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The Wizards of Waverly Place Sequel Fails to Recapture the Magic

Spoiler Warning

Before I go any further, I have to issue a spoiler warning. I’ll be discussing details from the new show, so if you haven’t seen it yet, turn back now.

When it was announced that Wizards of Waverly Place was getting a sequel series, many fans were excited to see the beloved Russo family return after more than a decade. The original show held a special place in Disney Channel history, blending humor, heart, and magic in a way that resonated with audiences. Naturally, expectations were high. Unfortunately, the new series fails to live up to its predecessor.

A Surprising Premise That Doesn't Sit Right

As a fan of the original, I was eager to see what Disney had in store for the Russo family. However, when it was announced that the show would follow Justin Russo, I was skeptical. According to Deadline:

"In the sequel, Justin Russo is all grown up, with a wife and two sons. Justin has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life. After a mysterious incident at WizTech, Justin gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door. He’s faced with a dilemma: maintain his everyday life or embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World."

Justin, of all people, giving up his magic? The sibling who loved being a wizard the most? This didn’t sit right with me. While I tried to stay open-minded, this doubt lingered as I watched the show.

A Weak Pilot That Sets the Wrong Tone

When the first episode finally dropped, I watched with anticipation. While there were some promising elements—such as the introduction of Roman and Milo, whose chemistry was solid—the show quickly started to fall apart.

The moment Billie stepped out of the mirror and blurted, "I’m a wizard!" my excitement waned. The magic itself had already demonstrated this fact—there was no need to spell it out. To make matters worse, Milo then quipped, "Where’s your pointy hat and robe?" to which Billie responded, "I’m a wizard with style!"—a redundant line that added nothing. Her outfit already conveyed her personality; there was no need for the extra exposition.

From there, things only went downhill. While seeing Selena Gomez and David Henrie reunite was a highlight, the rest of the episode felt uninspired. The infamous "J-Man still got it" line is now burned into my memory for all the wrong reasons.

The Writing and Direction Let the Show Down

I gave the series a fair shot, watching all nine episodes plus a few released after, but I was continuously disappointed. One of the biggest issues is the writing and direction, which fail to capture the wit and depth of the original show. A particularly cringeworthy moment comes when Justin says:

"I know there are no monsters because I wasn’t a monster hunter when I was your age."

The awkward attempt to cover up this statement made the scene even worse. The dialogue is clunky, unnatural, and often feels forced. It underestimates the intelligence of the audience, making the show feel juvenile in a way that the original never did.

World-Building Issues and a Lack of Stakes

Another glaring issue is the show’s weak world-building. Despite Billie being positioned as the savior of the wizarding world, there are no real stakes. The original Wizards of Waverly Place balanced humor with genuine tension—whether it was the competition for Family Wizard or magical threats that had consequences. Here, everything feels low-stakes and inconsequential. In Particular the unicorn incident the event that ruined Justin felt so unimportant and I would have been happy to never know.

Giana: A Wasted Character

One of the most disappointing aspects of the show is Justin’s wife, Giana. Despite being a working journalist, she often comes across as clueless and aloof, which makes her character feel inconsistent and underdeveloped. Instead of being a strong, engaging presence in Justin’s life, she feels like an afterthought with little depth. Her character could have been an interesting addition to the story, but instead, she feels wasted.

Final Thoughts

While I don’t fault the actors—they are simply working with what they were given—the material is severely lacking. For a show that follows such a beloved legacy, it should have been handled with more care and respect for the original lore. Instead, it feels like a hollow attempt to cash in on nostalgia without truly understanding what made the original special.

At the end of the day, this sequel fails to recapture the magic of Wizards of Waverly Place. For longtime fans, it’s a disappointing return to a world that once felt so enchanting.

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The crown season 5 is messy 

If you haven’t seen it. I am warning you this review contains spoilers to the 5th season.

Very soapy 

The breath of anticipation is over Netflix’s hit show the crown released its 5th season. Following the royals in the disastrous era of the 90s. Though the show time and time again has offered high equality and captivating stories. All of this falls flat; rather we get a season constructed like a poorly written soap opera with weird dialogues and heavy handed metaphors. It seems Peter Morgen threw out good writing and storytelling for the sake of making season 5 dramatic and spicy. Over emphasizing the disastrous marriage of Charles and Diana leaving little room of other meaningful stories of the royals during the 90s. 

Diana's portrayal was questionable ?

Though Elizabeth Debicki manages to resurrect the princess of Wales through her accent and mannerisms. The writers instead of presenting Diana trying to find the light in the darkness. They concoct a story of a woman seeking to destroy everything in her path and raise a middle finger to the royals and the institution. In term purposefully giving heartache to her children who are members of the institution. Considering the fact many describe the princess of Wales being a good and caring mother. The writing and depiction seems to throw it all away for Drama! Even making the wrong and gross assertion she has a fetish for Pakistani men with the man playing Martin Bashir saying "haven't you notice she's got a thing for Pakistanis" Though Diana developed a special place for Pakistan it was not sensual in nature. Previous seasons have managed to balance fiction and reality with storylines and characters. This season seems to want to find cheap ways to make drama rather than following the precedent set by previous seasons.

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Barbie is worthwhile

spoiler warning !!

Sets and costumes 

The movie did a brilliant job of bringing barbie land to real life. Managing to recreate the magic of barbie play sets but in real life like with the hospital barbie car. Everything worked like the real life toy sets would. The costumes were executed brilliantly. I liked how every barbie and ken had a color blocking that made them stand out. Speaking of the barbies let's move on  to the story and characters.  

The barbie movie is one of the standout films of the summer it's a flawed yet wonderful masterpiece like barbie herself. 

Story and characters 

The movie in my opinion did a great job of depicting an existential life crisis from the perspective of stereotypical barbie played by Margot Robbie. Both showing it's comedic and emotional sides. Even though Ken and Barbie went through a similar experience it was different as it was tailored to their personalities. Despite the crisis being brought by Gloria's character, I loved how it was Barbie who ultimately solved it herself with the help of a few friends along the way. Finally what I loved about the story was that it showed for society and people to function. They need to feel seen and have a purpose in life. I loved that the director Greta Gerwig showed this from the male and female perspective. Now moving on to the characters, if i had to make a tier list for the standout characters of this movie. It would of course have to start with the iconic and beautiful barbie. Followed by our favorite companion ken. Of course I couldn't forget the lovable mother daughter duo Gloria and Sasha. Finally a character who I feel doesn't get the flowers she deserves is barbie inventor Ruth Handler.

The barbie movie is one of the standout films of the summer it's a flawed yet wonderful masterpiece like barbie herself.