Review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) by John M — 06 Jan 2019

For the musical fans. Many years have passed since Mary Poppins first visited. The children she once nurtured are now adults with children of their own. They've stumbled upon some hard times, and much like the Room of Requirement, she reappears because she is needed.

Now I don't have all that much attachment for the original, only the foggiest of recollections of having watched it when I was a very small child, but I still thought that the trailers to this looked terrific, so this made my list of most hotly anticipated movies for year end.

When Christmas finally rolled around and this got released, I had to go check it out at my earliest opportunity. I did not leave the theater a disappointed man. Now the most noteworthy thing I have to say about this movie is that it stirred nostalgia within me that I didn't even know existed.

To be perfectly frank, I don't have any memory of the original other than the lyrics and pitter-patter of the most iconic musical numbers, so I loved the fact that this made me realize I was actually missing this character.

Emily Blunt is absolutely the standout in this movie, and she is fantastic. You can tell that she wanted to be in this role with a passion, and whenever she is onscreen, she commands your attention, and rightfully so.

It is undoubtedly her movie, as her name is in the title, but I do wish she was in it just a bit more. Her presence is felt for the first two thirds of the film, but she has far less to do when all of the plot threads are being tied up.

This is a musical that is special because it leaves you believing that anything is possible. It does capture that wonder and spectacle, which is why so many of us go to the movies. I can't really recall any specific lyrics to songs, which is really the telltale sign between type A and type B of musicals, but I do distinctly remember number with a balloons, or the number with the street lamps, or the number in the bathtub.

To really push it over to that next level, this would need to have something that you walk away singing, or at the very least humming. Still, if musicals are your thing, I think that you should check this out in a theater, as it will do nothing but brighten your day.