Review of 'PRACTICAL MAGIC 2' – A trip of nostalgia, spells and magic

We can begin the witch season; Practical Magic 2 came to theaters.

Twenty-eight years after the release of the original cult film and an Oscar for each of the protagonists – for other feature films -, Sandra Bullock y Nicole Kidman return as sisters and witches Sally and Gillian Owens, and Dianne Wiest y Stockard Channing as the loving aunts Jet and Franny Owens, in the Warner Bros. sequel that invites the audience to a trip of nostalgia and new spells.

In these almost three decades, a lot has changed in the world. On the one hand, films like Practical Magic (1998). On the other hand, nostalgia cycles have intensified and what has arrived are several sequels that seek to exploit nostalgia—and sustain it.

This converts to Love spell: The magic continues – due to its title in our region – something inevitable, and at the same time, a rarity. The latter, because it is a fantasy and romance tragicomedy centered on two women who, by Hollywood standards, are anomalies. It's nice to see more projects where women over 60 are offered other types of roles that are not limited to “the granny” of the story.

The plot of the sequel, directed by Susanne Bierand script Akiva Goldsman —coguionista of the original— Georgia Pritchett y Kelly Marcel (again based on a novel by Alice Hoffman), transports us to a world wrapped in moonlight mischief, midnight daisies and powerful ancient magic, doubling down on the essential ingredients of the original —with Fleetwood Mac song included—.

While the first installment concluded under the belief that the Owens women's centuries-old curse of seeing their loved one die had been broken, both in the marketing and in the opening scene of the new installment, it is confirmed that this has not been the case. In the opening sequence, in a quick flashback, we see Sally (Bullock) at the funeral of her second husband Gary—played in the original by Aidan Quinn—which led her to stop practicing magic, much to the chagrin of the more relaxed Gilly (Kidman), and to supernaturally erase any memory of magic from her daughters' minds, to prevent them, too, from consciously loving a man to death.

For the audience who might be wondering why the roles of Sally's daughters were recast for the sequeland especially due to the absence of Evan Rachel Wood, this is due to a manipulation of chronology. In the events portrayed in Hoffman's novel, the ages of the daughters, Kylie and Antonia, place them in their twenties, which is why instead of bringing back Wood and Alexandra Artrip from the original film, it was chosen to Joey King y Maisie Williams like the new Kylie and Antonia.

The sequel, like its predecessor, moves to the rhythm of its own logic and internal rulesgiving space to endearing magic. But things get complicated when Kylie confesses her love to her boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña), causing the re-emergence of the curse of the Owens women, leading the young lover to an accident that leaves him in a coma.

Engulfed in anger, despair and bewilderment, Kylie flees to England, the Owens' ancestral land, guided by a newly discovered Book of the Raven. On the other side of the pond we meet an occult professor played by Lee Pacewho on several occasions encourages Sally to re-embrace her power; Furthermore, we are introduced to a witcher played by Solly McLeod.

The chaotic energy of Sally and Gillywith overwhelming dynamics between both at times, finally converges in a third act that, with the help of some plot twists, leads them to rediscover their magic and deploy it with authority.

The great muscle memory that both Bullock and Kidman must have used to get back into the shoes of their beloved characters almost three decades later is fascinating in itself.

“No magic is stronger than brotherhood.”

The cyclical nature of the Owens' story offers some comfort: in the realm of the occult, just like in the real world, We never truly escape our heritage or ourselves, no matter how much times change.

The central theme of female solidarity in the face of cyclical adversity is compelling enough. The return of midnight daisies may be perceived as a must-have, but here there is enough magic todespite everything, continue exercising a singular spell.

And as the Owenses tell us, “live a little, live long.”

See you in the cinemas.

QUALIFICATION:

TECHNICAL SHEET:

Original title: Practical Magic 2
Title in our region: love spell 2
Director: Susanne Bier
Screenwriter: Akiva Goldsman, Georgie Pritchett, Kelly Marcel
List: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, Solly McLeod
Producers: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi
Executive producers: Alice Hoffman, Pete Chiapetta, Kelly Marcel, Andrew Lary, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Donald Sabourin, Anthony Tittanegro
Director of photography: Simon Dugann
Soundtrack: Rupert Gregson-Williams
Edition: Sam Williams
Classification: B
Duration: 1h 39min
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Cinema release: September 10 (United States, Latin America)