‘Practical Magic 2’ - Review: A Pretty Solid Sequel

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic 2 (Warner Bros.)

Synopsis: Two witches must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all.

Sometimes the best way to experience a movie is knowing absolutely nothing about it. I only recently watched the original Practical Magic for the first time, so unlike audiences who have spent nearly three decades with this movie, these characters, and the Owens family, I don't have years of nostalgia attached to it. Then, going into Practical Magic 2, I knew virtually nothing. I hadn't watched the trailer. I hadn't followed the production. I didn't know where the story was going. I basically walked into the theater completely blind.

And I'm glad I did. I was thoroughly impressed by Practical Magic 2. One of the biggest strengths of the sequel is that it doesn't feel like it exists simply because somebody realized people still love the first movie. The first one doesn’t have the highest critics rating, and I’m pretty impressed that it doesn’t, especially with the names attached to it. However, this critic had quite the soft spot for that first film and I am thinking Practical Magic 2 might have an even softer one. There is certainly nostalgia here, and the movie knows exactly when to tap into the things audiences remember about Practical Magic, but underneath that nostalgia is a genuine continuation of the Owens family story.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman slipping back into the roles of Sally and Gillian Owens is obviously the major selling point, and their chemistry remains one of the best things about this world. There is such an effortless relationship between them that you immediately believe these are two sisters who have lived an entire lifetime together since we last saw them. But what surprised me is how much Practical Magic 2 is interested in expanding beyond Sally and Gillian.

The sequel turns the Owens story into something much more generational. Joey King and Maisie Williams join the returning cast as Kylie and Antonia, Sally's daughters, allowing the movie to explore what happens when the baggage, secrets, magic, and curses of one generation inevitably become the responsibility of the next. That gives the sequel an emotional reason to exist.

At its core, Practical Magic 2 isn't really about spells. It's about family. It's about the things families pass down to each other, both the things they cherish and the things they wish they could leave behind. The Owens curse works particularly well through that lens. What was once Sally and Gillian's burden can no longer simply remain theirs. Eventually, the next generation has to confront what came before them. And I really enjoyed watching the movie explore that idea.

Director Susanne Bier also gives the sequel a slightly different flavor than the original. This still feels like Practical Magic, but there is a darker edge to the story this time around. The supernatural elements carry more weight, and the stakes surrounding the Owens family feel larger. I can understand why that tonal change might not work for everyone, particularly viewers who have loved the first movie since 1998. But coming into these films without decades of attachment to the original, I actually appreciated that the sequel didn't simply try to recreate the exact same movie. It expands the mythology instead.

And perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Practical Magic 2 is that it made me more interested in this world than I was before seeing it. That's exactly what a sequel should do. It doesn't erase what came before. It brings back the characters audiences wanted to see, introduces a new generation, expands the mythology, and gives the Owens family another meaningful conflict rather than simply repeating the first movie.

Is everything perfect? No. There are moments where the story becomes a little overstuffed, particularly as the mythology surrounding the curse becomes more complicated. At a little over two hours, there are also places where the movie could have tightened its pacing. And with so many returning and new characters competing for attention, not everyone gets quite as much development as I would have liked. But none of those issues ruined the experience for me.

The performances work. The atmosphere works. The family dynamic works. And most importantly, the emotional core works. There's also something refreshing about seeing a legacy sequel that understands the returning characters don't need to surrender the movie entirely to a younger cast. Bullock and Kidman aren't here simply to hand off the franchise. Sally and Gillian remain essential to the story while Kylie and Antonia expand what an Owens family story can be. That's a balance a lot and I mean a LOT of sequels struggle to find.

I also have to give a lot of credit to the fact that the movie really surprised me. Because I hadn't watched a trailer or read anything about the story beforehand, I wasn't sitting there waiting for certain scenes, characters, callbacks, or reveals. I was simply allowing the movie to unfold. That made the experience considerably more fun.

Maybe longtime Practical Magic fans will approach this movie differently. Maybe certain choices will be more divisive for people who have spent almost thirty years loving the original. But as someone who essentially experienced Practical Magic and Practical Magic 2 back-to-back nearly three decades after the first movie was released, I came away impressed. The first movie introduced me to the Owens family. The second movie made me want to spend more time with them. And considering how many decades-later sequels struggle to justify their own existence, that's a little bit of practical magic in itself.

Rating: 3.5/5

Disclaimer: All images used in this review are © of Warner Bros. Pictures and are included for review, commentary, and editorial purposes only.

Practical Magic 2 is now playing only in theaters.