Mary Poppins Returns
5 stars
Director: Rob Marshall
Stars: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw
Duration: 130 mins
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd
I will confess unapologetically that Mary Poppins Returns is one of the films I have been looking forward to most this year. Simply because the original, 1964’s Mary Poppins, is an all-time favourite of mine.
It always seemed to me to be the epitome of Disney movies, with its irresistible mix of fantasy, special effects, toe-tapping tunes and the august Julie Andrews at her most delightful – in other words a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious film. So, yes, my excitement was high.
Granted, those of a more cynical bent may look upon this sequel as yet another cash-gorging exercise for the multi-billion-dollar corporation.
But, hey ’tis the season and all that, and few would disagree that no-one does family entertainment quite like the House of the Mouse.
I am happy to report that this sequel lives up to expectations, and Emily Blunt is practically perfect in every way, as she steps into the role immortalised by Andrews.
This story is set in Depression-era London. Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) is now a grown man with a family of his own, living in the house on Cherry Tree lane he and his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) grew up in. Yet money is tight and the family is struggling to cope with the recent death of Michael’s wife. They are looked after by their beloved, but clueless, housekeeper, Ellen (Julie Walters).
Jane helps out when she can, but she is constantly busy with her social activism (shades of her mother). Michael’s children Annabel (Pixie Davies), John (Nathanael Saleh) and Georgie (Joel Dawson) find themselves with little time to actually be allowed to be children.
As Michael feels that things can only get worse, a sudden billowy gust of wind brings Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) back into his and Jane’s lives – just as she did all those years ago.
Following in the footsteps of the beloved 54-year-old classic was always going to be a tough task. Yet, director Rob Marshall and his team, together with the ensemble cast led by Blunt, deliver the goods in a film that is funny and poignant, colourful and adventurous. It is guaranteed to leave you with a silly smile on your face for long after the credits roll.
Mary Poppins Returns effortlessly captures the sense of time and place so familiar to fans of the original. It is a magical London, albeit one in the throes of the Great Slump, whose quiet tones of the first scenes give way to a vivacious, brightly coloured, uplifting finale.
And, although technology has moved in leaps and bounds over the past half decade and contributes unsurprisingly flawless CG effects, there is still some of that old-school Disney animation guaranteed to send people my age and older into paroxysms of nostalgia, while the younger generations will undoubtedly appreciate the story that unfolds against a backdrop of inventive, colourful, and action-packed scenes – be they underwater, in a world that lies within a Royal Doulton bowl, or the streets of London itself.
If the new music is not as catchy as its predecessor – which spawned classics which are impossible to imitate, like A Spoonful of Sugar and Let’s Go Fly a Kite, to name but two – it provides the score for some exquisitely choreographed show-stopping numbers. With his background in musicals, director/choreographer Marshall excels here, but he also displays a steady hand throughout, the quieter moments allowing the story to advance and the characters to develop.
Blunt steps effortlessly into the character’s red and sensible shoes – prim, proper and suitably stern when called for with her clipped (yet ultimately warm-hearted) disciplinarian ways; otherwise effervescent, funny and charming when she lets loose in the musical bits. She shares a lively dynamic with her co-stars, especially the children all three of whom are cute without ever being twee.
Whishaw’s Michael is suitably melancholy; Mortimer’s Jane ever practical. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the multi-talented composer, director, singer, dancer and actor, is lamplighter Jack – channelling Dick van Dyke’s famous dodgy accent of the original, but making up for it with his winning charm and enthusiasm. Colin Firth is the dastardly villain of the piece and Van Dyke himself appears in a cameo role, as does veteran Angela Lansbury. And the great Meryl pops in for a scene-stealing number…
It is indeed a triumphant return for Mary Poppins, showing much reverence to the original, yet pretty much being an excellent movie in its own right; a carpet bag-full of delight for a jolly holiday experience.