Hocus Pocus 2

I have always said that the first 'Hocus Pocus' is the best Halloween film for kids. It's a lot of fun, exciting, has a good amount of energy, has the right amount of horror to not put the kids off it and just makes you smile. So I was glad to see that the love for it gave birth to a long awaited sequel.

With the excitement comes the caution as sequels from 80's or 90's originals have a low success rate. But like with something like 'Top Gun: Maverick' I knew that in the right hands if they committed to the concept rather than try and make it contemporary to keep the interest of modern audiences, then this could be as fun as the original.

There is a promising start that will certainly engage the fans of the original and while the structure as a whole is very familiar, it still never felt like cash grab. There was enough to keep the story going while paying homage to its predecessor which is fine as that is the reason why this film finally exists.

The action isn't really as physical as before. But as a few of our stars are a bit seasoned now, some of the changes that they made to accommodate that never made the film drag for me.

The finale is certainly the film's high point as there is one moment that will get the fans emotional. It certainly caught me off guard. It left me very satisfied, and I think it will get a strong positive response with other loyal members of the fandom also.

Seeing the trio of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker was just great. They have not lost their touch or chemistry and Midler in particular can still put on a great show. It never felt they were phoning it in. It felt like they wanted to give something back to the fans which was wholly satisfying. It was also great seeing Doug Jones return. Jones is someone that does not get enough credit from people outside of the industry. You probably don't realise how much work Jones has done and his signature physical acting was put to good use once again.

As for the new cast, they weren't as instantly likable as the ones from the original. But they did a perfectly functional job to help the story move along and were thankfully never annoying.

It was great seeing parts of the original locations used and bringing back John Debney for that memorable score to be put to use once again. Some parts did look a bit too polished, too much like a set and never felt as dirty or authentic as its predecessor. The pacing is solid but could have been a bit more rampant to give it some adrenaline. The slightly longer running time doesn't help.

Other minor negatives to speak of was that the stakes never felt that big or consequential. I'm not totally surprised at this as Disney don't try to make things too scary or risky these days.

But that being said, the fun factor and energy is still there and despite its flaws I had a blast watching this. As a fan, it was great to see the gang bang together. While some of the nods, call backs and gags didn't all work, they largely were well executed. For non-fans, I feel this will remain a pleasurable watch. It does a good job celebrating its legacy and never tarnishing it. The emotional and highly satisfying finale proved that they were basically saying thank you to the fans for celebrating the original for so long.

I really hope I'm not the minority as I try to avoid seeing beloved projects through tinted eyes. But I think as a film it's perfectly fine with some nice moments that anyone can be invested in. But this will clearly satisfy the fans.

I must mention that there is a post credits scene. It's hard to not give a hint without spoiling it. So that's all say about it. It's there for you to discover yourself.

I don't understand how fans of the first film would want to trash this.

The story offers a mix of prequel information, first film nostalgia and a decent revival of our characters. It isn't without flaws but after nearly thirty years, I found the plot interesting and fun to watch. The characters are older but still gave nice performances and the new characters weren't awful.

Most sequels fail to live up to the original film and you know this before sitting down but that doesn't mean they aren't fun to watch. I personally liked seeing the characters brought back and can honestly say that I enjoyed the experience. In my opinion, had the 1993 original not been made, simply cutting the references to it would've made this a fine stand alone film.

To each their own.

In a time where Disney seems to struggle for new material, a sequel to a 29-year-old cult classic could've easily gone wrong. However, the movie is clever, enjoyable and the Sanderson sisters return is lots of fun.

Similar to the original, expect some camp witchcraft, spells through music and dance, and Winnie, Mary and Sarah once again on the hunt to be young, beautiful and to survive past dawn.

I watched the original earlier to refresh myself, but the movie does a great job of standing alone whilst also referencing key scenes in the 1993 film which have impact on the 2022 storyline.

Overall, a lot of fun for what it is and sure to be popular amongst those of us that grew up loving the original. A shame the kids from the first film didn't make a cameo!

I'll try my best to not spoil it...

It was a fun film, has nothing on the original sadly.

Referring to the 1993 movie with someone in the film watching the original! How's that possible!

I feel they tried too hard here at times Some of the jokes just over the top As much as the sets looked good, they also looked fake I feel kids will like it but the long time fans will enjoy it just not love it as much as the original

Lots of links to the first and hooks to match them up, but 3 key people missing with no real mention yet the evens were.

As I said it's fun, very "camp" can I say that?

I didn't have much hope for it and I was right for that, I also predicted the store for the main character

Also, the story of where Book came from was changed for this film

Will I watch it again, yeah of course and in time it more than likely might become a classic no brain power needed movie.

But the original will never be beaten that's for sure.

Disney just don't do a Ghostbuster on us now... I feel that could happen

As as for the 2 cut scenes.

Why? Why? Why?

I wanted to like this, I tried desperately to find an ounce of the old magic. Alas, it was.gone.

A contrived, unimaginative senseless film that should've been more.

It wasn't bad, but I hoped for so much better. It felt dull and lacklustre. The music scenes seemed shoehorned in for the sake of it.

Oddly enough, there was some good bits and incidental comedy, hence the 4 stars. Sadly there wasn't enough.

In my opinion, the casting was ok. The script could've so much better though.

It reminded me of the ghost busters film reboot, it added nothing and took so much more away.

On the whole, it was ok.