The View From The Mountain

Hocus Pocus 2 is a bit of a disappointment. While it’s great seeing Bette Midler, Sara Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy back as the Sanderson Sisters, the witch trio from 1600s Salem who have returned a second time to terrify modern day kids, I just wish the sequel was at least half as good as the original 1993 film. The first HP did a superb job of also firmly establishing its three young leads, played by Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw, that you were still rooting for the kids--despite the wildly charismatic and funny performances by the veteran actresses playing the Sanderson Sisters. In sharp contrast, the sequel barely spends any time fleshing out its three young leads (played by Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham); they each lack a specific character "moment" that everyone had in the original film. The sequel seems more preoccupied with blatant product placement instead of creating full-blooded characters. And the