Film review: Practical Magic 2

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock return in a long-awaited sequel to a much loved classic.

Sally and GIllian seek to finally quash the dark cloud that hangs over their family in the shape of the Owens curse. An ancient spell brought about by their ancestor Maria Owens, cruelly left to fend for her unborn baby on her own.

Back in 1998 we were delivered a slice of 'Gothic comfort' in the form of Practical Magic. A film that dealt with domestic abuse and death but in a beautifully dreamy Hollywood style. Based on the first book of the then unknown quadrilogy written by Alice Hoffman over a period of 20 years.

Starring Sandra Bullock as Sally Owens and Nicole Kidman as blood sister Gillian, it didn't quite make the expected impact at the time, however with box office disappointment the story didn't quite end there. Through VHS and DVD sales and more recently, streaming, it has since become a cult classic worthy of being released, once more in the shape of Practical Magic 2.

Also returning we have Diane Wiest as Bridget 'Jet' Owens, with her softer side and Stockard Channing as Frances 'Franny' Owens, as the more fiery of the two aunts, originally sent to care for the young sisters after Sally and Gillian's own parents were struck down by the same Owens curse. With this film set around two decades later, we also typically require the next generation. Here we have Joey King (Bullet Train) and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as Kylie and Antonia Owens, Sally's purposefully differing offspring. One fun and the other, diligent.

What is refreshing here is the sole use of female led roles within these films. Falling very much into the 'Bechdel' test brought about as recently as 1985, which consists of two women talking to each other within various scenes, about subjects not solely to do with men.

Practical Magic 2, sees Kylie Owens, still in the dark and lacking knowledge of the curse, who falls in love with Gideon, played by Xolo Maridueña and quickly becomes the latest in the line of non-family victims. Distraught, she flees America for England to find the origins of the hex, and meets up with the 'end of level boss' to clear the curse once and for all. Sadly, this is where the comparisons between the two films become jarringly obvious and drastically in need of wanting something with far more poison and indeed bite.

Practical Magic 2 is a follow-on story set around 2 decades later. Sally's children are grown up and are starting their own careers yet the family curse - which has been forced to the back of Sally's mind - will still not abait. Although it remains as vicious and life ending as before. What both films provide us with are the gorgeous backdrops of the beautiful house set in New England with the open and lush backdrops we have happily become familiar with.

The highly detailed set designs provide us with a cornerstone of a story which until the last act delivers some familiar and fun beats. It is sadly this last part that brings the whole film down. Solly McLeod who plays Thomas Lockland, pales in comparison with Goran Visnjic who played Jimmy Angelov in Practical Magic 1, with his overuse of the British accent to create the villain. What should become despair and darkness of the hero's journey turns into something which sadly will potentially be skipped past when it comes to home streaming.

With two films of the same series there will of course be comparisons made. The first film - which was originally intended to be far darker - diving further into the occult with the use of needles becoming far more intense, those scenes were however pulled before release, yet we do seem to have a tale of two halves of the then and now. The first film felt grittier and increasingly intense and with comparatively more story power. It gave us a feeling of dread and foreboding with the death of the love interest that does not quite come across in the second.

With the majority of the cast, the acting felt solid as before and true yet the story line created fissures that will not be repaired through spells, potions or indeed time. This film delivers a fun ride yet unfortunately falls at the last hurdle leaving a gap where a solid story should conclude. Go for familiarity of the tale and the Hollywood glamour once more yet know the void left cannot be Practically filled after the fact.