Lizzy and Roopa loved Practical Magic 2

Read on to see both of our reviews, find out about the source material, and find some suggestions about what to read next if you're looking for something similar.

Roopa's Review

Confession - I only watched Practical Magic for the first time earlier this year, so I may not have the same nostalgic connection to the original as longtime fans. That said, I really enjoyed Practical Magic 2!

Honestly, this was more like what I expected the first movie to be. It has more magic, more adventure, which I absolutely loved.

There were a few moments where the dialogue didn’t quite land for me, and a couple of scenes slowed the momentum a little, but overall I had such a good time watching it.

I also thought the cast was really good. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman were both great again, and Joey King did an amazing job. The cast really helped capture that same charm and feel that made the original so memorable.

I think fans of the original will be really happy with this one. It still has that same Practical Magic feel, while giving us a little more of the magical adventure I was hoping for.

It's a 4 out of 5 stars for me!

Never too late to read the original material

Lizzy's Review

I adore Practical Magic. I love the house with it's overflowing greenery, the margaritas and the sisterhood that runs through it's heart, the tragedy of the curse that the Owen's women face time and time again, and the connection between past and present, magic and nature, beauty and violence. The original movie is somehow both whimsical and dark, both funny and terribly sad. It's just SO GOOD. As with any reboot or long-awaited sequel, the pressure is on. Will I love it as much, will it keep what worked and somehow still add something new? With this in mind I was excited to attend a screening of Practical Magic 2 and a little nervous too.

130 minutes later - after a lot of laughter and a few tears too (and some painfully salty popcorn - perfect) I left absolutely stoked with the result. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock return, along with their two aunts too who were spectacular. The house is still a huge part of the story, at least for a while, and it felt as warm and familiar as I had hoped. 

What Practical Magic 2 did so well though was take us somewhere new - across the ocean and to the historical home of the Owen's family. I loved the change in scenery but the way that everything was still delightfully textured in detail and staging - from the outfits the Owen women wore (every. single. one.) to the places they visited that were overcrowded with sensory and visual details. 

The story itself was hard to look away from, with the perfect amount of danger and peril, as well as the tantalizing romance that honestly pushed this film right up to 5 stars for me with how it came together at the end. The accents were wonderful, the magic mysterious and powerful, the sisterhood was strong, and the men were a lovely secondary extra to what is really a story of trauma and power working its way through generations of women as they learn how to heal that which was broken in the past. 

Do I also think that the bad guy might have made a delightful love interest? Yes, yes I did. I've been reading too much enemies to lovers clearly.

Now I think it's time to go and re-read the whole series of books because I do believe this movie heralds the start of WITCH SEASON.

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