Review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) by Joshocom — 20 Dec 2018

My wife, my 13-year-old daughter, and I went to Mary Poppins with guarded excitement. We'd read enough reviews to be wary that this was not going to be as enchanting as the first Mary Poppins. But we were surprised -- in a very positive way.

I'm as big a fan of the original as you'll find; it was a substantial influence on my life when it came out (I wanted to grow up to be Dick Van Dyke). So I was especially doubtful. We had purchased the soundtrack, which was released a couple of weeks before the movie, so we were already familiar with the songs -- and really found several of them to be nearly as memorable as some of the Sherman brothers' songs -- particularly "Nowhere to Go But Up" and "A Cover is Not the Book." So we already liked the music.

Well, the movie was enchanting. I sat there was a big silly grin on my face for most of it; my wife sobbed at several points, and my daughter squeezed my hand repeatedly and actually cried at the end (which is unusual for her; she tends not to lose it at emotional endings). We left singing the songs, and absolutely thrilled with Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda. I was also incredibly impressed with the kids and with Ben Wishaw...and of course it was so uplifting to see Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury still in form.

If I had one criticism, it was that the plot setup seemed rush and workmanlike. I could have stood a little more character development before the heavies moved in. But that's a small quibble in what was otherwise a transporting film that I recommend wholeheartedly, especially for families and those who can abandon their cynicism temporarily and give themselves over to the fantasy.