacy sequel to one of Disney’s most enduring cult classics. Hocus Pocus 2 isn’t hugely emotionally evocative in terms of plot, but it’s still great fun to watch. It’s about the journey, not the goal. Nothing will ever be able to capture the electric charge of the original, but this sequel does a fantastic job of reminding us why we love it.
Hocus Pocus 2 will stream exclusively on Disney+.
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