Title: MARY POPPINS RETURNS
MPAA Rating: PG
Directors: Rob Marshall
Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes
Release date: December 19th (USA)
What It Is: A sequel to the classic movie from the 1960’s set around 20 years after the original that sees Mary Poppins come back into the lives of the Banks’ children, even though they are all grown up now.
What We Think: Musicals are not the type of movie that I normally go out of my way to see, but this was one of the rare exceptions for that. That being said it’s definitely a fun movie in the typical mode of a Disney musical, complete with new songs from the main cast, which is to be expected when you have Miranda in a lead role and former Oscar winning director for CHICAGO Rob Marshall at the helm. The score Marc Shaiman is terrific as well (as should be expected from a multiple award winner).
Emily Blunt was “perfectly perfect in every way” taking over the role from the legendary Julie Andrews (which is no easy feat). The rest of the main cast did equally as well in my opinion including Miranda who had multiple songs throughout the movie. Colin Firth as the antagonist of the Banks’ was a great “villain”, and Whishaw and Mortimer as the grown up Banks’ children helped the movie go by at a good pace.
The child actors did a great job in their supporting roles, and seeing veteran actors including Angela Landsbury, Meryl Streep, and the incomparable Dick Van Dyke (who still has it at age 92) was great.
For a movie that runs just over 2 hours, it goes by at a good pace with the musical numbers and the choreography (including a scene with bicycles riding through the streets of London) was terrific.
Our Grade:3.75/5
