Hocus Pocus 2 Review: 4 Ups & 6 Downs

2. The Gross Product Placement

Now, it's absolutely fair to say that the original Hocus Pocus had its own ridiculous product placements for the likes of Nike and 7Up, but the sequel takes this to a whole other level entirely with its grotesque shilling for pharmacy chain Walgreens.

Mere minutes after the Sanderson sisters are resurrected, they end up at a Walgreens store for an interminably long sequence which couldn't feel much more like a commercial for the company.

The camerawork regularly lingers on the store's signage and array of products, many of which the Sandersons themselves are trying. For a film being bankrolled by an organisation with over $200 billion in held assets, it feels both tacky and embarrassing.

And because that's not enough, the final shot of the movie includes an additional spoken plug for Walgreens, as closes things out on something of a depressing note.