A Reel Review: MARY POPPINS RETURNS

Mary Poppins. For over 50 years her name has meant a lot to the world; conjuring up memories and feelings of childhood whimsy, joyful songs, and the importance of family. Her first film in 1964 was made in simpler times, and to return her back to the big screen in 2018 meant giving her an update; to make her relevant while maintaining that magic. Such was the challenge for Disney and director Rob Marshall with MARY POPPINS RETURNS. 

Three decades after the events of the first film, Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw), is mourning the death of his wife and caring for his three children (Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson), with help from his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer). Michael has lost control of the family’s finances and is in danger of losing his family home to the ruthless bank he works for, when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) arrives just in the nick of time to look after everyone. 

The original MARY POPPINS did not have much by way of plot and went from musical number to musical number with brief story in-between. It functioned beautifully because of its charm, earnestness, and performances, but such simplicity may be not be enough for modern audiences. Seemingly aware of this, director Rob Marshall and screenwriter David Magee beefs up this MARY POPPINS tale with real-world problems, with the very house that Michael and Jane grew up in about to be seized by the bank. Toss on Michael struggling with the loss of his wife, and a sudden disconnect from his children, and despite being set in the 1930’s, RETURNS feels very much like a modern tale. 

There’s a lot more meat to the plot this time around, and in a way that’s an improvement on the original. But staying true to its roots in film and in her literary origins, MARY POPPINS RETURNS is packed full of the whimsy and charm that we would expect. There is magic aplenty, thrilling song and dance numbers, and more than enough joy to give it the feel of classic Walt Disney. Marshall also finds time to work in important themes of lost childhood memories and what it really means to be an adult, and the script gives every character an important role to fill. 

Music is an important part of any MARY POPPINS on film, and the songs and dances are beautiful in every way. From the quiet moments of The Place Where Lost Things Go to the sonic blast of The Royal Doulton Music Hall, everything is a toe-tapper and easy to sing along to. As good as the musical numbers are, there doesn’t seem to be an iconic tune in the ballpark ofLet’s Go Fly a Kite or Supercalifragilisticexpialidocous, but time will tell on that one. There are no direct reprisals of the original songs, although the soundtrack does reuse a motif or two .  The film also hangs its hat on the lore and nostalgia of MARY POPPINS, with oodles of callbacks to the original film and the novels. 

Performances are fantastic. Emily Blunt steps into the shoes of Julie Andrews, the original Mary Poppins, with ease. Blunt plays her with that cheeky prim-and-proper with a heart perfectly, and her singing and dancing abilities are incredible. Blunt is matched with Broadway actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays a lamplighter and former chimney sweep who recalls Mary’s first visit to London. Miranda is equally fantastic and has important duties to perform within the plot. The new Banks children are quite good, and Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer are both excellent. Smaller roles held down by Colin Firth and Meryl Streep are very good and keep an eye out for a few surprise cameos. 

The solution to the Banks’ problems ties right back to the original film, and the importance of one single object that we’re all familiar with is executed in a brilliant fashion. MARY POPPINS has indeed returned, coming back with an explosion of color, joy, and lessons to be learned as adults and children. Kids will love the animated sequences and the fun, and adults will be touched over the grown-up situations. Anyone who has lost someone dear, or had to say goodbye to a family home will certainly relate to this, and that sort of wide-reach makes this return practically perfect…in every way. 

BOTTOM LINE: See it