Review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) by Marc T — 09 Jan 2019
Enter with reasonable expectations. Although a sequel, this would be fruitless trying to compare it to the beloved 1964 classic. Be that as it may, it stands as a perfectly enchanting fantasy on its own right.
Pays homage to the original while managing to spin enough magic with this cast and narrative. Emily Blunt offers a take on Mary that differs from the warmth and charm of Andrews, but that is hardly a distraction as it hews closer to the character as presented in the original novels (which is supposedly the launching pad for this film).
Magnificent visuals and solid direction make this Rob Marshall's finest work to date. The most frequent and most superfluous of the criticisms seems to be that the songs were forgettable and couldn't hold a candle to the original tunes.
What these experts don't realize is that music is highly complex of patterns where familiarity breeds likability. The original Sherman score has had 54 years to burrow itself into the ear of pop culture - obviously, songs you just heard can't hold a candle to that simply by virtue of longevity.
Time will be the judge on these new tunes. And, these geniuses who claim there's "too much singing" or songs that don't add to the story clearly shouldn't be critiquing musicals.
Bit parts from Meryl Streep, the legendary Dick Van Dyke, and the charming Angela Lansbury make this a delightful entry in Disney's live-action cannon with enough heart and poignant sentiment to please age 8 through 80.
This review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) was written by Marc T on 09 Jan 2019.
Mary Poppins Returns has generally received positive reviews.
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