Blumhouse's The Craft: Legacy

Both a reboot of and a sequel to 1996 witch flick The Craft (which was memorable for its showcasing of an irresistibly deranged Fairuza Balk), this slick but shallow continuation fails to conjure its own brand of magic. Fans of the original will find little new in the set-up, as teenager Lily (Cailee Spaeny) moves to a new town and is befriended by three girls at school. Before you can whisper "light as a feather stiff as a board", they've formed a coven and awakened magical powers - and that can only spell trouble ahead. Channelling 1990s Winona Ryder, Spaeny proves soulful and engaging, and the film is best in its opening stretch when it focuses on her relationship with mom Michelle Monaghan. However, this early promise quickly crumbles into a cheesy, Twilight-riffing hodgepodge of twinkly incantations and spells gone awry. The odd millennial update does work, but writer/director Zoe Lister-Jones rushes a toxic masculinity subplot that robs the film of its intended empowerment. Meanwhile, the final "battle" is TV-movie terrible and, most frustratingly of all, the film ends right when it's about to get interesting.