It’s almost impossible to write about Mary Poppins Returns without comparing it 1964’s Mary Poppins since it is, after all, a sequel – so I’m not even going to try. Really. I think Emily Blunt and Julie Andrews each bring their brand of charm to the character, with Julie Andrews being a little more kindly and Emily Blunt adding an interestingly pompous edge to the character. Nevertheless, I think they’re both practically perfect as Mary Poppins in their own way.
If you’ve never watched Mary Poppins before, Mary Poppins Returns is still worth checking out simply because of the song and dance numbers. The film sees the titular nanny returning to the children she helped to bring up in Mary Poppins, except that those children have grown up (25 years have passed) and now have their own children. Nevertheless, they’re in need of life lessons that they can only learn through magic and song, which is exactly what Mary Poppins is here to do.
All of the cast members perform magnificently in their musical sequences, lending their vocals and co-ordinating their steps in splendid set pieces that have you wanting to jump in and sing along. It delivers on the musical aspect every few scenes, weaving in songs so smoothly that you never quite realise that the characters have lapsed into lyrics until they’re well and truly into the thick of the songs.
It helps, of course, that they’ve got wonderful sets that evoke 1930’s London – while still adhering to more modern fashion sensibilities. Viewed from the lens of 2018, you might even say that the characters dress in a rather hipster fashion. The costumes bring back memories of the 1964 classic, while leaving behind the tackiness of that era.
It’s because everyone’s costumes look amazing which makes Michael Banks’ (Ben Whishaw) clothes look particularly awful – could they not have found a tailor to make his clothes more fitting? Everyone else’s clothes fit perfectly, even labourer Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) the lamplighter – but Michael Banks, an executive, doesn’t have the money to buy proper clothes? I can understand that it’s to highlight the financial plight that the family is in, but it’s rather glaring since everyone else doesn’t seem to have an issue getting properly tailored clothes.
Which brings us to the problem of the other male protagonist of the film, Jack. While he dresses fairly fashionably, he feels rather… out of place in the film. Or rather, he feels more like a plot device than an important character, and the purpose of his scenes are so transparent that you wish they’d hurry on with his dialogue and move on to the more interesting bits. This is more of a characterisation and writing issue than a performance one, since it really seems that Jack was inserted to deliver exposition.
As a result, some of the more fantastical musical numbers which give Jack his solos are… flaccid. There’s a particularly dreary number about lamplighters late in the film, and it meanders on long after it’s delivered its message about injecting hope where there is none. Even the animated sequence feels like it could have been trimmed, since the song belabours the point quite a bit.
Perhaps it’s because all the fantasy sequences seem… trite, in this day and age. They feel like a forced homage to Mary Poppins, which is not a bad thing – except that special effects have moved on since then, and it’s obvious that they’re there to give a modern spin to dated concepts.
Nevertheless, the cast members are absolute gems and bring their characters to life – regardless of the role they play or the oversized clothes they wear. It’s amazing how Mary Poppins Returns managed to assemble such a talented cast, and it shows in the final product. Even Topsy (Meryl Streep), as weird and offensive as she came off, was portrayed well once you got over the strange approach that was taken to the character.
Mary Poppins Returns is an enjoyable musical for the holidays, regardless of whether you were a fan of the first film or not. While it does suffer from some imaging and SFX issues, there’s no doubting the production quality and sheer heart that went into the film. It’ll satisfy fans and bring in new ones, and that’s a feat that precious few franchise films can manage these days. After all, no film can be practically perfect, right?
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you like Mary Poppins.
Score: 3.5/5
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 130 minutes (~2.25 hours)
Mary Poppins Returns is a fantasy musical that’s a sequel to 1964’s Mary Poppins. It’s based on the Mary Poppins series of novels.
The film sees the return of the nanny, who has not aged a day (although she certainly looks different, since she’s now played by a different actress) after taking care of her two charges 25 years ago (in the film). Once again, she must save the day and teach the Banks family what life is really all about, while weaving in some incredibly powerful magic at the same time. Seriously, she could flatten Voldemort in minutes.
Mary Poppins Returns is directed by Rob Marshall, who also has story credits. It is written by David Magee, with additional story credits for John DeLuca. The film stars Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Jack the lamplighter), Ben Whishaw (Michael Banks), Emily Mortimer (Jane Banks), Pixie Davies (Annabel Banks), Nathanael Saleh (John Banks), Joel Dawson (Georgie Banks), Julie Walters (Ellen), Dick Van Dyke (Mr Dawes Jr), Angela Lansbury (The Balloon Lady), Colin Firth (William Wilkins), Meryl Streep (Topsy), and David Warner (Admiral Boom).
Mary Poppins Returns opens in cinemas:
– 25 December, 2018 (Singapore)
– 8 January, 2019 (Philippines)
This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com
Follow Marcus Goh (yes, referring to myself in third person) on Facebook and Instagram for more (presumably) good updates!
I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.
Send me an email if you want to get in touch!
Leave a Reply