When the curse catches up with Sally (Sandra Bullock) and becomes a widow and single mother, she moves back with her aunts Jet (Dianne Wiest) and Frances (Stockard Channing). Some time later, Sally joins forces with her sister Gillian (Nicole Kidman) to get rid of her toxic boyfriend, but after killing him in self-defense, they have to deal with his return as an evil spirit. Now, over 20 years later, Practical Magic is getting a sequel, following the steps of fellow witch movie Hocus Pocus, but Practical Magic needs to learn from the biggest mistake of Hocus Pocus 2: its flashbacks.
Hocus Pocus 2’s Flashbacks Didn’t Benefit The Sanderson Sisters’ Story
Hocus Pocus 2 Would Have Still Worked Without Its Flashbacks
The Sanderson Sisters’ vanishing at the end of Hocus Pocus wasn’t the end of them, and they were resurrected again in Hocus Pocus 2 through the same method: a virgin lighting the Black Flame Candle under a full moon on Halloween. This time, the Sanderson sisters – Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) – didn’t want to take the life force of children, and, instead, they wanted to cast the Magicae Maxima spell to get full, unlimited power. In addition to all this, Hocus Pocus 2 also included flashbacks to the Sandersons’ past.
These flashbacks left more questions about their past, mostly about their family.
These flashbacks took viewers back to 1653, when 16-year-old Winifred was banished after “defying church authority” by refusing to marry. Not wanting to be separated, the Sandersons fled to the woods, where they met Mother Witch, who gave Winifred her magic book. While it was a fun look at the young Sanderson Sisters, these flashbacks left more questions about their past, mostly about their family and how they were able to return to Salem and stay for many more years.
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While I think Hocus Pocus 2 is an entertaining movie for spooky season, I have a couple of problems with it after how good the first movie was.
Hocus Pocus 2 could have still worked without its flashbacks, and the warning about Magicae Maxima could have been included in Winifred’s spell book. The flashbacks ended up hurting Hocus Pocus 2 and the Sanderson Sisters’ story, as they also created inconsistencies with what the first movie established, and this is one mistake Practical Magic 2 needs to avoid as it can easily fall into it.
Practical Magic 2’s Story Could Easily Use Flashbacks (But Shouldn’t)
Practical Magic 2 Will Be Based On The Book’s Sequel
Little is known about Practical Magic 2 so far, but it has been revealed that it will adapt the book’s sequel, titled The Book of Magic. Also written by Alice Hoffman, The Book of Magic was published in 2021 and reunites readers with Gillian, Sally, Frances, and Jet Owens. In The Book of Magic, Aunt Jet hears the deathwatch beetle, announcing she only has seven days to live, but she’s not the only one in danger. This sends the Owens women on a journey to where Maria Owens first practiced witchcraft, leading to some family discoveries.
The Book of Magic is a family story like Practical Magic, but with Aunt Jet’s days almost over, it would be very easy for Practical Magic 2 to use flashbacks to show Jet and Frances’ past as well as the family’s past. Practical Magic 2 doesn’t need flashbacks and should fully focus on the ongoing story of the Owens women and how this journey and discoveries affect them now, instead of adding flashbacks that risk complicating their backstory and creating plot holes.
Practical Magic is a romantic fantasy film directed by Griffin Dunne, featuring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, born into a family of witches. Living under a curse that dooms any man they fall in love with to an untimely death, the sisters navigate love, loss, and their magical heritage while confronting family secrets and societal prejudices.
Director Griffin Dunne
Release Date October 16, 1998
Runtime 104 Minutes
Custom image by Ana Nieves.
English (US) ·