Review of Mary Poppins (1964) by Gamzguy17 — 21 Aug 2021

Over 50 years later, "Mary Poppins" continues to be a childhood defining film for many people and it contains memorable scenes that will stick with them for the rest of their lives. Sadly, upon re-watching this film again as an adult, there are two big problems that undermine this classic Disney musical.

First, the film has a pace that is a bit too slow. The runtime of the film is noticeably too long for what it is and therefore, spending less time holding onto some of the scenes would have been beneficiary for the viewing experience.

Second, I really do not like the film's message and definition for what makes a perfect person. The word 'Perfect' is one without a definition. It is a loose and open word, just like the word 'normal', meaning that both words are interpreted as something completely different between one person to another.

The film tries to nail home a definition for 'perfect' by constantly stroking the ego of its titular character, who herself gleefully enjoys every single compliment made to her, even when she is being strict.

Gag me. Kids will need to take the film's message with a grain of salt and treat it more as a referential life lesson, NOT as a set-in-stone message. Despite those two nagging issues, I can't deny the rest of the work that was put into the film.

The music/score, the songs, the vocal performances (most notably Julie Andrews), the visuals, the dance choreography, the animation, and just the sheer eccentricity of the film are all exceptional. They all work in tandem to create a road trip musical that manages to put a smile onto my face more than once and it reminds us all about the whimsical, magical moments we had when we were children.

Those moments stemmed from the days we used our imaginations to create fantastical adventures of our own...and still do! Disney has too many great moments to count from its rich filmography and this film is home to a few of those moments.

With that said, its slow pace and obnoxious presentation of a flawed message keep it from being a great film, but at least a good one.