‘Practical Magic 2’ Review: A Sequel That Rediscovers Its Coven’s Charm While Struggling To Rewrite Its Own Curse

Nearly three decades after the Owens sisters first cast their spell on audiences, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman step back into their broomsticks for a long awaited follow up that finally gives the cult favorite the sequel treatment. Directed by Susanne Bier and adapted loosely from Alice Hoffman’s later novel, the film picks up the family curse that has haunted the Owens women for generations, this time centering the next batch of witches played by Joey King and Maisie Williams as they inherit both the magic and the misfortune of falling in love.

The setup leans heavily on nostalgia, reuniting Bullock and Kidman alongside Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as the delightfully eccentric aunts who anchored the original’s chaotic charm. There is an easy warmth in watching these four actresses slip back into rhythms that clearly never left them, and the film knows exactly how much goodwill that alone buys with anyone who grew up quoting the first movie on repeat.

Where the sequel stumbles is in figuring out what new story it actually wants to tell. The plot recycles the emotional engine of its predecessor almost beat for beat, sending a new generation through the same doomed romance and last minute magical rescue that defined the 1998 film, and the sense of deja vu becomes hard to shake by the midpoint. It plays things safe in a way that feels more concerned with honoring the original’s cult status than pushing the mythology somewhere unexpected.

That said, the film’s messiness is part of its appeal rather than a fatal flaw. Much like its predecessor, it juggles too many tones at once, veering from broad comedy to teenage romance to genuine grief without fully committing to any single register, yet somehow the whole thing hangs together on pure charisma. Bullock and Kidman’s sisterly rapport still crackles, and their scenes together are easily the strongest stretches of the runtime.

The younger cast fares less consistently. King and Williams bring energy and a believable sibling dynamic, but the screenplay gives them less texture than their predecessors had, leaning on shorthand rather than earning their arcs. Lee Pace and Xolo Maridueña round out the supporting circle without making much of a lasting impression, functioning more as narrative devices than fully realized characters.

Visually, the film trades some of the original’s scrappy, homemade witchcraft aesthetic for glossier, more elaborate spellcasting sequences, and the shift is a mixed bag. It looks more polished, but some of that lo-fi, herb garden intimacy that made the Owens house feel lived in gets lost in the process. The runtime also stretches longer than the material justifies, with a back half that meanders before rushing its resolution.

Where the film does succeed is in its emotional sincerity. Beneath the uneven pacing and familiar plotting sits a genuine story about generational trauma, the fear of loving someone you might lose, and the particular comfort of being surrounded by family who understand your strangeness without needing an explanation. When it leans into that sincerity instead of spectacle, the sequel earns its warmest moments.

I walked away from this one entertained more than dazzled, charmed by its cast and its cozy autumnal atmosphere even as its screenplay played things far too safe for a franchise with this much untapped potential. It never quite finds its own identity separate from the original, but the chemistry between its leads and the sincerity of its family themes carry it further than its script deserves. For fans of the first film looking for a nostalgic afternoon rather than a bold reinvention, it delivers exactly what it promises. My score for ‘Practical Magic 2‘ lands at 7 out of 10.

Let me know in the comments whether this sequel cast the same spell on you or left you wishing for something bolder.