Hocus Pocus 2 Review

Spoilers Ahead

On September 30th, 2022, the Hocus Pocus sequel was released to Disney+. This one hour and 47-minute movie has created a heated debate over whether it is really worth people’s time to watch. 

One thing people have in common is the opinion that it is not better than the original. “No, I didn’t like it as much,” Sophomore Xavier Lago stated. Most people believe that the original Hocus Pocus is better. They believe that without the original, no one would understand the sequel. 

 At the beginning of the movie, the audience first sees how the Sanderson sisters came to be. They see how Winifred Sanderson, or ‘Winnie’ for short, and her younger sisters Sarah and Mary Sanderson are exiled from Salem. The coven being exiled kick starts their witching journey when the Witching Mother gives the three sisters the book, which is introduced in the first movie. Next, the audience meets the new main characters, Becca, Cassie and Izzy. This is where Hocus Pocus fans start to debate. Many people don’t like the drama and tension between the three friends. “I really dislike the Cassie drama. I feel the movie would have been better if they did something else,” Sophomore John Mulder exclaimed.

 Shortly after introducing the main characters, the character Gilbert is also introduced. Many fans hold a strong opinion about Gilbert and if he should have been killed or forgiven. Many believe he just made a mistake and isn’t in the wrong. Most people rated the movie 3.5 stars because of the ending. Becca, Cassie and Izzy, or the new witch’s coven, all forgive Gilbert even though he tricked them into bringing the Sanderson sisters back and almost killed them. A few people say how they would have liked to see the new coven use the levitation spell on him not only to make another tie to the original but to also get the ending many fans would have wanted.

Throughout the movie, there are multiple ties to the original from the Book, Billy Butcherson, a black cat and more that make a three-star review turn into four stars. Fans also found the movie quite funny in a few scenes, one being where Mary Sanderson uses two Roombas as her riding broom but this sadly isn’t enough to win the hearts of fans. Despite the movie being somewhat funny, the pacing is weird. “The ending felt very rushed and some parts felt too long,” Sophomore Ava Osberg stated. This makes the Hocus Pocus 2 movie an average of 3.5 stars out of 5.