Review: Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Sometimes you walk out of a movie filled with happiness, a kind of effervescent joy that only a truly great cinematic experience can bring.  You might be the only one to experience the sensation, but the giddiness that leaves with you is something you remember years later.

Mary Poppins Returns had me leave the theatre in this way.  The joy - there really isn't another word for it - this movie gave me was something desperately needed.  From the opening bars of '(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky' until the end credits, there is a bubbly jubilation in every frame of the movie.

The main question most will have will be how it compares to the original.  And it compares well!  Emily Blunt gives a stellar turn as the titular Mary, complimenting Julie Andrews' performance from the original.  The movie follows the same basic format as the original - with perhaps a tad more focus on the parents this time around - but still stands as its own movie.  The movie doesn't have a true standout song like 'Feed the Birds,' but how many songs are going to be at that level, in general?

'A Cover is Not the Book' in particular is a great number, and the visuals accompanying it are a highlight of the film.  'The Place Where Lost Things Go' and 'Trip a Little Light Fantastic' are also immensely enjoyable.  The only song I didn't care for (though I imagine others will quite enjoy it) was 'Turning Turtle' - and that had more to do with lost potential with the set piece used during the number.

The performances are all good - the children do well, Blunt is fantastic, Lin-Manual Miranda is a hoot, and Emily Mortimer and Ben Whishaw do great work as the adult Banks children.  In fact, Whishaw gives perhaps the film's best performance - the most serious parts of the movie rely on him and he ably carries them while still maintaining the overall lightness of the film.

Revisiting several famous setpieces from the original hits all the nostalgia spots you expect them to, but the movie doesn't idle on them.  There are new places to visit and the film happily wanders through them.  It also pays homage to the original costumes but does several new and lovely things in this one.

A great movie, one that I will probably see again.  And now to buy the soundtrack...

9 out of 10