Mary Poppins Returns Review – Practically Perfect in Every Way

It’s been 54 years since the West wind blew Mary Poppins away from number 17 Cherry Tree Lane. But now the grown-up Jane and Michael Banks have run into some problems of their own. Mary Poppins must once again sweep in to save the day – this time on the tail of the beloved kite from the original film’s finale.

The original Mary Poppins was always going to be a tough act to follow. Julie Andrews left some big (if sensible) shoes to fill in the role of the sweet yet snarky magical nanny. But follow that act this film definitely did. And while it never exactly reaches the same highs as the original, there’s plenty to love in Mary Poppins Returns.

The Cast

Emily Blunt beautifully embodies a new Mary Poppins. She’s stern, but sweet. Harsh, but caring. Above-it-all, but vain. She is as dualistic a character as can be, well outside our realm of memory. But at the same time she’s the perfect embodiment thereof. She is definitely not the same Mary we met all those decades ago. But the film is all the better for it! Blunt successfully casts off the spectre of Andrews’ interpretation to form a fresh take on everyone’s favourite British nanny.

The cast is rounded out by a bunch of familiar faces playing both returning and brand new characters. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lamplighter Jack fills in for the Bert role. As with Bert in the original, he serves as our guide through the magical story (fitting that he’s a lamplighter this time around, then). The Broadway darling shines in this role, bookending the film with moving renditions of ‘Underneath the Lovely London Sky’.

Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw assume the roles of the adult Jane and Michael Banks. They remind one of their parents from the original, which feeds nicely into the themes at the heart of this outing. Michael’s kids are a trio of plucky, likable and very capable youngsters – Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson. Both grown-ups and children shine as members of a broken family dealing (and not dealing) with grief. Prepare for your heart to be warmed.

Finally, Colin Firth appears in a rare villainous role as a greedy bank manager. Dick van Dyke reprises his role of Mr Dawes Jr. And Meryl Streep appears for one song as Mary’s cousin, Topsy (is Meryl Streep in everything these days?).

Stuff and Nonsense Could Be Fun

As we have come to expect from a Poppins adventure, the story is steeped in magic and mystery as Mary helps a family heal. This time around, the issue is grief – a husband grieving for his wife, and children missing their mother. Mary swoops in just in time and takes the new Banks children on a myriad of adventures, form a bathtub romp to a music hall on a porcelain vase (yep, you read that right), getting lost in London after dark and a stunning chase to reach the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank before Big Ben strikes midnight.

Every bit as whimsical and magical as in her first outing, this film sometimes over-indulges on modern CG spectacle. While over-the-top, the use of practical effects makes these moments far more believable. They feel earned, paying homage but never copying our favourite parts of the original film.

I must admit I was sceptical about how the film would handle all this CG, especially as it is modern Disney directed by Rob Marshall. He might have proved capable with Chicago back in 2002, but in the years since he has helmed a number of forgettable, increasingly CG-heavy misfires. Can we say Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Into the Woods? Luckily, the story, performances, songs and score are strong enough to make up for any lack of directorial vision in what could easily have played like a limp Tim Burton outing a-la Dark Shadows or Alice in Wonderland.

Let’s Trip A Little Light Fantastic

There were numerous complaints about the songs in this Poppins iteration. Many people felt that the songs were nowhere near as memorable as the original’s. But let’s face it, those songs have had 50 years to firmly wedge themselves in the public consciousness. Not that I’m saying Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman’s songs will have the same longevity. But as far as a magical movie musical soundtrack, the songs are really great.

The songs manage to walk the fine line between reverence and imitation. It would be impossible to recreate the magic of the Sherman Brothers’ music. This film opts to use songs that do not call back the content as much as the style. This is old-school. And maybe that’s why it did not resonate as much with audiences. Pity, because the music is really fantastic.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s bookend song ‘Lovely London Sky’ is magical. This movie’s equivalent to ‘Step in Time’, the joyful ‘Trip a Little Light Fantastic’ is, well… fantastic. Emily Blunt gets to shine with ‘A Cover is Not the Book’ which shows a whole new cheeky side to Mary. And the winning number ‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’ perfectly captures the film’s sad undertone.

There’s Nowhere to Go but Up

I loved this movie. I was disappointed by its lukewarm reception, but as a Poppins fan, I felt it was perfect. The cast is great, the songs are great, the story is fun and the magic feels real.

Do yourself a favour and give it a watch. This review is proper late so you’ve missed it on the big screen, but the BluRay release is imminent. Pop it in. It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!