Hocus Pocus 2 (Movie Review)

 ***This review will contain spoilers***

Summary:

It's been 29 years since someone lit the black flame candle and resurrected the 17th century Sanderson sisters, and they are looking for revenge. Now it is up to three high school students to stop the ravenous witches from wreaking a new kind of havoc on Salem before dawn on all Hollow's Eve.

Opening scene:

We are transported to 17th century Salem and see the 'origin' of the Sanderson sisters. Even as young girls they are just as feisty and headstrong as their adult selves. The sisters didn't want to be split up by the order of Reverend Trask. The sisters wanted to stay together so instead they runaway to the Forbidden forest and come across Mother Magic and given the book. Not just any book but THE book. 

This sequel has long been awaited by many people for decades. The first movie is older than me and even I was hoping for a sequel. The lure of the first movie was how dark and twisted it could get. It wasn't afraid to kill a child within the first 10 minutes and even as a child watching the movie it scared me a little. 

From the get go I knew that this movie will be entirely different to the first one. I don't like the change of narrative trying to say the sisters turned to witchcraft because of the townspeople. The sisters literally worshipped Satan and killed children. In the first movie, it was said that the book was given to the sisters by Satan himself and it was bound in human skin and held some of the darkest spells and potions. So who the hell is Mother Magic? Like what a random character who really doesn't add much. I hate when sequels don't have the same details and instead tries to switch everything around. 

Watching this from an adult perspective I wish they would've stuck with the evil narrative. If they would've stuck with it I feel the movie would have went into an entirely different direction. Instead, Disney made this a family friendly movie that teaches you to be careful what you wish for or else you've lose what you value the most. By the way, I found that ending so anti-climactic. Instead of having an epic magical fight, the spell the sisters try to complete takes away Winnie's sisters because she values them the most (supposedly, with how badly she mistreats them I guess it makes sense but I always felt she cared more for the book than for them) I wanted a much better ending than them simply vanishing into where ever they went. 

I loved that Becca discovered she had magical powers and tries to use them to save her friends. What I would've loved to of seen instead for the ending was a coven of white witches comes to the rescue and helps Becca destroy the book and strip the sisters of their powers. The whole thing with the book being given by Satan but then has a conscience and doesn't want to help the sisters get more powerful doesn't make sense. 

Rating:

I'm going to give Hocus Pocus 2 3.5 stars on 5. Overall, it was a good enough movie. I think the nostalgia and seeing the sisters in the 21st century made the movie more memorable but when we strip that away and see the movie for what it was; a pale comparison to the original. There's a lot left to be desired. I'm kinda happy that the end credit scene suggests to be a 3rd movie but I'm not sure what more they could do with this story.