Practical Magic 2 Can’t Conjure the Original’s Spark: Review

1998’s Practical Magic, the tale of two witchy sisters confronting the curse that’s haunted their family for centuries, wasn’t a huge hit when it was first released. However, the Sandra Bullock/Nicole Kidman supernatural dramedy became a cult favorite pretty quickly thanks to its magnetic cast, emphasis on sisterhood, and a banger of a soundtrack that still holds up great today. Hence Practical Magic 2, the inevitable legacy sequel, featuring the core original cast in a movie sadly muddled by a weak script filled with awkward moments.The time jump between the first movie and this one is not nearly as long as the 28 years that have passed in reality — more in the range of 18-20 years, enough time for Sally’s daughters to grow up, but apparently too short a period of time for the original film’s Evan Rachel Wood to return.Before we get to the present-day action, there’s a brutal reveal — as spoiled by the first teaser trailer, the curse that has killed the men loved by Owens women for centuries did claim Gary, Sally (Bullock)’s second husband. After his early death, Sally decided to take extreme measures to protect her two daughters Kiley and Antonia in the future: She magically eras...