Review: This was the return of the witches of Salem witches


Nostalgia for “Hocus Pocus” has always been a mystery to me. There’s nothing new about kids liking mediocre movies and carrying that weakness into adulthood, but I was in the right demographic when “Hocus Pocus” came out in the summer of 1993 (age 9, approaching third grade). ) and I remember that it was fine .

This is not a testament to my taste at the time, when I thought “Grease 2” was one of the best movies ever, but rather indicated the undeniable mediocrity of “Hocus Pocus.” I don’t think it was just me, either.

In addition to “Amok! Crazy! Crazy!” entering our vernacular, was not a movie that none of my companions would be anxious to see again. And yet, to my bewilderment, “Hocus Pocus” became a thing over the years. My best guess is that it was a combination of its relentless cross-availability with a lack of PG-rated Halloween content.

Plus, there’s the camp introduction factor of Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy as singing sisters hell-bent on eating children to preserve their youth.

Still, a direct sequel to Disney+ made 30 years later seemed like a cynical effort at best. So it was a pleasant surprise to find out that “Hocus Pocus 2” is quite funny.

Set in a Salem similar to Stars Hollow, it is the movie Perfect Disney+: Seasonally appropriate entertainment that, for one night at least, can save a family from the doom of displacement and endless indecision.

With a witty, animated script by Jen D’Angelo, “Hocus Pocus 2” finds Sanderson sisters Winifred (Midler), Sarah (Parker) and Mary (Najimy) unleashed in their current town once again.

This time it’s teenagers curious about the coven, Becca (Whitney Peak) and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), who accidentally resurrect them and then try to outsmart them where they can, leading to a hilarious sequence at a pharmacy where the ever-vain Sandersons they test the serums in the beauty aisle. Midler, Parker and Najimy are once again ready to pump up the audience (and sometimes no one but themselves) with spells, song and dance.

But they’re just one part of this weirdly funny concoction, with full teen characters and a very strong comedic cast that includes Sam Richardson, as the owner of the local occult shop; Tony Hale, as mayor and reverend from the witch trials era; and Doug Jones as a “good zombie.” Hannah Waddingham from “Ted Lasso” also has an all-too-short cameo as another witch.

Special mention must be made of the three actors who play the young Sanderson sisters, Taylor Henderson as Winifred, Nina Kitchen as Mary, and Juju Journey Brener as Sarah, who do a delightful job of embodying their adult counterparts in a short story of source.

But the heart of movie it’s the teenagers, who have problems of their own on top of keeping the Sanderson sisters from becoming all-powerful: Becca and Izzy are dealing with a life that their third, Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), has focused their attention on. away from her amateur witchcraft and her sporty boyfriend. Peak, who played Idris Elba’s daughter in “Molly’s Game,” stands out.

Directed by Anne Fletcher, “Hocus Pocus 2” is easy, though by the time the whole town starts dancing to “One Way or Another,” you might be ready for the movie arrive at your destination. Still, it’s a fun enough ride for a fall night.

“Hocus Pocus 2,” a Disney+ release that airs Friday, is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for “action, some language, macabre/suggestive humor.” Duration: 104 minutes. two and a half stars out of four.

Source-www.diariolibre.com