Going into Practical Magic 2, my hopes weren’t too high. In the era of constant unnecessary sequels and remakes, I was expecting a cringy attempt to grasp onto the success of the previous film. And while it certainly wasn’t better than the original, I surprisingly found Practical Magic 2 to be a pretty good movie.
The film begins with a look into the lives of the Owens sisters. It’s revealed that Sally’s husband (the detective from the previous film) has passed as a result of the family curse that prevents them from falling in love. She also had two daughters, Kylie and Antonia. Gillian remains her carefree self.
A few things that made this sequel better than just a cheap addition to the franchise was its way of adding to the lore of the Owens family curse. I really loved seeing Sally and Gillian’s dynamic as sisters, while learning how Maria Owens created the curse in the 17th century. It was also nice seeing the daughters of Sally being mini versions of Sally and Gillian. The sacrifices of Jet and Franny were heartbreaking and big tear-jerking moments, but I could see why it was done, rather than it just being there for shock value.
Practical Magic 2 wasn’t necessarily an attempt to outdo the original, but a way to advance what we know about the story and give the viewers more information. That’s a lesson that many filmmakers should take from this if they’re going to be making any more unwarranted sequels and remakes. It was a good movie, and in my opinion it truly succeeded at creating the same feeling as the original.