I have always had a hint of curiosity and fascination for lores and concepts about witches, even executions on film and literary, so Practical Magic 2 already had plenty working in its favor. 

What’s surprising is how easily the sequel stood on its own, even without the nostalgia of having seen the 1998 original. In fact, it was only after watching the sequel that I went back to the first film and found myself appreciating both movies even more. That speaks to what makes this return work. Practical Magic 2 understands that the heart of the franchise has never been the spells themselves. It is the women casting them.

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman remain the film’s greatest strength. Their chemistry as sisters Sally and Gillian is warm, lived-in, and wonderfully effortless. Even without prior knowledge of their history, their bond is immediately felt sibling-like with the teasing, the friction, the loyalty, and the instinct to protect and never leave one another.

Beyond the magic and its plot, the film celebrates the relationships between sisters, mothers, and aunts and the complicated inheritance passed between women. The magic gives that idea a supernatural vocabulary, but the emotional stakes remain deeply familiar.

Nearly 30 years have changed the language of fantasy cinema, and the sequel embraces a more contemporary aesthetic without stripping away the eccentric charm of its predecessor. Lee Pace’s addition as Professor Ian Wright similarly expands the Owens’ world, giving the story another perspective on its mythology while fitting naturally into its warmer, more intimate spaces.

And then there are those needle drops that left me floored. The songs arrive at exactly the right moment, turning an already emotional scene into something unexpectedly devastating.

Practical Magic 2 may arrive almost three decades after its predecessor, but it does not feel like it is simply trying to recreate the past. It understands what made the original special and carries the feeling forward, like a passing of torch on women sticking for each other, passing down their strength, and sisters finding their way back to one another.

The Owens women have their sorcery. But their greatest magic has always been each other.