Trip A Little Light Fantastic

Source: Mary Poppins Returns (2018) (imdb.com)

Another one that has been a while coming. Like A Star Is Born, this is a film that was released last year, last Christmas in fact, but I didn't get a chance to see it. However, as it is now out on DVD etc, so think of this as a celebration of that. Last night, I went round to my best friend Hannah's house, to watch Mary Poppins Returns, the much anticipated sequel to the original 1964 Disney masterpiece - in fact, it is SUCH a masterpiece, they made a film about the MAKING of the film, Saving Mr Banks (actually a good film in its own right, you should really check it out!). 

These couple of years are being particularly kind to the magical nanny, as the stage adaptation is returning to the West End in the Autumn, starring Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp (Half A Sixpence) as Mary and Bert.

So yeah, sorry for the delay if anyone was expecting this one - I did say I'd write it up once I saw it though.... In the gap, it has managed to bag itself 4 Oscar nominations including for Best Original Score and Original Song for The Place Where The Lost Things Go, as well as 3 BAFTA nominations, 4 Golden Globe nominations and more!

I'd heard mixed reviews on this one - some say it's a perfect sequel to the classic that brings back all the magic and wonder. Others panned it!! I can kinda see both points of view...

The film was directed by Rob Marshall (who also directed Into The Woods and Chicago), so he knows how to direct a movie musical, and it shows. It looks visually stunning, from how London looks, to the animated world of the china pot and more. And yes, like the original, they bring back an animated world, filled with plenty of hand-drawn animated animals (PLEASE bring this back into mainstream animation!!) - including penguins!

What it also has going for it is that the cast is great! Leading the cast are Marshall's Into The Woods co-lead Emily Blunt as the titular nanny, and all-round genius Lin Manuel-Miranda as lamplighter Jack, both of whom have their own charm and wit. Blunt had the hardest job of all in the cast, in following the timeless Julie Andrews. For Miranda, his cockney may not be as painful as Dick Van Dyke's but still wasn't the best.

The co-stars are just as starry: from Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again co-stars Meryl Streep, Julie Walters and Colin Firth, to Paddington's Ben Whishaw and 2019 Olivier Winning Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), to very special appearances by Angela Lansbury and Van Dyke (NOT playing an older Bert, don't get TOO excited!).

In this new story, we follow a now-grown-up Jane and Michael Banks (played by Emily Mortimer and Whishaw) and Michael's 3 young children. It is the Great Depression and the family home, 17 Cherry Tree Lane, is about to be repossessed by the bank. That's when Mary Poppins shows up, to show that everything is possible, even the impossible.

 Sounds great so far - and yes, I think it even holds some of the magic for a new generation. But is it on par with the original? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

In fact, I think the biggest problem with the film is that it knows that it is in the other film's shadow. Poor Rob Marshall tried so hard to keep as much of the magic, wonder and heart of the first film, he accidentally made almost the same film, just set a couple of decades later?
Ok, you can argue that it's just life - children grow up and forget "childish nonsense" like Michael did, but you can't deny this: family in crisis, the children who say they don't need a nanny but won over immediately by A Spoonful Of Sugar (or in this one, a dolphin in the bath...!), the mum/now-aunt playing the activist, the stressed and stiff-upper-lip father, the list goes on.

The biggest change to the film is probably the new ship (no I don't mean a boat!). Forget Mary and Bert, the new OTP comes in Jane and Jack - who were actually rather cute in the few scenes they had together....

I'm not going to end it on a bad note though, so I'm going to make my final point concerning the songs. While they may not be Sherman Bros. standard, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman did write a few enjoyable tunes. They're catchy too. I haven't been able to get A Cover Is Not The Book out of my head all day!!

Onto my recommendation - if you have kids, it's a no brainer, they'll lap it all up in 2 seconds flat! For anyone else, it wholly depends. I recommend though coming into it with few expectations, like I did, because then you should hopefully be surprised. If you're expecting something on the same level as the original, you're going to be disappointed.

Compared to the original, it'll be no more than a shadow. But on its own, Mary Poppins Returns is a fun family film which still holds some colour, wonder and charm.