Review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) by Kevin J — 28 Dec 2018

A lively, colourful homage to the original movie, which doesn't at all sully the memory of its predecessor. The song and dance numbers look and sound fine, with orchestrations shimmering and glittering.

If the melodies and lyrics are nowhere near as accomplished and memorable as those of the Sherman Brothers, well, you can't expect miracles. (Bizarrely, my wife and I still came out humming numbers from the original!) More seriously damaging is the portrayal of Poppins.

Emily Blunt cannot balance strictness with kindness in her characterisation. Her performance seemed to me calculating and cold, and at times painful to watch. I was left wondering how much better Emily Mortimer might have played the lead instead.

(She really shines as Jane.) This is a shame, as so much of the production does work beautifully, including the entire rest of the casting. Miranda is superb. Whishaw and Firth are as reliable as you'd expect, and the three children are also excellent.

The animated sequences are pretty well done (a decent homage to former glories), and the overall story arc works well. The final 15 minutes are a particular delight, mainly for the show-stopping cameos by Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury.

(Van Dyke particularly had me reaching for my hanky.) But I have to deduct 1 1/2 stars for Blunt, and 1/2 star for the overly fussy, contrived lyrics. My wife, it's true, loved the movie unconditionally, whilst still acknowledging Blunt's miscasting, and so did our 6 year old daughter (whose favourite scene was bathtime.

) All in all, a fair and respectful sequel to an all-time classic, one which has made us all want to watch the original movie again.