Director: Rob Marshall.
Cast: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, David Warner, Jim Norton, Jeremy Swift, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
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| Mary Poppins: too good for chairs. |
Fortunately Ms Poppins and her magical ways are safe in the hands of Marshall, who makes this his best film since he leapt from stage to screen with Chicago. He's ably assisted by David Magee's faithful but thankfully modern script, and a catalogue of excellent songs from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
But this would all count for nought if not for Emily Blunt, the perfect Poppins for this whimsy-filled throwback to a bygone Disney era.
This belated sequel set 25 years on finds the children of the first film - Michael (Whishaw) and Jane Banks (Mortimer) - fully grown. The recently widowed Michael has three kids of his own now (Annabel, John and Georgie) but is struggling to keep the family above water. His biggest problem is the imminent seizure of the family home due to an unpaid loan.
Enter Mary Poppins, floating in on a kite, to help light the way for the Banks family in yet another dark time.
In some ways, this is even better than the original, which has its charms but also its weaknesses. For one, Mary Poppins Returns has a much stronger plot that goes pleasingly beyond its predecessor's "learning to be a family" storyline.
The sequel's "save the family home" plot adds increased tension and drama, but also incorporates some of the diversionary goofiness of the original and makes it contribute to the story. This includes Admiral Boom, the animated sequence, and even Mary Poppins' ability to fly - instead of being entertaining oddities, these become important plot points with payoffs, which is smarter writing.
Returns is not flawless. It's too damned long, and you feel it most in a handful of the musical moments. Trip The Light Fantastic, while impressive, seems to go on forever, while a diversion to visit Mary Poppins' cousin Topsy (Streep) is okay but ultimately cuttable.
Most of the song sequences are great though, and the music and lyrics are wonderful. Particular highlights are the two tunes appearing in the classically drawn animation section - A Cover Is Not The Book and The Royal Doulton Music Hall. The first is a wonderful showcase for Miranda as lamplighter Jack, while both are key moments in a flawless turn by Blunt.
In what must have been a daunting role, Blunt absolutely nails it; not just the singing and dancing but also the subtle comedy and the quiet drama required for the performance. She heads a killer cast, with stand-outs including the three kids (Davies, Saleh and Dawson), Whishaw, and a restrained Firth in an atypical role for iconic star. The under-rated Mortimer is charming in a sadly under-utilised role, but two key cameos will warm the heart.
The film looks great, with the right mix of magic and murk. Its 2D animated sequence is particularly excellent, and overall the visuals somehow appear modern yet faithful to the original.
In fact, "modern yet faithful" pretty much sums up why this whole movie works so well. It's true to its predecessor, but it manages to find new things to say and do that don't feel out of place. I'd even go so far as to say it's better than the original in a lot of ways. And that's a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious achievement.
***
PS. A final somewhat irrelevant thought. Where was Mary Poppins when Michael Banks' wife was dying? Surely that would have been a perfect time for the supernanny to help the family she seems so connected to. Admittedly, that's probably a film too dark for Disney, but it's hard to fathom how "losing your house" compares to "losing your wife/mother-of-your-children" in terms of hour of need, which is when Poppins' supposedly appears. Anyway, just a thought. As you were.
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