When I saw "Mary Poppins" back in 1964, little did I know that 54 years later a sequel would be produced, but then again, back then I had no idea how many sequel, remakes and reboots would ever be produced to the number that they are today. Certainly waiting this long to release "Mary Poppins Returns" not only works, but makes this film fresher and a delight in every sense of the word.
In 1930's depression-era London, now an adult with three children, bank teller Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) learns that his house will be repossessed in five days unless he can pay back a loan. His only hope is to find a missing certificate that shows proof of valuable shares that his father left him years earlier. Just as all seems lost, Michael and his sister, Jane (Emily Mortimer) receive the surprise of a lifetime when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt)--the beloved nanny from their childhood--arrives to save the day and take the Banks family on a magical, fun-filled adventure with the aid of her friend Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda).
Others to round out the cast are Pixie Davies as Anabel, Nathanael Saleh as John, Joel Dawson as Georgie, Julie Walters as Ellen, Colin Firth as Wilkins, Meryl Streep as Cousin Topsy, Dick Van Dyke as Mr. Dawes Jr., Jeremy Swift as Gooding, Kobna Holbrook-Smith as Frye, David Warner as Admiral Boom, Angela Lansbury as Balloon Lady and Jim Norton as Binnacle.
This was directed by the consummate showman himself, Rob Marshall ("Chicago" '02, "Memoirs of a Geisha" '05, "Nine" '09, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" '11, "Into the Woods" '14) plus TV. Because of his impressive resume, he is basically the Broadway director of Hollywood. Through the years, he hasn't helmed a plethora of films, but those he's done have amazing quality. He simply makes his characters come alive, and the audience is given a Broadway performance that can be seen in a movie theater. If you like his brand of directing, his "The Little Mermaid" has been announced. It is equally well written by David Magee ("Finding Neverland" '04, "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" '08, "Life of Pi" '12), based on a screen story by Magee, Marshall and John DeLuca, which is based on the "Mary Poppins" stories by P.L. Travers. The transition from the last film and this one was incredibly spot on, however the only thing wrong with this is that it is just a bit long-in-the-tooth. It was just a wee bit slow in a couple of places, but otherwise it was amazing. Of course, this, as with most musicals, was made more for the production numbers and its music more than the storyline, so this didn't have to be necessarily well written to win its audience. Between the musical songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the costumes by Sandy Powell and the visuals, this was quite the enjoyable ride.
Certainly if musicals are your thing, this will be the film for you, but even if you're not, the nostalgic feel with this will definitely win you over. The songs were so well created, that you'll find yourself humming along with them. Not many musicals can say this. Grab your family and head to the multiplex, because this is one you'll want to see on the large screen in all its grandiose.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG 130mins.
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