Mary Poppins Returns (2018) ****1/2
I loved loved LOVED Mary Poppins Returns (2018). It's the ideal modern sequel for a number of reasons—it's not snarky, it's not meta, it doesn't simply ape its predecessor, and it feels like a natural extension of the world created in the original film. This is all especially commendable, considering that MPR sets a new record as the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel in history (54 years).
Complete with Julie Andrews' blessing, Emily Blunt instantly embodies the character the moment she steps, er, floats on screen. The look is right, the mannerisms are right, her singing is great. Simply put: Blunt nails it. Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't quite wow me in the same way but he had an equally tough job to pull off, that of playing a new character named Jack who is essentially a modern version of Dick Van Dyke's Bert. Nevertheless, he gives a performance filled with heart and pizzaz. Speaking of Van Dyke, his cameo was a joy (the audience I was with applauded on his entrance, as well as when the end credits rolled). I found Ben Whishaw's character, that of the grown Michael Banks, particularly affecting as well. There are a few somber moments where he really sells the sadness, but thankfully, while the film doesn't shy from those scenes, neither does it dwell on that emotion.
Movie making magic is on display throughout MPR—the costumes, the production design, the choreography, the animation (hand drawn, not CGI!), the cinematography—it all impressively gels together to make wholesome, fun, pure entertainment. I'm ecstatic that composer Marc Shaiman didn't rehash the songs from the original film. While the new songs may not be flat-out classics like the ones that Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman wrote for the 1964 film, they are still memorable and quite good ("Trip A Little Light Fantastic" might be my fave).
Mary Poppins Returns hit all the right beats for me—I smiled, I laughed, I beamed, I teared up and (Mary Poppins would be proud) I felt like a child again. It's magical, it's a crowd pleaser, and it's made in the tradition of movies that aren't made very often anymore. Maybe it's steeped in a certain nostalgia, but I found it wonderful and I hope it holds up on repeat viewings. It's not quite perfect, just practically (in every way).
Complete with Julie Andrews' blessing, Emily Blunt instantly embodies the character the moment she steps, er, floats on screen. The look is right, the mannerisms are right, her singing is great. Simply put: Blunt nails it. Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't quite wow me in the same way but he had an equally tough job to pull off, that of playing a new character named Jack who is essentially a modern version of Dick Van Dyke's Bert. Nevertheless, he gives a performance filled with heart and pizzaz. Speaking of Van Dyke, his cameo was a joy (the audience I was with applauded on his entrance, as well as when the end credits rolled). I found Ben Whishaw's character, that of the grown Michael Banks, particularly affecting as well. There are a few somber moments where he really sells the sadness, but thankfully, while the film doesn't shy from those scenes, neither does it dwell on that emotion.
Movie making magic is on display throughout MPR—the costumes, the production design, the choreography, the animation (hand drawn, not CGI!), the cinematography—it all impressively gels together to make wholesome, fun, pure entertainment. I'm ecstatic that composer Marc Shaiman didn't rehash the songs from the original film. While the new songs may not be flat-out classics like the ones that Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman wrote for the 1964 film, they are still memorable and quite good ("Trip A Little Light Fantastic" might be my fave).
Mary Poppins Returns hit all the right beats for me—I smiled, I laughed, I beamed, I teared up and (Mary Poppins would be proud) I felt like a child again. It's magical, it's a crowd pleaser, and it's made in the tradition of movies that aren't made very often anymore. Maybe it's steeped in a certain nostalgia, but I found it wonderful and I hope it holds up on repeat viewings. It's not quite perfect, just practically (in every way).
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