‘Practical Magic 2’: still witchy, but not so bewitching

Mix up a midnight margarita, and dust off your spell book, because the Owens sisters are finally back… oh my goodness, has it really been almost 30 years since audiences last saw them?

It was in 1998 when Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman first stirred up romance, witchcraft and more than a little trouble in “Practical Magic”, a whimsical film that became a beloved cult favourite.

Now they are back for another adventure. But was it truly worth the wait?

You know what they say about films that take too long to produce a sequel. And as “Practical Magic: The Book of Magic” shows, perhaps there’s some truth to that old chestnut.

The film opens with a direct callback to its predecessor. Following a tragedy, Sally Owens (Bullock) distances herself from magic, casting a spell on daughters Kylie (Joey King) and Antonia (Maisie Williams) so they forget their witchy heritage.

Magic, however, finds its way back to them. Soon, the old Owens’s family curse (which condemns any man an Owens woman falls in love with to an untimely death) rears its ugly head once again. This time, Kylie’s boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña) finds himself in danger.

Desperate to save him, Kylie turns to the very magic her mother tried to protect her from, heading to London to get to the root of her family problems.

So Sally and her sister Gillian (Kidman) set off to save her, encountering the very mysterious (and rather dashing) Professor Ian Wright (Lee Pace) on the way. But will this stranger help or hinder them?

The sequel is not without charm, although most of it is related to the first film. It’s nice to see Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest return as elder witches Franny and Jet. Their presence immediately evokes the cosy eccentricity of the original, although their roles in this film are somewhat diminished.

There are also a few callbacks and references to events from the first film, which are integrated nicely and may even bring a tear to the eye of die-hard “Practical Magic” fans.

Story-wise, however, this Susanne Bier-directed sequel often feels long and meandering, while its stakes feel surprisingly low. Practical magic? More like practically plodding plot.

Things particularly fall apart in the third act, when the characters encounter an extremely uninspiring antagonist who feels like a second-rate henchman who wandered off the set of a Harry Potter film.

Indeed, you could say the true villain of “Practical Magic: The Book of Magic” is the dark force of Movie Cliché. You don’t need a crystal ball to see what’s coming: nearly every plot development feels tired and predictable, with twists that can be spotted several scenes away.

The acting is probably the best part of the show. It’s lovely to see Bullock and Kidman interact and banter with each other again, although these Oscar-winning actresses could probably play their roles in their sleep. Veteran actor Pace, meanwhile, brings some welcome gravitas to a role that otherwise largely amounts to male eye candy.

The new generation of Owens witches fare reasonably well, although King struggles with some of the more emotional scenes, and Williams feels underutilised.

Strangely, for a film that places so much emphasis on sisterhood, the two spend much of the runtime apart. As a result, their relationship never develops the warmth or chemistry needed to make their sisterly bond feel quite as magical as it should.

Still, it’s always refreshing to see a film with such a female-dominated cast, all of whom seem to be having a wickedly good time. And if you’re simply looking for a celebration of sisterhood, there’s enough warmth and witchiness here for a decent girls’ night out.

For everyone else, however, “Practical Magic: The Book of Magic” is unlikely to cast much of a spell. After such a long wait, maybe fans deserved something a little more magical.

As of press time, ‘Practical Magic: The Book of Magic’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.

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