In our continuing series on the Oscar-nominated movies, reviewer narrator26 has a look at Mary Poppins Returns.
Mary Poppins is not necessarily a film that I hold dear. The music is wonderful and Julie Andrews is a treasure, but I’ve always found it to be overly scattered and episodic in nature. For this reason, I was a little hesitant when approaching its long-awaited sequel and on reflection, I actually think it pretty much matches my opinion on the original.
Full of life, good performances and fresh, dazzling colour, Mary Poppins Returns is a charming family film. Blunt bravely takes on the title character in her own way, rather than simply imitating Andrews, which I believe works in her favour. The best of its musical numbers are joyous and emotional, while the payoff is warm and satisfying.
However, I found the second act, like the original, to be full of superfluous padding as set-pieces and random songs take the place of plot movement and storytelling for much too long, resulting in me beginning to lose interest. It’s particularly disappointing as the bookends of the film are so strong, for a while I thought I was in for something truly special.
As it is, Mary Poppins Returns is still well worth your time if you have a soft spot for the original. It plays it safe and ticks most of the boxes along the way. However, if like me, the original isn’t your favourite, I doubt you’ll come away from this one with any stronger feelings. I’ll let you deci… DON’T LISTEN TO HIM. IT’S A MAGICAL FILM THAT’S PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY. YOU WILL LAUGH AND CRY AND FEEL THINGS YOU HAVEN’T FELT IN YEARS. HE’S JUST BEING A BIG GRUMP. – Ms. Narrator.
Narrator26 is a movie reviewer and film addict, you can find more of his spoiler-free reviews on his feed here.