Official Paper Tiger Movie Trailer 2026 | Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller, Adam Driver Movie | Release Date: November 2026 | More trailers ➤
Follows two brothers who become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian mafia, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences.
Official Day Drinker Movie Trailer 2027 | Johnny Depp, Madelyn Cline, Penélope Cruz Thriller Movie | Release Date: 26 March 2027 | More trailers ➤
a private-yacht bartender encounters a mysterious, onboard guest. They soon find themselves entangled with a criminal figure and connected in ways no one saw coming.
Official The Rescue Movie Trailer 2027 | Brandon Sklenar, Hassie Harrison Thriller Movie | Release Date: 29 January 2027 | More trailers ➤
Follows a former rodeo cowboy takes matters into his own hands when his daughter is kidnapped for ransom. With her devoted dog by his side, he sets out to bring her home and will stop at nothing to find her.
A Beautiful Adventure About Friendship, Culture, and What Success Really Means
Every once in a while, an animated movie catches me completely off guard.
I went into Forgotten Island expecting a colorful adventure about two best friends trapped in a mystical world. And technically, that’s exactly what it is. But underneath the creatures, comedy, and fantasy is a surprisingly meaningful story about friendship, family, culture, ambition, and how easily we can forget why certain people became important to us in the first place. And honestly?
Wow. What a fun film.
Directed and written by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, Forgotten Island follows two best friends who become stranded in the mysterious world of Nakali. Escaping the island is possible, but there’s a devastating catch: getting home may require sacrificing the lifetime of memories they’ve created together. That’s already a pretty emotional concept for an animated movie. What surprised me was how much deeper the film was willing to go with it.
Nakali Is Colorful, Magical, and Culturally Familiar
One of the first things that stood out was the culture woven throughout the movie. The film doesn’t simply use its cultural influences as decoration. They’re part of the characters, creatures, humor, family dynamics, and mythology of the world. That made the movie especially relatable in our household. My daughter is an only child, so the ideas of home, belonging, and relationships hit differently.
When your life is that of a lone child, “family” doesn’t always mean by blood. Sometimes family becomes the people you carry with you. That’s something Forgotten Island understands surprisingly well. And then there’s the Manananggal. If you grew up in a culture with stories about the boogeyman, el Cuco, or some terrifying creature adults conveniently mention when children aren’t behaving, you’ll immediately understand the idea.
But what I really liked was that the movie didn’t simply use the Manananggal as a scary monster. It gave her depth. There’s a reason she became who she is. There’s history behind the frightening exterior. That little bit of character development completely changes how you look at her. Instead of simply saying, “Here’s the monster; run!”, the movie asks you to consider what happened to make someone become the person everyone now fears. That’s a surprisingly mature idea hiding inside a family adventure.
The Real Story Is About Friendship
The fantasy adventure might get people into the theater, but the relationship between the characters is what gives Forgotten Island its heart. At its core, this movie is about friendship and love. And there’s a message here that I think adults may understand even more than kids: Sometimes we remember that someone is important to us but forget why they’re important. Life gets busy. People grow up. Careers happen. Families change. Friends move away. Suddenly, someone who was once involved in practically every part of your life becomes somebody you occasionally text or promise you’ll get together with “soon.”
The idea that escaping Nakali could require giving up a lifetime of shared memories turns that very normal experience into something tangible. If you remove the memories, what happens to the relationship? Would you still feel connected to someone if you couldn’t remember the experiences that created that connection? That question gives what could have been a fairly straightforward animated adventure some genuine emotional weight.
There were even a few scenes that got to my six-year-old daughter teary. Watching a child become emotional during an animated movie is always interesting because kids aren’t sitting there analyzing themes or character development. They simply feel it. And if the story can make a six-year-old understand that something meaningful is at stake, the filmmakers have done something right.
Follow Your Passion; But Be Willing to Take Risks
Another theme I really appreciated is the movie’s approach to ambition. A lot of family movies tell children: “Follow your dreams.” That’s great advice. But Forgotten Island adds another piece that’s equally important: You have to be willing to take risks.
Wanting something isn’t the same as pursuing it. At some point, you have to make the uncomfortable decision to move toward the thing you want, knowing there’s no guarantee everything will work out exactly as planned. That’s true whether you’re six, sixteen, or sixty. The movie doesn’t suggest everyone needs the same dream either, which leads into what may have been my favorite message in the entire film.
Success Doesn’t Look the Same for Everyone
I loved how Forgotten Island presents different versions of success through Jo, Raissa, and Raww. There’s no single finish line everyone is expected to cross. Jo, Raissa, and Raww Find Different Answers.
For Jo, success can be found on the island. For Raissa, success means pursuing education and becoming an astronautical engineer. And for Raww, fulfillment comes through companionship. None of those answers is treated as less meaningful than the others. I loved that.
We spend so much of our lives comparing ourselves to other people that we sometimes forget we’re not necessarily competing in the same race. One person’s dream might be building a massive career. Someone else’s might be raising a family. Another person might simply want a peaceful life surrounded by people they love.
Success doesn’t have to mean money, status, degrees, fame, or some universally agreed-upon accomplishment. Sometimes success is figuring out what actually makes you fulfilled rather than chasing somebody else’s definition of happiness. That’s a pretty valuable message for children to hear. Honestly, it’s not a bad reminder for adults either.
It’s a Kids Movie That Doesn’t Talk Down to Kids
The voice cast; including H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga, helps give the world a ton of personality. There’s plenty of humor and colorful adventure to keep younger audiences entertained, but the movie isn’t afraid of more complicated emotions. I appreciated that.
There are definitely some comments, jokes, and themes that seem intended for a slightly more mature audience. Parents of very young children may notice moments that go completely over their kids’ heads. But that’s pretty normal for modern family animation. My daughter still loved the movie.
She laughed during the fun parts, stayed engaged with the adventure, and became genuinely emotional during some of the heavier scenes. That’s probably one of the best measurements of whether a family movie works. Adults can appreciate the deeper themes while children remain completely invested in what’s happening on screen.
Final Thoughts on Forgotten Island
Forgotten Island was much more than I expected. It’s colorful, funny, imaginative, and entertaining enough to work simply as an animated adventure. But underneath all of that is a surprisingly thoughtful movie about the people we love and the memories that explain why we love them.
The cultural elements give the world personality rather than simply serving as window dressing. The Manananggal gets enough depth to become more than another childhood monster. And the different journeys of Jo, Raissa, and Raww reinforce something I particularly appreciated: There isn’t one correct way to build a meaningful life.
Pursue your passion. Take risks. Value the people who helped shape you. And every once in a while, remember why those people became important to you in the first place. My daughter walked away loving the adventure. My wife and I walked away thinking about the message. That’s a pretty successful family movie in my book. And if she asks me to watch this one again? I won’t mind at all.
I’ve been watching Resident Evil movies for years, and if there’s one thing the franchise has proven, it’s that adapting a video game into a movie isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds. Some adaptations try to recreate the games exactly. Others grab a few familiar names, throw in some zombies, slap Resident Evil on the poster, and hope fans go along for the ride. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil takes a different approach.
Instead of retelling one of the games, we’re introduced to Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who has the incredibly bad luck of finding himself trapped in one horrifying night. What starts as another job quickly becomes a fight for survival as everything around him collapses into chaos. And surprisingly, this approach works incredibly well.
The best way I can describeResident Evil (2026)is that it feels like watching a live-action survival RPG.
Resident Evil Finally Feels Like a Video Game
What immediately stood out to me was how the movie is written and structured. Bryan isn’t an elite soldier who walks into every room already knowing exactly what to do. He’s a relatively normal young guy who suddenly finds himself in a situation that becomes more ridiculous and dangerous by the minute. That’s exactly how a good survival-horror game feels.
You start with very little. You don’t completely understand what’s happening. You explore, pick up information, meet questionable people, encounter increasingly dangerous threats, and try to survive with whatever resources happen to be available. The movie captures that progression without literally copying the mechanics of a video game.
I also loved that Bryan is a young guy who actually references gaming. Those references feel natural rather than like dialogue written by somebody whose entire knowledge of gaming came from watching their nephew play Fortnite once. Because Resident Evil itself comes from gaming, there’s something fun about watching Bryan recognize how absurdly his situation has become. At several points, I found myself mentally giving him instructions.
Don’t go in there.Check the other room first. Why would you walk toward that sound?! And naturally, sometimes he does exactly what you don’t want him to do. This is Resident Evil, after all.
If an inventory screen had suddenly appeared halfway through the movie, I’m not entirely sure I would’ve questioned it.
Austin Abrams Is the Right Kind of Resident Evil Hero
Austin Abrams was a smart choice because Bryan doesn’t look or behave like your stereotypical action hero. If Jason Statham walked into this situation, I’d immediately start feeling sorry for the zombies. Bryan feels vulnerable. You believe he’s scared. You believe he can make mistakes. Most importantly, you believe something could actually kill him. That makes the action and horror considerably more effective. When Bryan manages to survive something, there’s almost that same little feeling of accomplishment you get after finally making it through a difficult section of a game.
The movie also understands the difference between horror and survival horror. It’s not simply about monsters jumping out of dark rooms. It’s the uncertainty of what’s around the next corner, not knowing whom to trust, and constantly feeling like one bad decision could end everything. And yes, the movie actually got me a couple times. Not the little “Oh, that was loud” reaction either. There were a few legitimate jump scares that caught me completely off guard. I watch enough horror movies that I can usually see those things coming, so when one actually gets me, I’ll happily give the movie credit.
Zach Cregger Knows How to Build Suspense
Zach Cregger’s style fits Resident Evil extremely well because he understands that what you’re expecting to happen can sometimes be more frightening than what actually happens. He lets scenes sit just long enough for your imagination to start causing problems. A dark hallway doesn’t immediately need a monster. Sometimes you just need to stare down that hallway long enough to become convinced there’s a monster. Then the movie can decide whether you’re right.
There’s also humor throughout the film, but thankfully it doesn’t turn everything into a joke. The lighter moments give you enough room to relax before the movie starts tightening the screws again. That’s a difficult balance with horror. If everybody is constantly cracking jokes, eventually you stop worrying about them. Cregger’s Resident Evil mostly avoids that problem.
My Wife Liked It Even More Than I Did
Here’s something I wasn’t expecting:
My wife enjoyed the movie more than I did. And I really liked it. That actually made me think about how differently longtime Resident Evil fans might approach this film.
Fans walk in carrying decades of expectations. We’re comparing the atmosphere to the games, thinking about previous movies, looking for references, and deciding whether something feels sufficiently Resident Evil. Someone without all that baggage can simply watch Bryan have the worst night imaginable. And the movie works perfectly well that way.
You don’t need to know every Umbrella experiment or have completed a bunch of games before buying a ticket. The film establishes its own protagonist and gives you everything you need to follow his story. That accessibility might actually be one of its biggest strengths.
The Supporting Cast Adds Just Enough Weirdness
Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser round out the main cast, and each brings something different to Bryan’s increasingly bizarre night. Paul Walter Hauser, in particular, feels right at home in this world. He’s one of those actors who can make you laugh while simultaneously making you question whether trusting his character is an absolutely terrible idea. That’s exactly the kind of energy Resident Evil needs.
Thankfully, the supporting characters don’t overwhelm the story either. Bryan remains our way into this world, so the movie never starts feeling like an overcrowded ensemble where we’re bouncing between twelve different storylines.
An Original Story Was the Right Decision
Another thing I appreciated is that this isn’t trying to recreate the Milla Jovovich movies, nor does it simply repeat Welcome to Raccoon City. Instead, Cregger takes the atmosphere and survival mechanics associated with Resident Evil and uses them to tell a new story. I think that’s the smarter approach.
We’ve already seen filmmakers attempt to directly translate familiar characters and storylines. An original protagonist allows the movie to surprise existing fans while still being approachable for somebody who has never touched a Resident Evil game. It also makes the universe feel bigger. Not every story in this world needs to revolve around the same handful of characters.
Sometimes I want to know what happens to the poor random guy who was just trying to finish his shift when everything went to hell. Apparently, the answer is Resident Evil (2026).
Final Thoughts on Resident Evil (2026)
I had a lot of fun with this movie. It’s creepy, surprisingly funny, immersive, and most importantly, it understands something previous video-game adaptations sometimes miss: You don’t necessarily have to recreate the game. You need to recreate how playing the game makes people feel. That’s where Resident Evil succeeds. Austin Abrams gives us a refreshingly ordinary protagonist, Zach Cregger creates genuine tension, and the structure makes the whole thing feel like you’re progressing through a survival-horror game alongside Bryan.
My wife may have enjoyed it even more than I did, but I’m completely onboard with this direction for the franchise. And any horror movie that can still make me legitimately jump a couple of times deserves some credit. Whether you’ve spent years playing Resident Evil or don’t know a Licker from a Tyrant, this is simply a fun survival-horror movie.
Movie theaters are normally associated with popcorn, previews, and maybe a screening that you may catch, if you’re lucky. Then, every once in a while, a theater does something unique that turns simply going to watch a movie into an actual experience. That’s exactly what Plant City Premiere LUX 8 and Pizza Pub, did with its PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie – PJ Party on August 22.
Instead of simply inviting families to come watch the latest PAW Patrol adventure, the theater encouraged everyone to grab their favorite comfy pajamas and gather for a Saturday morning PJ Party screening. The event also included special treats and activities for ticket holders, giving both, the adults and kids something extra to look forward to beyond seeing their favorite pups on the big screen. Really, there’s something wonderfully appropriate about telling the kids they can leave the house in pajamas to go watch PAW Patrol. For parents, that’s one less battle before leaving the house. Everybody wins.
More Than Just Going to the Movies
One thing I’ve come to appreciate about special movie events is how much a few relatively simple additions can change the experience. You can watch a movie anywhere now. Movies are on televisions, tablets, phones, streaming services; you name it. This is why theaters need to give families a reason to say, “Let’s go to the movies.” A PJ Party is exactly the kind of idea that works.
The movie is obviously still the centerpiece, but now there’s anticipation surrounding the entire outing. Kids aren’t simply going to see PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. They’re deciding which pajamas to wear, participating in activities, getting special treats, and being surrounded by other children who are just as excited about the same characters. Suddenly, seeing a movie becomes a core memory and this makes all the difference.
Pajamas at the Movie Theater? Absolutely.
Whoever decided pajamas should be part of the event understood the assignment. Kids spend enough time being told what they’re supposed to wear and where they’re supposed to sit. Giving them permission to show up to a movie theater in their favorite comfy pajamas immediately makes the morning feel special, because everyone is invited to participate, it doesn’t feel strange. It’s part of the party.
You might have one kid wearing dinosaur pajamas, another covered in cartoon characters, and somebody else arriving completely committed to their favorite PAW Patrol pup. That’s exactly the kind of harmless silliness any event that is geared toward children and adult children alike, should encourage.
It’s Also a Smart Family Event
Saturday morning is a great fit for something like this. Parents with younger children know that nighttime movie screenings can sometimes become an adventure all by themselves. By the time you get through dinner, travel, previews, and the movie, somebody is probably getting tired. A morning event avoids much of that.
Kids arrive with energy, enjoy the activities, watch the movie, and families still have the rest of their day ahead of them. That’s a pretty good setup.
PAW Patrol and Dinosaurs Are Basically a Cheat Code
Then there’s the movie itself. It’s PAW Patrol, with dinosaurs. If you’re trying to attract young kids, I’m not sure you need a much more complicated sales pitch. The PAW Patrol characters already have an enormous following among younger audiences, and adding a dinosaur adventure gives the movie an extra bit of spectacle that feels perfectly suited for the big screen.
There’s also something different about watching characters children normally see at home suddenly become enormous theater-sized characters. The sound is bigger. The picture is bigger. The reactions from the other kids are bigger. For younger moviegoers, that can make seeing a familiar franchise in theaters feel genuinely exciting.
Special Treats and Activities Make a Difference
The PJ Party also included special treats and fun activities for ticket holders, and that’s an important part of what separates an event screening from an ordinary showtime. It doesn’t necessarily take an elaborate theme-park production to make kids feel special. Sometimes it’s simply about creating little moments around the movie.
Those activities also give families something to do before the screening rather than immediately walking into an auditorium and waiting through previews. More importantly, they create opportunities for children to interact with the theme of the event instead of passively watching a screen for the entire outing.
Events Like This Are Good for Movie Theaters
I think theaters should do more events like this. Streaming has made watching movies ridiculously convenient, and there’s no putting that genie back in the bottle. Theaters have something that streaming can’t easily reproduce, though: community experiences. You can watch PAW Patrol at home. But you’re probably not going to have dozens of kids and adults wearing pajamas, participating in activities, enjoying treats, and collectively reacting to the movie in your living room. At least, I hope not. That sounds like a cleanup nightmare.
Special screenings give theaters an opportunity to turn movies into occasions again. We’ve seen this work with fan screenings, classic movie nights, premieres, holiday events, costume contests, and now children’s events like this PJ Party. It’s a smart direction for theaters because you’re selling more than a seat in front of a screen. You’re selling the experience surrounding it, and it allows for a longing to do it again! To experience it, AGAIN!
A Great Way to Introduce Younger Kids to Moviegoing
Events like the PAW Patrol Dino Movie PJ Party also serve another purpose that I think is easy to overlook. They’re a fantastic introduction to movie theaters for younger children. A traditional movie screening asks a lot from a small child. Sit still. Stay quiet. Watch something for roughly two hours. Don’t kick the chair. Please stop asking if it’s almost over.
A kid-focused screening naturally feels less intimidating because practically everyone in the room understands they’re watching a children’s movie with children. If there’s a little laughter, excitement, or an occasional kid reacting out loud to something happening on screen, nobody should be shocked. That creates a much more comfortable environment for families.
The Kind of Event Families Remember
The best children’s events aren’t necessarily the biggest or most expensive. They’re the ones kids talk about afterward. A regular movie might become: “We saw PAW Patrol.”
A themed event becomes: “Remember when we wore pajamas to the movie theater and watched PAW Patrol with dinosaurs?” That’s a much better memory, and it’s exactly why these little additions matter.
Final Thoughts on the PAW Patrol Dino Movie PJ Party
The PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie – PJ Party is a great example of how theaters can make family moviegoing feel special again. The concept is simple: take a movie kids already want to see, turn the screening into a themed morning event, encourage everyone to wear their favorite pajamas, and add treats and activities. That’s it! Sometimes simple ideas are the best ideas.
For families with young PAW Patrol fans, this offered something that watching the movie at home simply couldn’t replicate; a chance to make an entire morning out of going to the movies.
More theaters should take note: Give families a reason to get out of the house. Give kids permission to wear pajamas in public. Throw some dinosaurs and PAW Patrol into the mix. You’ve got yourself a pretty good Saturday morning.
Another Tampa Bay Comic Con is officially in the books, and after attending this event over the years, one thing continues to be true: you really never know who—or what—you’re going to see walking around the Tampa Convention Center. Tampa Bay Comic Con 2026 took place from September 4 through September 6 at the Tampa Convention Center, bringing together thousands of comic book fans, gamers, collectors, cosplayers, families, and people who simply wanted an excuse to dress up like their favorite character for the weekend. And honestly, isn’t that half the fun?
This year’s convention felt noticeably bigger where it mattered most: the celebrity lineup. There were considerably more recognizable guests than I’ve seen in previous years, and that gave the entire weekend more of that major convention feeling. There were still a few familiar issues—especially when it came to vendors—but overall, Tampa Bay Comic Con remains one of my favorite entertainment events in the Tampa area.
Tampa Bay Comic Con Seriously Stepped Up the Celebrity Lineup
The biggest improvement this year was obvious. There were a LOT more celebrities. And we’re not talking about one or two recognizable names surrounded by extremely niche guests. The lineup was legitimately impressive.
John Cena was probably one of the biggest draws, but he was far from alone. The convention also brought in The Vampire Diaries stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, along with Ernie Hudson, Katee Sackhoff, Ken Jeong, Laz Alonso, Holly Marie Combs, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, Alaqua Cox, James Marsters, Ann-Margret, Jerry Trainor, and Austin St. John. That’s a pretty ridiculous amount of nostalgia packed into one building.
Whether you grew up watching Ghostbusters, Charmed, Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, Power Rangers, or newer superhero shows, there was probably somebody there you’d recognize. And that doesn’t even include the voice actors. The animation and voice talent lineup included names such as Alex Brightman, Amir Talai, Michaela Jill Murphy, Christy Carlson Romano, Sarah Natochenny, Ray Chase, Blake Roman, Richard Horvitz, Erika Henningsen, and Vivian Nixon Williams. Comic fans weren’t forgotten either, with creators including Pat Broderick, Jim Calafiore, Ron Garney, Alex Saviuk, and Tim Bradstreet. This year’s guest list felt much closer to what I’d expect from a major regional convention.
Ernie Hudson’s Panel Was One of My Highlights
Of everything I attended, Ernie Hudson’s panel was easily one of my favorite parts of the weekend. There’s something different about listening to someone who has been part of pop culture for decades casually talk about their career and experiences. Obviously, most people immediately associate Hudson with Ghostbusters, but hearing him speak reminds you that there’s an actual person behind a character we’ve seen on screens for decades. That’s one reason I’ve always enjoyed convention panels.
Autographs and photos are great, but panels give you something different. You get stories, personality, humor, and sometimes completely unexpected insight into projects you’ve watched countless times. Hudson was entertaining, personable, and easily one of the highlights of the convention for me.
My Daughter Apparently Knows Ken Jeong Better Than I Do
One of my favorite moments from the weekend didn’t happen during a panel or at a vendor booth. It happened because of my six-year-old daughter. We saw Ken Jeong, and before I could really say anything, she immediately pointed him out: “Look! It’s Bobby fromKPop Demon Hunters!” And there it was. The generational difference summed up in one sentence. I’m looking at Ken Jeong thinking about The Hangover and Community. She’s looking at the exact same person thinking, KPop Demon Hunters.
That’s actually one of the things I love about conventions like this. Different generations can walk through the same building and have completely different reasons for being excited. A parent might recognize someone from a television series they watched 20 years ago while their kid recognizes the same actor from something released recently. Everybody gets their own little fan moment.
The Cosplay Is Still One of the Best Parts
I say this almost every year, but it deserves repeating: the cosplay community is incredible. Some people don’t simply put on costumes—they build them. Armor, props, makeup, wigs, lighting, electronics—the amount of time and creativity people put into bringing fictional characters to life is unbelievable. You’ll turn one corner and see Spider-Man, walk another 20 feet and suddenly encounter an eight-foot creature that looks like it escaped from a movie set. Then Deadpool walks past; wait, that was me! followed by someone wearing handmade armor that probably took six months to build. It’s basically organized chaos, and I absolutely love it.
One of my favorite things about Comic Con is that it gives all of us another excuse to dress up as our favorite characters without having to wait for Halloween. For three days, nobody cares if you’re walking around downtown Tampa dressed as Batman, a Jedi, an anime character, or someone so obscure that only five people at the entire convention recognize you. And when those five people do recognize you, they usually lose their minds—and that’s part of what makes cosplay so much fun. There’s an instant connection between complete strangers simply because they love the same character or fandom. Having dressed up at conventions myself, there’s also something genuinely fun about people stopping you for pictures. For a few seconds, you become part of someone else’s Comic Con experience, and that’s pretty cool.
The Vendor Floor Is Still My Biggest Complaint
Now for the part that hasn’t changed enough. The vendors. If you’ve attended Tampa Bay Comic Con multiple years, you’ll probably recognize quite a few booths. There were some new vendors this year, which was nice, but much of the merchandise felt very familiar. Same types of collectibles. Same artwork. Same Funko Pops. Same swords. Same anime merchandise. Same mystery boxes.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of that, especially for someone attending for the first time. The vendor floor is enormous and there’s plenty to browse. But as a returning attendee, I would love to see more variety. Bring in more independent creators. More unusual collectibles. More emerging artists. More interactive booths. More merchandise you can’t simply order online. Give longtime attendees a reason to explore every aisle again.
The Convention Is Becoming More Family-Friendly
Another thing I appreciate about Tampa Bay Comic Con is how naturally it works as a family event. Yes, there are hardcore collectors. Yes, there are serious cosplayers. Yes, there are people who have probably memorized every issue of a particular comic series. But there are also plenty of families simply walking around enjoying everything.
Watching kids encounter their favorite characters is honestly one of the best parts. They don’t care whether the costume cost $5,000 or somebody made it out of cardboard last weekend. They see their favorite character standing in front of them. That’s magic. And experiencing the convention with my daughter has made me appreciate that side of it even more.
Tampa Bay Comic Con Keeps Growing
I’ve attended enough conventions to know that bigger doesn’t automatically mean better. What matters is whether the event gives people enough reasons to return. This year’s Tampa Bay Comic Con made a major improvement with its celebrity lineup. That’s important. Returning attendees need something new. The vendor floor could still use more variety, but bringing in a stronger collection of actors, voice performers, and creators gave the convention considerably more energy. Between the panels, celebrity appearances, cosplay, shopping, and simply people-watching, it’s almost impossible to experience everything in one day. And that’s probably a good thing.
Final Thoughts on Tampa Bay Comic Con 2026
Tampa Bay Comic Con continues to be one of those events I genuinely look forward to. It’s not perfect. But the expanded celebrity lineup was a huge improvement, Ernie Hudson’s panel was fantastic, and—as always—the cosplayers brought an incredible amount of creativity to the convention floor. My daughter recognizing Ken Jeong before I even had a chance to explain who he was might have been my favorite unexpected moment of the weekend.
That’s really what conventions are about. You arrive expecting celebrities, collectibles, and costumes. You leave remembering random little moments you never could have planned. And yes, I’m already looking forward to seeing what everyone dresses up as next year.
There are certain movies that are almost impossible to revisit decades later without messing up what made the original special. Practical Magic is definitely one of them. The original wasn’t just a movie about witches—it had romance, family, comedy, tragedy, and that unmistakable late-’90s atmosphere that’s difficult to recreate intentionally. So when Practical Magic 2 was announced, I was curious but cautious.
Could Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman step back into the roles of Sally and Gillian Owens after all these years without it feeling like another nostalgia-driven sequel? Surprisingly, yes.
In fact, Bullock and Kidman slip back into this world so naturally that it almost feels like they’ve been living as these characters for the last several decades and somebody simply decided to turn the cameras back on.
The movie surrounding them isn’t perfect, and some of the newer characters didn’t work nearly as well for me, but Practical Magic 2 manages to recapture enough of the original’s strange little magic to make returning to the Owens family worthwhile.
The Owens Family Has a New Problem
Practical Magic 2 returns to the multigenerational Owens family, whose history with witchcraft has always come with one particularly nasty problem: love and the Owens family don’t exactly mix. For centuries, the women of the family have lived under a curse that has turned romance into something potentially tragic.
This time, breaking that cycle requires the family to confront secrets from its past while deciding just how much they’re willing to sacrifice for one another. That’s already considerably heavier territory than the original movie explored, and the sequel embraces that darkness almost immediately.
Practical Magic 2 Is Noticeably Darker
The biggest difference between the two films is probably the tone. The original Practical Magic could certainly get dark—there was murder, abuse, resurrection and plenty of supernatural trouble—but it also had this warm, almost cozy quality underneath everything. You wanted to spend time in that house. You wanted Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest to be your slightly crazy witch aunts.
And let’s be honest, everyone wanted to participate in midnight margaritas.
Practical Magic 2 feels different. There’s still humor and warmth, but the supernatural side carries more weight. The consequences feel heavier, and the family history isn’t treated as simply a quirky collection of magical stories. There are secrets here. And some of them probably should have stayed buried. I actually appreciated the darker direction because simply recreating the original movie would have felt unnecessary. The characters are older, their family has grown, and the problems facing them should evolve too.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman Never Left This World
This was easily my favorite part of the movie. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are fantastic. There’s no awkward period where you’re waiting for them to become Sally and Gillian again. They’re just… Sally and Gillian.
The relationship between these two characters was one of the strongest elements of the original, and thankfully that hasn’t disappeared. You still believe they’re sisters. They irritate each other. They understand each other. They protect each other. And underneath everything is the feeling that if the entire world turned against one of them, the other would show up without needing to be asked.
Bullock brings that familiar grounded quality back to Sally, while Kidman still gives Gillian a slightly wilder energy. They’re older now, but the characters haven’t been rewritten simply because decades have passed. They feel like believable older versions of the women we already knew. That’s exactly what I wanted from a sequel like this.
The New Generation Didn’t Work Quite as Well for Me
This is where things became more uneven. Joey King and Maisie Williams are both talented actresses, but something about their performances felt slightly disconnected from the rest of the movie. I kept feeling like I was watching actors entering the world of Practical Magic, while Bullock, Kidman, Channing and Wiest simply belonged there. That’s a subtle distinction, but it’s noticeable.
Maybe it’s because the returning cast has such a strong connection to these characters, or maybe the newer characters needed additional development. Either way, it took me longer to accept the new generation as part of the Owens family. That doesn’t mean the performances are bad. They’re not. They just don’t feel quite as effortless as the returning cast.
Seeing the Original Aunts Again Was Fantastic
Speaking of returning characters…
Seeing Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing again was easily one of those nostalgia moments that got me. The original aunts were such an important part of what gave Practical Magic its personality. They were eccentric without becoming cartoon characters and wise without ever pretending to be completely responsible adults.
Having them return immediately makes the movie feel more connected to the original. Even better is the movie’s acknowledgment that Sally and Gillian are essentially becoming the new aunts. I loved that.
There’s something beautifully appropriate about watching one generation slowly take the place of another. The women who once needed guidance are now becoming the women expected to provide it. That little detail probably hit me harder than some of the bigger supernatural moments.
Somehow, It Still Looks Like a Movie From the ’90s
Another thing I really appreciated was the visual style. Practical Magic 2 doesn’t look overly polished or digitally sterile. Instead, there are moments where it genuinely feels like someone discovered a forgotten movie from the late ’90s or early 2000s. And I mean that as a compliment.
The lighting, wardrobe, house interiors and overall atmosphere have that slightly romantic, slightly gothic quality that worked so well in the original. Modern movies sometimes look too perfect.
Everything is sharp. Everything is clean. Everything looks digitally processed. Practical Magic 2 allows itself to look warm, imperfect and lived-in. It helps enormously with maintaining continuity between films released decades apart.
But I Still Have One Owens Family Question
Okay, I need somebody to explain this to me; Why does each generation seem to produce a brunette and a redhead? Seriously.
This feels like exactly the sort of family detail a sequel could have turned into a fascinating piece of magical lore. Is it connected to the curse? Does it represent different sides of the Owens bloodline? Is there some magical genetic explanation? Or do the Owens family genes simply have an extremely specific aesthetic preference?
I kept waiting for the movie to address it. It never really does.
Maybe I’m overthinking it, but when you’re dealing with a multigenerational family of witches whose bloodline is literally central to the story, it feels like something worth explaining. If we get Practical Magic 3, I want answers.
Is Practical Magic 2 Worth Watching?
If you loved the original, absolutely. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman alone make returning to this world worthwhile. Their chemistry hasn’t disappeared, the original aunts are wonderful to see again, and the filmmakers clearly understood that the atmosphere of Practical Magic was every bit as important as its plot.
The newer generation didn’t completely click for me, and I still want an explanation for the suspiciously consistent brunette-and-redhead situation, but those issues didn’t ruin the experience. Most importantly, Practical Magic 2 doesn’t feel like a sequel made simply because somebody realized people still love the original.
It feels like another chapter. A darker chapter, definitely. But one that understands why people cared about the Owens women in the first place. And after all these years, it’s pretty great having them back.
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