Mary Poppins Returns - Review
Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Emily Blut, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep
54 years after Mary Poppins captured the hearts of a generation (and every one after), the Super-Nanny returns to delight us again and brighten not only the Banks family's darkest days, but ours, too.
In 1935 London, an adult Michael Banks (Whishaw) learns that his home will be repossessed unless he can pay back his bank loan in 5 days. Michael and his three young children
are at a loss until Michael and Jane's (Mortimer) former childhood nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) arrives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane and whisks that Banks family on an unforgettable adventure.
Clearly aware of the immense legacy that Mary Poppins has left on cinema and the millions of people that subsequently adore it, director Rob Marshall and the team behind the long-awaited sequel have smartly paid suitable homage to the qualities that made the 1964 musical so beloved. Mary Poppins Returns relies on hand-drawn 2D animation rather than utilising the technological advancements of CGI that we have become so accustomed to seeing on the big screen. When Mary, Jack and the children enter the surreal alternate reality that exists within a ceramic bowl (a supposed treasured family heirloom) and escape their troubles if only for a moment, the charm and nostalgia of the original comes flooding back and the entire sequence is a sumptuous, familiar delight.
However, Mary Poppins Returns rests too heavily on the audience's fondness for its predecessor by echoing the same story beats that strike a sense of deja vu but never usurps or rivals the magic or whimsy of the original. For example, Mary and co make a visit to Mary's wacky cousin Topsy (Streep armed with a heavy Eastern European accent and a costume/make-up design that wouldn't look out of place in a Tim Burton movie) that is inspired by the first film's detour to see Mary's hysterical Uncle Albert. Meanwhile, lamplighter Jack's 'Trip a Little Light Fantastic' is what 'Step in Time' was to Bert and his tribe of chimney sweeps. These attempts to replicate the Poppins blueprint are lacklustre and disappointingly ineffective with the musical numbers suffering from a flat and void direction.
Comparing Mary Poppins Returns to Mary Poppins is an inevitable occurrence but the biggest difference between the two films that will ensure the former never reaches the dizzying heights of its classic antecedent is the music. Nearly everyone you ask would be able to hum or sing the bars of the likes of 'Spoonful of Sugar', 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' and 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' but Mary Poppins Returns fails to produce a memorable tune; the lyrics are impressive, but you'll be hard-pressed to reproduce the melody of any song on the soundtrack. Although it may not be an instant ear worm, the lullaby-esque 'The Place Where Lost Things Go' as sung to the three Banks children by Mary is poignant and profound and will undoubtedly ease the ache in grieving children.
It's one of the film's most emotional moments that is beautifully performed by Blunt whose rendition of the character made iconic by Julie Andrews is worthy of all the praise it has attracted. Poppins returns to Cherry Tree Lane sterner and more abrupt than before but she is also more devilish and allowing of compassion. Michael Banks may not be concerned with "moulding his young breed" like his own father was, but he finds himself struggling to connect with his children amid the external pressures of potentially losing their home and the very sad reality of losing his wife. John, Isabelle and Georgie (the three Banks children) have been forced to grow up before their time due to their circumstances but Poppins reminds them - and everyone else - the wonders of being a child and that the Banks family as a unit have the spirit and resources to overcome their strife.
Mary Poppins Returns won't leave the lasting impression on audience that the original has achieved but the film's oozing and insatiable optimism and joy may just be enough to overlook its shortcomings.
EB
Cast: Emily Blut, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep
54 years after Mary Poppins captured the hearts of a generation (and every one after), the Super-Nanny returns to delight us again and brighten not only the Banks family's darkest days, but ours, too.In 1935 London, an adult Michael Banks (Whishaw) learns that his home will be repossessed unless he can pay back his bank loan in 5 days. Michael and his three young children
are at a loss until Michael and Jane's (Mortimer) former childhood nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) arrives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane and whisks that Banks family on an unforgettable adventure.
Clearly aware of the immense legacy that Mary Poppins has left on cinema and the millions of people that subsequently adore it, director Rob Marshall and the team behind the long-awaited sequel have smartly paid suitable homage to the qualities that made the 1964 musical so beloved. Mary Poppins Returns relies on hand-drawn 2D animation rather than utilising the technological advancements of CGI that we have become so accustomed to seeing on the big screen. When Mary, Jack and the children enter the surreal alternate reality that exists within a ceramic bowl (a supposed treasured family heirloom) and escape their troubles if only for a moment, the charm and nostalgia of the original comes flooding back and the entire sequence is a sumptuous, familiar delight.
However, Mary Poppins Returns rests too heavily on the audience's fondness for its predecessor by echoing the same story beats that strike a sense of deja vu but never usurps or rivals the magic or whimsy of the original. For example, Mary and co make a visit to Mary's wacky cousin Topsy (Streep armed with a heavy Eastern European accent and a costume/make-up design that wouldn't look out of place in a Tim Burton movie) that is inspired by the first film's detour to see Mary's hysterical Uncle Albert. Meanwhile, lamplighter Jack's 'Trip a Little Light Fantastic' is what 'Step in Time' was to Bert and his tribe of chimney sweeps. These attempts to replicate the Poppins blueprint are lacklustre and disappointingly ineffective with the musical numbers suffering from a flat and void direction.
Comparing Mary Poppins Returns to Mary Poppins is an inevitable occurrence but the biggest difference between the two films that will ensure the former never reaches the dizzying heights of its classic antecedent is the music. Nearly everyone you ask would be able to hum or sing the bars of the likes of 'Spoonful of Sugar', 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' and 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' but Mary Poppins Returns fails to produce a memorable tune; the lyrics are impressive, but you'll be hard-pressed to reproduce the melody of any song on the soundtrack. Although it may not be an instant ear worm, the lullaby-esque 'The Place Where Lost Things Go' as sung to the three Banks children by Mary is poignant and profound and will undoubtedly ease the ache in grieving children.
It's one of the film's most emotional moments that is beautifully performed by Blunt whose rendition of the character made iconic by Julie Andrews is worthy of all the praise it has attracted. Poppins returns to Cherry Tree Lane sterner and more abrupt than before but she is also more devilish and allowing of compassion. Michael Banks may not be concerned with "moulding his young breed" like his own father was, but he finds himself struggling to connect with his children amid the external pressures of potentially losing their home and the very sad reality of losing his wife. John, Isabelle and Georgie (the three Banks children) have been forced to grow up before their time due to their circumstances but Poppins reminds them - and everyone else - the wonders of being a child and that the Banks family as a unit have the spirit and resources to overcome their strife.
Mary Poppins Returns won't leave the lasting impression on audience that the original has achieved but the film's oozing and insatiable optimism and joy may just be enough to overlook its shortcomings.
EB
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