Hocus Pocus 2 Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs
1. Not Enough Hannah Waddingham
One of the best performances in the film comes from Emmy-winning Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham, who appears for all of just a few spare minutes in the prologue sequence.
Waddingham makes the absolute most of her screen time as the mysterious Mother Witch who gives the Sanderson sisters their precious spell book, chewing up the scenery and looking damn good while doing so.
She's clearly having a ton of fun and casts such a vibrant presence in an otherwise forgettable opening sequence that you might assume she'd reappear at some point, but alas, she never does.
Evidently, the script would've been smart to give the Mother Witch a bigger role, perhaps even as the primary antagonist of the story, because Waddingham clearly knew exactly what this film needed to be.
If you can accept these issues, though, Hocus Pocus 2 does offer some sporadic enjoyment. And so, here's what it actually gets right...