“Practical Magic 2”: More midnight margaritas and sisterhood.

It took nearly 30 years, but we finally got to see a sequel to the 1998 film Practical Magic.  The screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman (who also wrote the first one), Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel is adapted from Alice Hofmann’s novel The Book of Magic. Denise Di Novi is back on the production, this time alongside Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. 

As someone who has watched both films and read the books they were based on, in my opinion their cinematic adaptations were faithful as far as it could be. 

Practical Magic 2 is surely not the perfect sequel, but certainly an enjoyable piece of work. For starters it is positively nostalgic seeing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman once again play the sister Sally and Gillian Owens. Not only this, but we have Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing back as the lovable aunts Jet and Frances. 

New to the cast are Joey King and Maisie Williams playing Kylie and Antonia Owens. Although I do think that original actresses Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip could have once again reprise their roles, but guess is they weren’t called because maybe they grew too old for their parts. 

The story centers mainly on Kylie trying to break the family’s curse and Joey King’s performance is convincing but leaves something to be desired, while Maisie Williams has significantly less screen time as Antonia and it felt that her character could have been more explored. 

Even though the critics gave a disappointing rating for this sequel, still there are some elements that deserve praise. The film is visually stunning, with a carefully crafted cinematography by Simon Duggan and a newly composed soundtrack by Rupert Gregson-Williams. 

The Owens’ house is once again beautifully built for this sequel and it is impressive how much it looks like the one seen in the first film. I sure hope that I’m not the only one who finds the house ever so charming. 

I found this sequel to have a different visual aesthetic than the first one, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing considering it gives much of the second film its own essence without relying purely on the same production aspects of its predecessor. The costumes are also a strong presence of what gives the film its identity. 

Basically, the main thing about both Practical Magic stories is that no force is stronger than love and no magic is more powerful than sisterhood. So, be sure to grab your midnight margaritas and enjoy this all new spell blissfully cast upon us.