Now the original Mary Poppins was never my favorite Disney movie.  I didn’t grow up with it, so I ended up watching it during my phase where most Disney things I automatically disliked, which is ironic because I loved Saving Mr. Banks at the time (and still do).  But I can appreciate what the original did for animation and for Disney, even if it is not my cup of tea.  That being said however, I enjoyed Mary Poppins Returns immensely, even if my expectations were not overly high going in.  It is not a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is fantastically fun to watch.  The visuals and animation are practically perfect in every way, with the china bowl scenes being the most impressive.  The musical numbers are wonderful and energetic, not quite as catchy as the originals, but charming and enjoyable.  Can You Imagine That, A Cover Is Not the Book, Trip a Little Light Fantastic, and Nowhere to Go But Up stand out in particular as the most boisterous and imaginative, and they all brought a smile to my typically expressionless face.  Meryl Streep’s song Turning Turtle would have possibly made that list, as the song itself is great, and its set piece holds a lot of promise, but the storyline with Cousin Topsy led nowhere (they didn’t even get the bowl back) and they didn’t quite do enough with the entire room turning upside down as they could and should have.  Her entire appearance was underwhelming to say the least.  The great majority of the songs don’t particularly coincide with the story that the movie is telling, and they come across like it was an idea they wanted to do, but couldn’t quite link with the story, and then they put it in anyway, but Turning Turtle is the most distracting of which.  I didn’t mind it too much, however, as most of them are quite fun and harken back to the classic period of Broadway and movie musicals in a new, visually dazzling way.

The story in Mary Poppins Returns is nothing to ride home about.  Michael Banks, played by Ben Whishaw, is now a widower, his house is about to be repossessed by the bank, and everyone is trying to find a way to save it while a conniving banker twirls his mustache as he revels in his villainy.  The bits about Michael dealing with the death of his wife are easily the best parts, with his subdued number, A Conversation, and when he confronts his children about his inability to do everything alone.  I didn’t expect this movie to really hit any emotional beats, but seeing Michael break down in front of his children was truly a beautiful bit of acting on Whishaw’s part, even if it’s mostly downhill from there.  The climax of the story where the lamplighters were climbing up to Big Ben was the worst part of it all, mostly because its just a tad too ridiculous even for Mary Poppins, and it all could have been avoided if Mary Poppins had simply flown up to the clock like she did at the end.  The scene with Jane and Michael attempting to get the certificate to Wilkins, played by Colin Firth, was just as lacking, and it was obvious as soon as Georgie took his father’s drawing in the beginning that it was going to be the certificate they needed.  Jack, one of the lamplighters and the blatant Burt character, played by Lin Manuel Miranda, just sort of shows up whenever he’s needed to take part in a dance number or take Mary Poppins and the kids someplace, but he’s charismatic and charming nonetheless, and his relationship with Mary Poppins is a breath of fresh air full of adults who don’t believe in magic.  Speaking of Mary Poppins, Emily Blunt does wonderfully as the titular character.  Her portrayal was cool and calculated, but she wasn’t afraid to be a bit over the top at times, and the magical sequences that she created were bursting with colorful spectacle.  It’s hard to imagine anyone but her playing a modern Mary Poppins.  Dick van Dyke’s and Angela Lansbury’s cameos were heartwarming, although Dyke’s deus ex machina at the end with Michael’s tuppence and his entire appearance was a letdown, even if he hasn’t skipped a beat with his dancing skills.  The only weak link in the cast, which pains me to say, was Colin Firth, whose character and villainy was so bland and weak that even a talented actor like Firth couldn’t save it, who is so well-loved and charismatic that he couldn’t pull off the greedy capitalist.  It also most certainly doesn’t help that the characterization for Wilkins is quite terrible.  Overall, the storyline is largely forgettable and does harm the overall quality of the movie, but not egregiously so.

The similarities to the original Mary Poppins are undeniable and in plain sight.  Most of the musical numbers are callbacks to ones in the original, as are many set pieces.  The story is not overly interesting apart from Michael dealing with his wife’s passing, and the children’s plot line seems mostly to be an excuse for Mary Poppins to work her magic and show off.  The miscast Colin Firth was boring and forgettable, as was much of the narrative.  Yet, Mary Poppins Returns still brought a smile to my face with its fantastic visuals, wonderful songs, and it’s own spoonful of new magic.

7.5/10