This film is a U, will be released on December 21st 2018, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS
Before I begin, I'd like to point out that I was lucky enough to see this film at the European Premiere in London's Royal Albert Hall. It was such a wonderful night and atmosphere. Thank you to everyone who made it possible! Especially my Mum and Dad!
Introduction
Mary Poppins from 1964 is undeniably a classic. That film is so joyous and uplifting and still holds up to this day. It is probably one of Disney's better live-action films of the 20th Century. However, it didn't immediately seem like it needed a sequel. There were many places that the story could go, but it had to be just right if it wanted to live up to the success of the original. Well, 54 years later, here we are.
Thoughts Going In
Aside from the fact I was attending my first ever film premiere, I was very excited. You may find this surprising based off what I've mostly been reviewing / talking about recently, but I love musicals. The whole concept of suddenly bursting into catchy songs accompanied by frantic dancing is an idea I've always liked. And, with recent musicals like The Greatest Showman and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, both of which I really enjoyed and had me singing away, my excitement only got amplified. That and I love a lot of members of this cast. Emily Blunt, Ben Whishaw, Colin Firth and so many more. So, I had very high expectations and hoped it wouldn't all come crashing down and disappoint.
The Story
Years after the original, Micheal Banks now has his own family with three cheeky children of his own. However, his wife passed away recently and he is going to lose his house due to financial reasons. Whilst he and his sister, Jane, look for a certificate of shares, the children stumble across Mary Poppins whilst flying an old kite. She has come to look after them and hopefully teach them a few things while their father sorts out his issues. Accompanying them is Jack, a rugged, but jolly, lamp-lighter. From then, the five of them go on many adventures.
What I Liked
The thing I appreciated most about Mary Poppins Returns is that it got the perfect balance that any sequel should. Typically, sequels, especially ones made a long time after the original, tend to offer little to no new material and simply retread the same beats as its predecessor. This is because the sequel is being made to satisfy the audience that were captivated the first time round, and it'll appeal to them if they're reminded of the film they fell in love with. This film gets the right balance between respecting and paying tribute to the first film whilst also bringing plenty of new elements to the table, in a similar way to 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The tribute comes in the form of iconic imagery from the original, recurring gags and the general structure of the story. The new elements include new songs, actors doing their own variations of classic performances, and the message of the film. I am very happy this film got the balance so right because this means the film will both appeal to fans of the original as well as potentially bringing in new fans and audiences, especially children who weren't around when the first one came out.
The performances are some of the best of the year. Of course, the star of the show is Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. What I find so amazing about Blunt as an actress is that she is so versatile. She can go from gritty action like Edge of Tomorrow or Sicario, to nail-biting horror like A Quiet Place, and then to universal and upbeat fun like this. She plays Poppins quite differently to Julie Andrews, but she is essentially the same personality-wise. Strict and uppity, but overall jolly and good-hearted. Additionally, she is a fabulous singer. The other stand out was Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, who is clearly adding some of his Hamilton-esque Broadway flair to Dick Van Dyke's classic role. He's charming, very likeable, and actually has a good cockney accent! Everyone else has their moment to shine and are just as good as you'd expect, especially the now 93 year-old Dick Van Dyke himself, who is still able to jump on a desk and do a little dance!
The musical numbers were my favourite parts of the film. What surprised me most was that there was an absence of the classic songs like A Spoonful of Sugar and Let's Go Fly a Kite. However I am glad about this because it means we have more space for some new, equally as catchy, ones. They surely won't be replacing the originals, but they're such a joy to listen to that it had me smiling. The stand-outs for me were "Lovely London Sky", "A Cover is Not the Book" and "Trip a Little Light Fantastic". On top of this, what was happening in the film was also brilliant. The choreography of the dancing was my favourite kind, in which everything moves just like clockwork - perfectly in time and and synchronized. All of the songs gained a huge applause afterwords, and rightfully so.
The last noteworthy thing, for me, is one sequence in particular. If you've seen the first Mary Poppins, you'll know there's an excellent scene which involves the characters entering a 2D animated world. Here, thank goodness, there is another one. What was so brilliant was the fact that they kept it as 2D animation. I'm so relieved they didn't just fully modernize it and make it all CGI. This is a true sign that the people behind the scenes of this film have huge amounts of fondness for the original and didn't want to ruin what made it special. I think we can all agree that the last thing Mary Poppins needs is CGI penguins. That and the sequence is really creative, it takes place on a ceramic bowl instead of a chalk painting and so the characters must be careful to not fall off the edge. The way it was executed was a lot of fun, and my favourite segment of the film.
What I Didn't Like
Oh, must I really find something to dislike? Well, in all fairness, Mary Poppins Returns is by no means a perfect movie. If I had to point out one issue that I had, it's that there are some scenes which are either elongated, unnecessary, or both. One or two of the musical numbers didn't serve much of a purpose and some scenes can occasionally be a bit too dragged out and perhaps longer than they should've been. But, despite these criticisms, any scenes that do drag on only do so because it is necessary.
Another issue is one that didn't bug me personally, but I feel may irritate others. As much as I did praise this film for getting the perfect balance, there are times when the film can echo the original in not so subtle ways. The general structure is very similar and it does hit many of the same beats as the first. Sometimes it is more obvious than others, but I won't give any examples because you'll know for sure when you see the film.
Conclusion
Mary Poppins Returns is simply Supercalifragilisticexpilalidocious. I adore this film. I'm not just saying that because my experience watching it was amazing. I'm saying so because this film has wonderful performances, mesmerizing and catchy musical numbers, another creative 2D animated sequence, and it pays just the right amount of respect to its predecessor while bringing lots of new things to the table. But above all, it made me happy. And if a film can do that, then that is more than enough to satisfy me. I highly recommend you see this film as it is the perfect Christmas treat for the entire family and I'm sure it will become a classic in a few decades time, and while it may not live up to the magic of the original, it's still an absolute joy to watch.
I'm going to give Mary Poppins Returns an E
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