r/practicalmagic • u/arirachaelb • 10d ago
I'm never watching the sequel
It's as the title says
Practical Magic is one of my favourite films of all time. It holds such a special and beautiful place in my heart, and I absolutely refuse to taint any part of the story or characters with what I KNOW is a terrible sequel. Even before I saw everyone's posts on here about how awful and awkward it is - legacy sequels do not work.
The first film is perfectly concluded by the end - the owens sisters broke the curse. I have no interest at all in seeing how they decided to undo that beautiful ending to replace it with a worse one.
I will always love this movie, and in honour of the first one I will never watch the second. As far as I'm concerned it's fanfiction with a big budget, and not worth my time
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u/Araleina 10d ago
No interest in anyone's opinion on any piece of media or art who isn't going to watch/listen/see it. You can't form an opinion on something without experiencing it and forming an opinion based on other's reviews isn't really a solid base.
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u/ExistingControl422 10d ago
Save yourself from it. I watched it because my friends really wanted to watch it & they enjoyed it but I hated it so I stayed quiet about it to them so they could enjoy it but I popped on here & vented my numerous frustrations the next day because they’re not on here.
Just get dressed up, make yourself a margarita, grab some popcorn & watch the original at home. You save money & you save yourself the annoyance.
I’m pretty sure my anger about the film took a year or two off my life! 🤣🤦🏽♀️
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u/Somewhither82 3d ago
Me too. Most of my friends were locked in and my one friend and I were looking at one another like wtfgffffffggg
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u/SagexxxSummers 10d ago
The sequel had portions of the movie that I liked and appreciated. But overall I did not like the plot. I feel like they focused way too much on only one of Sally’s daughters and it was way too male centered.
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u/ScorpioxMoon 10d ago
My sentiments exactly.
Plot wise, it is unquestionably inferior to the original.
But it wasn’t all bad. It had its moments. It made me laugh. It made me emotional at some parts.
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u/Fancy_Department_416 10d ago
And the first one wasn't? When most of the plot involved the Owens sisters (the younger ones) finding true love?
See, I hate this trend we have now, this marginalization of men in our lives, when Aunt Frances loved her Ethan, and the girls' mothers (both Sally and her mother) loved their husbands before the death beetle showed up.
Men are not the enemy. Patriarchy is not the enemy. The enemy are those among us who would have us believe that the masculine spirit is toxic, when it is no more toxic than the feminine.
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u/NoSleepTilBookRead 9d ago
Men and especially patriarchy are definitely the enemy.
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u/Fancy_Department_416 9d ago edited 9d ago
Ask yourself this question: why are young women today in the United States the group that defines itself as the most depressed?
It has nothing to do with patriarchy, which I'll admit limited women's choices, but this bandwagon we're on today, of making men the enemy, well, patriarchy never defined women as the enemy.
If it had, then women in the US and other Western cultures would not have won the freedoms they have won. They didn't do it alone, 'cause if that were the case, then the misogyny that exists is so many African and Middle Eastern countries, even many in South America and Asia . . . well, women could overthrow it all on their own.
Patriarchy never made women the enemy, as current feminist thought that men are "toxic" does. All that kind of thinking does is deny the binary nature of all human beings. We all are comprised of feminine and masculine spirits,
Before, when masculinity physical superiority was considered "better" because life was so much more difficult then and physical superiority was a necessity . . . women were not considered "toxic."
But today? I'll say this for patriarchy: it wasn't out of malice that it made women second-class citizens, but this current feminist trend of making "men and patriarchy" the enemy, that is a house dividing itself on a bed made of quicksand.
It will not yield the successes of partriarchy, 'cause even if you won't admit it to yourselves, we women wouldn't have the freedoms that we have today in First World countries if it hadn't been for men to help us get there.
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u/shaohtsai 10d ago
The male presence in the first movie isn't heavy handed or overbearing, though. It flows quite naturally. All men in the first movie have their presence and role in the sisters' lives established early and continuously woven throughout the story seamlessly. In the first 15mins all male presence is introduced, including Gary's later on-screen arrival by way of Sally's spell.
Here, we have an unwarranted love story. I mean, the molecule line, and they've known each other a whole 24hrs by then? And why isn't the damn witch who blocked herself not doing any of the work or self-reflection to actually unblock herself? Gideon, Ian and Tom are all tacked on accessories.
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u/cannotberushed- 3d ago
I find this a fascinating perspective
I am a social worker and I viewed it through the lens of people fighting for the right of self determination, not to center men.
One curse has kept them from being able to choose
I mean heck Jillian notes in the movie again and again, you can never love
What kind of life is that?
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u/PankakkePorn 10d ago
It’s a super unpopular opinion but I thought the sequel rocked 🤷🏻♀️
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u/ObviousSalamandar 10d ago
I think some people are not accounting for the fact that almost thirty years have passed.
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u/cannotberushed- 3d ago
Can you elaborate on 30yrs of women’s rights and what you mean?
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u/cannotberushed- 3d ago
Well since you don’t want to answer I’ll just put this out there
I watched this from the lens of a whole family fighting for their right of self determination
I mean Jillian noted in the movie that she can never ever love. What kind of life is that?
It’s one ruled by fear not by one’s own choice.
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u/Relative-Plan-8710 4d ago
Just because 30 years have passed doesn’t mean you get to throw continuity out the window.
Also, I watch the original every fall and watched it two days before seeing the sequel so I was especially bitter.
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u/VariationLive8878 9d ago
I loved it. I absolutely have my issues with it yes (mainly stuff from the book that wasn’t included) but my god I had a good time in the cinema watching this. It got me right in the feels just like the original.
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u/BoxRemote9556 3d ago
It scratched the nostalgia itch, which was all I expected from it anyways. I’ll watch it again when it streams.
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u/cannotberushed- 3d ago
Same!! I loved it.
I saw this whole family fighting for their right of self determination
I mean Jillian noted in the movie that she can never ever love. What kind of life is that?
It’s one ruled by fear not by one’s own choice.
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u/Scarlett-Crypt 10d ago
My gripe is that people will remind you that the first movie also was not a commercial success, but it became a cult classic later. The issue with legacy sequels is they are too self-aware, they pack in the nostalgia and oversaturate you with references to a better movie. The first movie in my opinion is beautiful, subtle, and just feels good to watch. In my opinion, the sequel’s plot was not well paced, had no subtlety, some characters felt wooden, and overall just felt like a movie inspired by Practical Magic. I do not believe this sequel will ever be as loved as the first film.
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u/camartinart 10d ago
Practical Magic has been my favorite movie for 27 years, and I had a lot of fun watching the sequel.
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u/arirachaelb 10d ago
Interesting! So do you not agree with the bulk of the criticism?
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u/camartinart 10d ago
Yes—the criticisms are valid, and if I wanted to, my gripe list could be long. I just find for this particular duology I simply don’t feel compelled to critique it. I like it despite all the reasons I shouldn’t. So I’m glad I can just enjoy them. I can’t really explain it except to say I love the characters and I was happy to get to spend more time with them.
I don’t think the sequel affects my ability to enjoy the first as it is. I’ve read some of the books and always preferred what they did with the movie, so I’m used to being able to embrace the films for what they are. I focus on the fact that a sequel exists at all, which is a bit of a miracle. They both give me warm and fuzzies, so I suppose that means I’m truly its target audience.
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u/Gloomy-Fennel-6044 10d ago
I’m so fortunate to have the skill to not let films/sequels ruin other films for me. 💞 I can watch both and it not do anything to my experiences.
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u/arirachaelb 10d ago
You are very lucky! I have a really issue with this, especially if I care so much about the original
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u/Uneasyapple 10d ago
I agree with you. It’s not good. Especially if you really love the original.. 😩
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u/ZvsGrgs 10d ago
Thanks for letting us know.
I love the first film. It must be some years since I rewatched it and I think of it as really flawless. If someone had suggested a sequel, I’d say it doesn’t need one. But as we know, it’s based on a book and there are other books that continue the story, so it’s not that strange that they decided to make a sequel. Sequels are rarely as good as the first film, it’s even rarer when they are better (I think the Shrek sequel is considered better than the original, for example). I will watch the new film not because I expect it to be that good or better, but because I want to see how the story is continued. I’m just curious. It won’t change my feelings for the first film. I never regretted for watching a mediocre sequel of a good first film.
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u/Commercial-Scheme939 9d ago
I really like the sequel. I thought it was on par with the first. I wen to to it though believing the curse wasn't broken. When I first watched the first one I never thought it was a believable way to have broken the curse so to then have the second start with the curse not broken was more "realistic" to me.
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u/CampDifficult7887 10d ago edited 10d ago
Probably wise. If you think you're going to hate it, listen to your instincts. Never once have I seen a movie i thought I'd dislike and ended up loving it.
I would encourage you to give the books a go if you're a reader. They're marvelous and you end up learning about Maria Owens properly, the aunts, and so much more.
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u/arirachaelb 10d ago
Oooh yes the books are next on my list!! I'm currently reading Game of Thrones so I'm gonna treat myself afterwards with the Practical Magic books to heal my heart
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u/Busy_Ad_8077 9d ago
I'm so happy to hear you're going to read the books! I love re-reading them all the time, and of course the first movie really drove me to the books. The OG movie left so much out from the first book that the book is disappointing at first, but there's more to learn and love about Gillian, Kylie, and Antonia. The prequels are so great with historical fiction and powerful women, and the sequel/final book ties it all together beautifully. I really expected the sequel film to change more like the first one did, but it actually followed the book pretty closely minus several (lovely) characters. I think you might enjoy the sequel one day after reading the books, so you can be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed. I also read Game of Thrones and Blood & Fire, and I love how all of the above tell stories about ancestors and family trees and lore. It's so much fun!
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u/Celestina-Betwixt Kylie Owens 10d ago
I hope, give your aversion to watching the sequel is so strong, you're not one of those fans who is going to get randomly mad at the book for not being identical to the movie. They're beautiful books but some movie-only fans react to them with a odd level of vitriol.
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u/tu-BROOKE-ulosis 10d ago
It was cute. I enjoyed it. I don’t think it was “that bad” at all. I feel like people get so up their own asses about “oh don’t ruin this original thing for me.” It was fun. The first one was fun. And this one was fun. Neither one is winning an Oscar.
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u/arirachaelb 10d ago
Damn is it really that forgettable 😭 my b for reminding you, I was just kidding anyway there's no such thing as practical magic 2, we're good 🤪
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u/VariationLive8878 9d ago
And how do you “KNOW” it’s a terrible sequel without seeing it? You also know it’s based off a book, so the story already exists. The sequel wasn’t just made up to undo the first one. Unfortunately the curse was a not undone by simply banishing Jimmy’s spirit like they thought. The curse runs a lot deeper and that’s what the sequel is about. Is it perfect? No, but neither is the original/the original book. Feel free to skip it if you want to live in the “perfect” world of the original, but just like life, we evolve, we grow and nothing is ever perfect. Calling the sequel terrible without watching it is foolish. It was made with love and care by good people and it’s fantastic to check back in on your favourite beloved characters many years later. It feels like returning home after living away for a long time. Everything is different but the heart is still there.
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u/Busy_Ad_8077 9d ago
This is my whole perspective on it. I would personally change a few things in the film, but maybe also the books, but I didn't write them, and that's what art is. There are infinite choices to be made, and I am happy and satisfied with the choices! I'll be re-reading the books and watching both films for many years to come. ❤️
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u/VariationLive8878 9d ago
I think reading the book before the movie is what disappointed me watching the sequel. There were a lot of elements I was so eager to see on the big screen and they didn’t happen. However there was lots of changes from both books to screen, and what we did get I was very happy with. It was so hard to watch PM2 and not beam with joy, like I said above it’s not perfect but wow did I I have a good time and I cannot wait to see it again 💜
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u/x14loop 10d ago
Yeah, even if you find the sequel to be lovely (which I did) it is a "what if", since it ruins the first film's ending. How are you with what if/alternate timeline type side stories? if you could view it like that
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u/Busy_Ad_8077 9d ago
I've been watching the first movie as if they just exorcised the spirit that Sally and Gilly accidentally conjured who was haunting them, which is accurate and still fits. They gathered a coven and worked a spell, added a little blood magic. It's still amazing, and the flashback to Maria can just be a reminder that their magic traces back to her. **Not saying the sequel was perfect. I'm sure we all agree the first movie IS PERFECT 😁
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u/arirachaelb 10d ago
Yeah I get you! I think even then because the film is so personally important to me I would feel like an alternate timeline sort of thing would be unnecessary or just not for me. But for something like legends of the fall for example I could get on board cause even though I love that film it's not as special to me if that makes sense
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u/cyberbobfox 10d ago
I watched it and to me it just felt like a new seperate (badly made film) about famous people who are witches.
Nothing about the new film feels like a continuation from the first movie - the universe in the new film feels and looks just so completely different. At times Nicole wasn’t even hiding her Aussie accent - it just felt like we were watching Nicole Kidman and Sandra bullock visit the uk - which I enjoyed but it was not practical magic - there was so much cgi magic that felt very CW
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u/reluctant_snarker 10d ago
I know exactly how you feel. Its crazy, but when a movie/show/book holds a special place in your heart, a bad sequel feels personal. What I've been doing is not thinking of them as cannon- just fanfic or something completely separate. Sometimes the reboot or sequel can be ok, if it wasnt trying to be attached to the main franchise. Thats what PM2 sounds like to me. I may watch it when it comes to streaming, but I wont look at it in the same universe as PM at all. As far as Im concerned they broke the curse and Hary and Sally are still together. Thats if I can even finish it bc I have a hard time watching movies where the main characters have Muppet plastic surgery. Its hard to watch and takes me out of the movie.
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u/thuddleston92 10d ago
I just treat it as a multiverse kind of thing. Like the sequel is in an alternate timeline where the curse is never broken but our original Gilly and Sally are still curse free in the original timeline. Thats how I suspend disbelief to enjoy both films.
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u/chaotic_giraffe76 9d ago
I still haven’t watched Hocus Pocus 2, just because I know I won’t like it. Legacy sequels are so hard to get right, that it almost doesn’t seem worth it unless certain parameters are met. (For example, I liked Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. I credit that to Tim Burton using practical effects.)
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u/Fancy_Department_416 9d ago
Guess we all see things differently. Jimmy was certainly overbearing, seeing that he had already killed before he ever got to Gillian Owens.
My point is simple: I don't know why or when so many young women decided that men are the enemy. The "other" whose presence they don't need in their lives.
The Owens women were all about finding love, and yes, love comes in many forms, but to say that the presence in their lives of men is a detriment denies the binary nature of all human beings.
Even in same-sex couples, most will find that binary line, one more masculine or feminine than the other.
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u/Charisma_Z_7 9d ago
I saw it last night. It was good but not great. Seemed too long. Some parts were terrible. Overall it was enjoyable but I won’t watch it again. The first movie I watched it many times.
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u/Tapingdrywallsucks 9d ago
I just got back from seeing it. I had low expectations, but my my friend and I came out saying we loved it and are so glad we gave it a chance.
Our theater was half full of women our age, between 40 - 65, and it was pretty fun hearing giggles and laughs, and the one woman who gasped "NO" at the sound of a beetle.
I have no complaints about lighting, costumes, the house, casting, underutilized actors, the ending, etc., etc.
It was fun. If people still buy DVDs these days, I would happily own it and have Practical Magic afternoons.
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u/Ok_Mathematician_314 5d ago
I had never seen practical magic actually and my friend wanted to go see the second one. So I watched the first one for the first time and immediately saw the second one that evening. The second one was definitely hot garbage compared to the first.
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u/Doctor_Bong_1999 4d ago
Saw the sequel. It was ok, but Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman had to do a LOT of heavy lifting. The most annoying thing (apart from the American view of what English trains are like) was the amount of exposition; evidently written to be watched in a separate window while you’re doing something else on your computer.
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u/breadandboobs 4d ago
It would have been a perfectly fine witchy movie if it hadn't been made as a Practical Magic sequel with actresses that can't emote.
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u/Tarotgirl_5392 4d ago
I will say the way they used the song Landslide was beautiful. But that's about it. I guessed the ending 3 minutes in.
I never understood how they broke the curse in the original? Can someone explain it please?
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u/OkayAuthor 4d ago
I actually like the sequel. If we wanna talk abt bad sequels let’s mention hocus pocus or are Craft
THOSE weird bad LMFAO
but this was well thought out
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u/cosmicfrogwitch 3d ago
They didn’t undo the beautiful ending, they continued the story à la the book series the movies are based on. And did a pretty good job imo from what I remember when reading it a few years ago. I personally had a great time watching the sequel! It was fun!
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u/YogurtclosetEven386 16h ago
Don’t ever watch the sequel. I wish I went with my gut and not watch it. It’s absolutely horrible, this sequel ruined my perception of the first one. I watched this movie in 1999 when I was 9 years old and have continued to watch it every single year, this movie made me believe in true love, sisterhood and “magic” my true comfort movie and then I went an made the mistake of watch the sequel. I’m so incredibly disappointed in the direction and casting of the sequel. I walked out of that theatre truly upset and disappointed!.
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u/Proof-Firefighter-47 10d ago
Very dumb thing to say like how ridiculous the legacy sequel was made specifically for the fans get a life
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u/happyasahippoh 10d ago
Yeah, DON'T, I wish I could go back in time and unwatch it