'Mary Poppins Returns' - A Movie Review

Mary Poppins Returns was a spectacular sequel to the hit 1964 cult classic Mary Poppins. I was impressed with the film from its wonderful acting, the catchy songs, and even dancing along with the famous penguins. However, it is not practically perfect in every way.

Mary Poppins Returns reunites the lives of Michael and Jane Banks. They are now grown up living their own lives in midst of the Great Depression. With the passing of his wife, Michael is now looking after his three children. And if things couldn’t get worse, the house is about to be foreclosed. With the return of an important figure adventures begin.

The film was most definitely a callback to everyone’s childhood. My cheeks even hurt from smiling. I remember watching Mary Poppins when I was a little girl. At that time I didn’t cherish it like I do now. That’s the funny thing about life. You never realize how important the little things are until you’re grown up and living your own life.

Emily Blunt stars as Mary Poppins. She did a terrific job! The role of Mary Poppins are tough shoes to fill. Especially when it’s a sequel after fifty four years. Blunt gave Mary Poppins her own interpretation. However, Blunt’s vision of Mary Poppins wasn’t so warm. Mary comes off as rude, dismissive and, no pun intended, blunt.

The film also stars the very talented Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack the lamplighter. There were times where I enjoyed Miranda’s performance more than Blunt’s. He is spry, energetic, and he keeps the movie going. Similar to the original. He was a former apprentice to Bert who believed the stories of Mary Poppins. One of the best messages from this film is to never let your inner child go.

Blunt and Manuel perform a dazzling number together. The music is absolutely splendid! Songs include "Can You Imagine That," "Trip a Little Light and Fantastic," and my most favorite, "A Cover is Not a Book." Movies exist to portray the unimaginable.

Starring in the roles of Michael’s three children, Annabelle, John and Georgie, Pixie Davies, Nathaniel Salah, and Joel Dawson all do a remarkable job of capturing imagination.

Child actors need to be given more credit. Acting is a tough job. Believe me, I’ve been acting on stage for years now. It’s fun getting to play someone else for a few hours but getting into is also tough.

Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer perform as Michael and Jane Banks. I do wish they could have had more involvement in the story. They are trying to scavenge for needed papers that bank needs.

Mary Poppins Returns brings out imagination for any ages. Audiences are taken on three different live action/animated adventures. The best scene of all is when they’re inside the world of a china bowl.

Nowadays it's rare when you see live action interacting with the cartoon world. Speaking of which the animation sequences were all hand drawn! I love to study animation. Hand drawing is my favorite and the imagination sequences actually lived up to the original. The animated sequences combined with live action was beyond its time in the original. Films create new and different techniques for audiences every day.

The movie stars a few memorable cameos. Meryl Streep appears in her upside down turtle house. She also pulls off yet another convincing, and funny, accent. A few more familiar faces appear on screen! I cannot give them away because they end up being the heart of the film.

Mary Poppins Returns is a beautiful film. A few sequences tended to drag on a little too long. And I feel that it copied too much from the original. It’s the same adventures only with different children. It lost some of its magic. It is still an enjoyable film that bring back a powerful character and enriching story.