Review: Thou’ll enjoy a fantastic time with the mediocre “Hocus-Pocus 2.”

One of those coincidences that lead me to believe that witchcraft is involved may be the more common darkness of social media. This week’s events have rekindled intense online discussion concerning the ambiguous cultural legacy of two films that are quite different. One of the films can be James Cameron’s 3-D marvel “Avatar” (2009), which recently returned to theaters to play a warm-up performance for “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The soon-to-be-released sequel will challenge some of the most frequent criticisms of the original “Avatar,” namely that it was a unique box office monster with no pop-culture impression. It was an action film that everyone saw according to the theory. However, only a few truly loved it.

The other film is the children-friendly supernatural comedy “Hocus Pocus” (1993), which was similar to “Avatar” and has now produced a long-awaited sequel. However, in contrast to “Avatar,” “Hocus Pocus” did not set any box office records at the time of its release, did not break any technological records, and received mostly negative reviews. The 10-year-old me who saw it in theaters (and countless times afterward on VHS) would have supplied one of the more enthusiastic notices, won over by its wanly funny-spooky vibes, its now-creaky visual effects, and the shrieky rapport of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of 17th-century New England witches with a taste for young children and archaic second-person-singular pronouns.

Mini-me was also excited by the thought of a follow-up but surprised to learn that it would take nearly 30 years to get up and run. The long time frame speaks to the long, baffling shelf life of the original “Hocus Pocus,” received as a smoky misfire but then reclaimed over the years to become a staple of Halloween and (oc)cult, beloved. It spawned fan guides, themed-park events, TV specials, and hugely loved anniversary screenings, many of which were attended by the classic cast and crew. Parker even created her sitcom spinoff “Hex and the City.” Okay, I made the idea up.

However, the enchantment that is “Hocus Pocus” remains elusive for many, and its popularity in the past is a constant source of confusion. “Hocus Pocus 2,” which is scheduled to launch next week Disney+, is unlikely to resolve any confusion. It won’t, however, cause anyone to be upset. The film is directed by Anne Fletcher (“The Proposal,” “27 Dresses”) with a script written by Jen D’Angelo, the movie is a light, but a numbing replica, concealing its generic narrative in a familiar cover of fan-favoritism. The film begins in 17th-century Salem, Mass., in which a young, obnoxious Winifred Sanderson (an excellent Taylor Henderson) flees into the woods with her siblings, Mary (Nina Kitchen) and Sarah (Juju Journey Brener). In the forest, they encounter an old witch (“Ted Lasso’s” Hannah Waddingham) who promises them a spellbook that unlocks their dark power.

Fast forward to the moment that happens to be exactly 29 years ago from the events in the first “Hocus Pocus,” when the inexperienced high schooler revived The Sanderson Sisters for one Halloween night of soul-sucking mayhem. This is what happens during “Hocus Pocus 2,” this time through a much smarter teenage girl, Becca (Whitney Peak), as well as a stupid Salem historian named Gilbert (Sam Richardson) and some twisted narrative logic that brings the evil sisters, come back. As the incantation-smoking, lip-smacking Winifred, Midler gorges herself in the surroundings and occasionally explodes it with lightning bolts. Najimy and Parker return as dopey Mary and snarky Sarah, who are known to snoop around children and attract them to a delicious death.

The Sanderson “shtick” — which is a sub-Three Stooges slapstick and part “Saturday Night Live” parody of “The Crucible” — isn’t any more inventive or engaging than in the original movie. However, Midler, Najimy, and Parker remain great game actors with a flair for silly antics and threatening facial contortions that you will not even notice. They’re especially entertaining during one scene, where Becca, along with her pal, Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), are trying to distract the witches from their sexual spree by taking them to Walgreens, where they are amazed by the sophisticated sorcery of beauty products as well as the automated sliding doors.

Other than a few niggles that involve the town’s geeky obsessed town’s mayor (Tony Hale), It’s not much in terms of narrative fun. “Hocus Pocus” die-hards won’t be shocked by the return of Winifred’s undead lover, Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones, lean, green, and unfit as he did in the original film). In 1993, after the rendition of “I Put a Spell on You,” naturally, the witches have to bring back their Vegas-style lounge routine. This time they’re performing (what other than) in a costume contest inspired by the Sanderson Sisters — a self-congratulatory gimmick at how well-known the “Hocus Pocus” phenomenon has been.

It’s also, at the very least, in this enjoyable sequel, a more gentle and more romantic thing, unlike its previous version. Instead of drinking off the spirits of Salem’s children, the witches decide to build their powers with the most powerful spell of all and begin the “Into the Woods”-style quest for ingredients. The movie doesn’t scream Sondheim the way he did in the first film (a Blondie classic is the soundtrack’s highlights). However, it all unfolds into an extremely emotional, and perhaps even Sondheimian caution to cautious about to be careful what you wish for. This poignancy makes it stand out from the previous film, in addition to the fact that no one transforms into an animal this time. To make it so, we’ll get “Avatar.”

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