Mary Poppins Returns - Review: Mary Poppins returns to bring joy to the Banks family and to our hearts
Release date (US): December 14th, 2018
Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Meryl Streep, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Waters, Colin Firth
**DISCLAIMER**: This is a subjective, opinionated article that does not have, nor should have any affect on your opinion. As such, my opinion is entitled to change over time and whatever is written here at this point in time may not and should not be held to me in the future. You are not meant to agree with me 100 percent of the time, because the nature of subjectivity is we see everything differently. If there is something you happen to disagree with, I absolutely respect your point of view if you will respect mine. Please keep this in mind.
The Review
Having read the Mary Poppins books many years ago, I was familiar with the famous nanny and her antics. But having not seen the original Julie Andrews film, I was not familiar with her performance. Thus, I went into the new sequel with an open mind, excited to see what Emily Blunt had to bring to the role.
I was absolutely floored. There are no two ways around it. This is one of the greatest performances this entire year. Emily Blunt, while evidently not dipping too much into Julie Andrew's character, has made this role her own. From the very millisecond she appeared onscreen, I knew that this was Mary Poppins. Granted, perhaps it was better that I didn't know Julie Andrews' performance. Maybe that helped me appreciate Blunt more. I had heard from others who remember the original film that Andrews brought a really fresh look on the character.
But for what it's worth, I think Blunt's performance is insanely good. I haven't seen an actor commit to a role this year more than Blunt has. I cannot say enough good things about her. She nailed the role, and deserves all the credit in the world.
Aside from Mary Poppins herself, the ensemble cast is one of the best that I've seen all year. It did, admittedly, take me a little bit to get used to the film. This film is unabashedly unapologetic, and takes you right back to thirty years ago. The film quality is that of the films that exist today, but the tone, the dialogue, the way characters interact, it is so refreshing to see this different kind of youthfulness. There is a layer of innocence with this film that you NEVER see anymore, not even with kid's films. This isn't really a kid's film per se; I would strongly recommend taking most kids to see it simply because I know they'll enjoy it, but this is really a film made for almost everyone.
The movie is warm and joyful, and apologizes for none of it. From the very get-go, characters have smiles on their faces and they are just filled with glee. That's not something you see often in a day and age where everything is jaded and hardened.
The Banks family has been brought back wonderfully; Michael and Jane are now grown up, and while I'm not familiar with their characters from the original, you can tell that these are grown ups that, while having been slightly hardened in the past twenty years, are still representations of who they were as children. And the Banks children, or more accurately, the grandchildren of George Banks, are delightful as well. Their acting, while not top-notch, fits this film more than adequately, and I think that's a testament to director Rob Marshall.
Rob Marshall knew EXACTLY what kind of film he was making. And because of that, I'll say it again, he makes no apologies. He goes for it in every single shot and frame. There isn't a single moment where you don't feel a raw energy and passion, and that's what I loved about the movie. It was delightful.
Lin Manuel-Miranda also has a significant role in the movie, essential the co-star to Emily Blunt. His character is charming, and while Miranda isn't quite the best actor in the film, he does give it his all. There was just something missing from him that you could see in Mary Poppins. It felt like he could have been an extra; there wasn't quite anything that stood him apart from the rest of the cast. But still, the Hamilton creator gets to shine in his own right. A tiny slight against the film might be that I don't really know why he was in the movie for as long as he was narratively. There isn't much of a narrative justification for him to be in as much of it as he was.
But then again, there are quite a few spots like that in this film. This film doesn't focus too much on narrative. It takes a rather simple premise, and within that premise weaves an adventure. It's not so much about where they're going but how they get there. It takes heart and determination, and a little push. That's what makes Emily Blunt the perfect Mary Poppins. She has just the right amount of stern discipline while also having a little twinkle in her eyes when she needs to.
But you're not going to Mary Poppins Returns for a riveting action set piece. No, you're going for the music. Let me say this; each and every song is fantastic. They each have their own soul, and right away you can tell a lot of thought was put into writing each song. That's what makes them fit into the movie so well. They all align with the film's main purpose, which is just to be a joyful romp. But in doing so, all of them feel the same.
While I loved all of the songs in the moment, I can't tell you any of the lyrics. I could name a couple of titles, but I couldn't sing any of them for the life of me. And while I think that's what sets this movie apart from a film like The Greatest Showman, where I knew the words to every single song, I felt that the music was serviceable. It was actually more about the set piece than the actual song. The backdrops and the musical numbers and dances were spectacular. They were so pure and so musical. It was brilliant.
I think, personally, that as good as the songs were in the film, the score was even better. Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman do a masterful job with the score. It's brilliant. As a musician, just taking in the music was something that made the film worth the price of admission. The bombastic orchestra, to the saxophone runs, this film had it all.
In Conclusion: There's not much to not love about this film. This film is everything. It's for the whole family and just brings a sense of warmth to your heart. You just need to sit back, open up your mind and heart, and let the film take you places that you forgot all about, just like Mary Poppins did for Michael Banks. The music and the setpieces are incredible, and paired with some brilliant casting, Mary Poppins has now become one of the best films of 2018.
I was absolutely floored. There are no two ways around it. This is one of the greatest performances this entire year. Emily Blunt, while evidently not dipping too much into Julie Andrew's character, has made this role her own. From the very millisecond she appeared onscreen, I knew that this was Mary Poppins. Granted, perhaps it was better that I didn't know Julie Andrews' performance. Maybe that helped me appreciate Blunt more. I had heard from others who remember the original film that Andrews brought a really fresh look on the character.
But for what it's worth, I think Blunt's performance is insanely good. I haven't seen an actor commit to a role this year more than Blunt has. I cannot say enough good things about her. She nailed the role, and deserves all the credit in the world.
Aside from Mary Poppins herself, the ensemble cast is one of the best that I've seen all year. It did, admittedly, take me a little bit to get used to the film. This film is unabashedly unapologetic, and takes you right back to thirty years ago. The film quality is that of the films that exist today, but the tone, the dialogue, the way characters interact, it is so refreshing to see this different kind of youthfulness. There is a layer of innocence with this film that you NEVER see anymore, not even with kid's films. This isn't really a kid's film per se; I would strongly recommend taking most kids to see it simply because I know they'll enjoy it, but this is really a film made for almost everyone.
The movie is warm and joyful, and apologizes for none of it. From the very get-go, characters have smiles on their faces and they are just filled with glee. That's not something you see often in a day and age where everything is jaded and hardened.
The Banks family has been brought back wonderfully; Michael and Jane are now grown up, and while I'm not familiar with their characters from the original, you can tell that these are grown ups that, while having been slightly hardened in the past twenty years, are still representations of who they were as children. And the Banks children, or more accurately, the grandchildren of George Banks, are delightful as well. Their acting, while not top-notch, fits this film more than adequately, and I think that's a testament to director Rob Marshall.
Rob Marshall knew EXACTLY what kind of film he was making. And because of that, I'll say it again, he makes no apologies. He goes for it in every single shot and frame. There isn't a single moment where you don't feel a raw energy and passion, and that's what I loved about the movie. It was delightful.
Lin Manuel-Miranda also has a significant role in the movie, essential the co-star to Emily Blunt. His character is charming, and while Miranda isn't quite the best actor in the film, he does give it his all. There was just something missing from him that you could see in Mary Poppins. It felt like he could have been an extra; there wasn't quite anything that stood him apart from the rest of the cast. But still, the Hamilton creator gets to shine in his own right. A tiny slight against the film might be that I don't really know why he was in the movie for as long as he was narratively. There isn't much of a narrative justification for him to be in as much of it as he was.
But then again, there are quite a few spots like that in this film. This film doesn't focus too much on narrative. It takes a rather simple premise, and within that premise weaves an adventure. It's not so much about where they're going but how they get there. It takes heart and determination, and a little push. That's what makes Emily Blunt the perfect Mary Poppins. She has just the right amount of stern discipline while also having a little twinkle in her eyes when she needs to.
But you're not going to Mary Poppins Returns for a riveting action set piece. No, you're going for the music. Let me say this; each and every song is fantastic. They each have their own soul, and right away you can tell a lot of thought was put into writing each song. That's what makes them fit into the movie so well. They all align with the film's main purpose, which is just to be a joyful romp. But in doing so, all of them feel the same.
While I loved all of the songs in the moment, I can't tell you any of the lyrics. I could name a couple of titles, but I couldn't sing any of them for the life of me. And while I think that's what sets this movie apart from a film like The Greatest Showman, where I knew the words to every single song, I felt that the music was serviceable. It was actually more about the set piece than the actual song. The backdrops and the musical numbers and dances were spectacular. They were so pure and so musical. It was brilliant.
I think, personally, that as good as the songs were in the film, the score was even better. Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman do a masterful job with the score. It's brilliant. As a musician, just taking in the music was something that made the film worth the price of admission. The bombastic orchestra, to the saxophone runs, this film had it all.
In Conclusion: There's not much to not love about this film. This film is everything. It's for the whole family and just brings a sense of warmth to your heart. You just need to sit back, open up your mind and heart, and let the film take you places that you forgot all about, just like Mary Poppins did for Michael Banks. The music and the setpieces are incredible, and paired with some brilliant casting, Mary Poppins has now become one of the best films of 2018.
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