My Review of Practical Magic 2 (2026)

 

Written by Akiva Goldsman And Georgia Pritchett And Kelly Marcel

Directed by Susanne Bier

Sally: "Here's the thing about magic. It won't be silenced."

This era of legacy sequels has now extended to 1990s movies that didn't do well in theatres but gained a cult following over time. While the Hocus Pocus sequel eschewed theatres and went straight to Disney+, Practical Magic 2 risked theatres with middling results.

Once again, we've got the Owens sisters - the extremely overcautious Sally (Sandra Bullock) and the fun loving Gillian (Nicole Kidman). Between movies, Sally lost her lover and stupidly decided to wipe her daughters - Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia's (Maisie Williams) memories of their powers. Needless to say, it was a decision that she would regret.

The birthday of Great Aunt Jet (Dianne Wiest) brought about the death of the dotty auntie and her funeral also had Kylie's lovely boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Mariduena) introduce himself to the rest of the family. Then Gideon ended up in a coma and both Antonia and other aunt Franny (Stockard Channing) would be confined to keeping him alive.

The rest of the movie had Kylie learn she was a witch, steal a left Book of Shadows and take a trip to England in order to save Gideon's life. This plot also put Kylie right in the hands of the movie's villain, Tom Lockland (Solly McLeod). Turned out he was an abandoned member of the Owens who needed Kylie to get his own power set.

Villain wise, Tom's generally okay. On the plus side, he isn't written as a straw misogynist but he's still rather underdeveloped as a baddie. It might have worked better had been part of a group of villains to pose a real threat to the Owens clan.

A slightly better new male character was Professor Ian Wright (Lee Pace). He's mostly helpful to both Sally and Gillian and there's a genuine spark between Ian and Sally that went exactly as expected. The whole movie ended on a note that seemed to imply none of the women no longer living in fear of a certain family curse.

- In the book, Antonia was a lesbian. That's not touched upon here. Franny also died towards the end of the film.

- Based on the 2021 book, The Book Of Magic.

- Standout music: Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata.

- Chronology: Supposedly 28 years since the first movie but that can't be right, considering that Kylie and Antonia are in their twenties. Also set in Massachusetts.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this but Practical Magic 2 turned out to be a rather pleasant sequel. Both Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman slipped into their roles and Joey King and Maisie Williams are good additions. The villain's underdeveloped though.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Practical Magic (1998)

 

Written by Robin Swicord And Akiva Goldsman And Adam Brooks

Directed by Griffin Dunne

Sally Owens: "I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for."

With an unexpected sequel currently filming, it was time to go back and watch this movie. I watched it once in my teens but never felt compelled to watch again. Then they announced a sequel, so I'm watching this again.

The movie opened in the past with Maria Owens (Caprice Benedetti) surviving the locals trying to kill her for being a witch. Dealing with heartbreak, Maria also cast a spell never to fall in love again. That spell had it's own consequences such as dooming any man that would fall in love with an Owens woman.

Cut to more recent times and you've got sister duo, Sally (Sandra Bullock/Camilla Belle) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman/Lora Anne Criswell). Their parents are killed and they go live with their eccentric aunts Frances (Stockard Channing) and Bridget Owens (Dianne Wiest). How Sally and Gillian would differ with magic certainly made things interesting.

Sally's use of magic had get a husband named (Mark Feuerstein) and two daughters, Kylie (Evan Rachel Wood) and Antonia (Alexandra Artrip). However the family curse struck, Michael died and Sally swore off magic for good. That didn't stop the locals from gossiping about the Owens family.

As for Gillian, she lived a lot more recklessly with her magic. Her choice in romantic partners was diabolical. Gillian's current boyfriend, James Angelov (Goran Visnjic) was not only physically abusive towards Gillian but he was also a serial killer. Jimmy ended up being killed twice by Gillian and Sally and then found a way to control over Gillian's body.

In between sisterly conflict, body possession and a detective named Gary Hallet (Aidan Quinn), we did have a community bonding together in order to flush out a very dangerous man. This movie wore it's feminist themes on its sleeves but it worked during that third act team up. 

- Griffin Dunne revealed that the studio stopped the film from being much darker than intended. The drunk scene was real thanks to Nicole Kidman.

- This movie wasn't a financial hit but it has drawn a cult audience and the sequel will come out next year.

- Standout music: Faith Hill's This Kiss, Harry Nilsson's Coconut and Stevie Nicks Crystal.

- Chronology: 1600s and the 1990s in a small Massachusetts town.

While Practical Magic doesn't quite hit the heights of other witch themed movies for me, it's a fairly enjoyable one nonetheless. I think Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman elevate it a bit.

Rating: 7 out of 10