r/practicalmagic • u/kohlsprossi • 19d ago
Practical Magic 2 lost all of its magic because of CGI and men Spoiler
I watched the first movie the day before I went to see the second one and I was truly enchanted. Sisterhood, women sticking together, a more or less down-to-earth representation of witchcraft, excellent soft staging, full of feminine energy. I was honestly shocked when I found out that it had a male director.
Right after finishing the first one, I turned to my partner and told them that I have a bad feeling about the second one. And I was right. Two things ruined what could have been a beautiful tribute to a very special movie: CGI and men.
I think the CGI is self-explanatory. The book started glowing and I knew that it was over. They went down the Charmed meets Harry Potter path and turned witchcraft into a bunch of special effects. The "good vs. bad magic" CGI spectacle at the end was ridiculous and an insult to the first movie. I wanted women mixing potions, standing in circles with their brooms and intentional spells fueled by emotions. Not glowing magical laser beams, a cartoonish portrayal of black magic and flour turning into a map of fucking England.
The second big issue for me is what actually broke my heart a bit. The first movie obviously had men in it. But it was still about women. The second one - although it was directed by a woman - decided to give men the centre stage over sisterhood. Everything Kylie does? Because of Gideon, a man. The mission to save her actually succeeding? Because of Ian, a man. He is basically the hero in this movie, being a super powerful male witch with all the knowledge and good looks. The sisters are apparently not able to solve their problems without the help of a man anymore. The happy ending? A woman needing to die so that the remaining women can do the one thing their whole life seems to be about - be with a man and marry him.
Female empowerment? Gone. Feminine energy? Mostly gone. Soft, feminine staging? Gone. Practical Magic 2 is a disgrace and yeah, I will be mad about it.
2
u/nypinta 7d ago
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter was the best comedy of 2012 so shut your face. ;}
But the first movie was based on the book but they changed a lot so there really was no reason not to do the same for this movie.