By Nick Nitkowski

There was a time when I had no idea what “Practical Magic” was. So much so that it just never appeared on my radar. Not once have I ever heard a single person talk about “Practical Magic” in any way, shape, or form in any conversation that I’ve ever had with anyone regarding movies. In fact, when I saw the trailer for “Practical Magic 2” for the first time in a theater, it was a very rare moment for me not to know that there was an original beforehand. So, naturally, I felt it necessary to prepare for the sequel and watch the original for the first time just one day before seeing the brand-new sequel. Oh, how simpler times were back when I was completely oblivious to the existence of “Practical Magic”.

My still fresh opinion of the original “Practical Magic” is that it was a conglomerate of random things happening throughout the runtime. There was no real story structure or cohesive narrative during the entire movie played. I found myself constantly questioning “What is this movie?” So, needless to say, I was suddenly not very much looking forward to sitting through “Practical Magic 2”. The only upside is that it can’t possibly disappoint me since I clearly had no high expectations, right?

“Practical Magic 2” brings back Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the Owens Sister whose family curse is still very much active even after the events of the first film. But now, Sandra Bullock’s daughters have grown up and are now played by recognizable actresses. Unfortunately, one of them has fallen in love with a guy, and in order to save him, she must travel to parts unknown to try to reverse the curse. But her journey is shrouded in darkness, so the Owens Sisters must travel together to find the daughter before she’s met with danger.

I’m sure I made that all sound a lot more exciting than it actually is because this movie felt like another chore to finish even though I had already recently finished the last one. While, I will say that this movie has a much more cohesive story structure as opposed to the first one, it is no less dull as its predecessor. Sure, it had some comedic moments that got a genuine chuckle out of me. Those moments were very few and far between. In a movie that focuses on witches and magic, this movie lacked any and all excitement and magic that one would expect from a movie like this.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are the ones carrying this movie as best they can, and I will say that they work well with each other, but their antics often feel repetitive as the movie goes on. Joey King is the daughter of Sandra Bullock’s character that falls in love and goes on this journey to lift the curse, but again, said journey lacks any excitement. Not to mention that they completely sidelined the other daughter, played by Maisie Williams. She literally does nothing in the entire movie. It’s almost as if they could have cast anyone in that role, and it wouldn’t have mattered in the slightest. And of course, there are some other new characters as well as some recurring characters from the original, but I don’t want to spend more time on this than what’s absolutely necessary.

Overall, I can say that “Practical Magic 2” is slightly better than the original, but that was a very low bar that was set. To me, it dragged its feet way too much and just didn’t provide any real “magic” that I would expect from a movie that focuses on magic. Even after the main conflict of the film is resolved, the movie continues on for what feels like forever. I kid you not, as the movie was “concluding”, the movie theater lights turned on prematurely. It was as if the movie theater itself could not wait for this movie to end. I honestly don’t know if fans of the original will enjoy this or not, because I spoke to fans of the original who recently rewatched it in preparation for the sequel and they told me that they don’t remember what it was that they liked about the original film. It feels like this Magic is a very far cry from Practical, and I can’t wait to never have to curse myself with it ever again.

🌟 ½ stars