Review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) by Dejans_Jules — 31 Dec 2018

Julie Andrews is my favorite musical actress, and my favorite movie since childhood has been "Mary Poppins", so I went to see this film with quite a skeptical eye. I had read many, many critical reviews and was prepared for complete disappointment; so much so that we almost decided not to go, but in the end we decided to give it a try.

We gave a caveat to our children that they might not enjoy it, and a bare bones plot explanation, and headed to the theater. First, regarding the audience, though. There was a very broad age spectrum of viewers, and we were among the few with young children, which was a surprise.

The film itself cannot, nor do I think it ever will, equal the original film by Walt Disney. However, all of us coming out at the end were actually impressed and pleased. The music is tied nicely to the first film with occasional themes sprinkled in, and the music style is also reminiscent of the original, as well as the basic structure of the story.

We purchased the soundtrack immediately, and I am appreciating it more the more we listen to it. Having been exposed to the Mary Poppins book by P.L. Travers, I will say that Emily Blunt is definitely a bit more like the book character, but she retains some of the sentimentality of Andrews' Mary persona.

She had such a tall order to meet in filling the role that Julie Andrews made a classic. But I rather ended up liking her version as well. Jack is a favorite in this film for me. There are a few parts of Mary Poppins Returns that seem rather slow moving, and I would have to see it again to understand why that is, but the story is good quality in my opinion.

There are also a few annoying lines or interpretations of the script here and there, but they are very small. One thing I really appreciated was the aspect of the children experiencing some natural disappointment of their hopes regarding their bowl and helping their father.

It is quite true to real life and is not sugar-coated fantasy, even though Mary Poppins is of course an impossibly fantastical character. There is good development of the characters in the film without it being chintzy or too forced.

Quite unlike the original, however, the plot has a sort or circular, tied-in engineering. Jack is like the ribbon that holds it all together, and Mary Poppins portends the answers to the Banks' problems like a sort of clairvoyant revealing bits and pieces as the film progresses.

In classic Mary Poppins fashion, though, she brings the family to discover their own answers. One note of caution to viewers with young children, there is a suspenseful scene involving the youngest Banks boy which they may find scary.

It is somewhat akin to the animated 101 Dalmatians car chase with Cruella DeVille, but it does figure into the plot as a sort of linchpin (no pun intended). The original story has almost no suspense and no major villain, whereas Mary Poppins Returns does, but it is also fitting with the time period in which it is set.

Overall, I disagree with critical reviewers because this film needs to stand on its own two feet, and I feel that it does, musically and in casting and acting, singing and score. I also disagree with glowing reviewers because this film is not classic and there are some noticeable gaps.

But it is very good. Much better than Frozen or Tangled or other recent ("original") Disney releases, again, in my opinion, and with a much better set of take-away messages or lessons. We will most likely be purchasing it when it is released on DVD.

If you expect it to be different and go with an eye to appreciate it for its own sake, then perhaps you, too, will be pleasantly surprised and enjoy Mary Poppins Returns.