Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

[irisheyes]

Saw it today with my 7 year old.  She was literally dancing in her seat.  (Thankfully, there was no one in our row or the one in front of us. 😀). I loved it.  I had heard Dick van Dyke was doing a cameo, but clearly, I missed the trailer, since I had NO idea that Angela Lansbury would be in it. I just might have teared up.  Julie Andrews would have been perfect in that role, but I understand why she said no.  Loved Lin, though his accent struggled.  (And, really, how many Puerto Rican lamplighters with a Cockney accent were there in Depression era London?  😂)

[Notwisconsin]

On 9/20/2018 at 5:10 AM, voiceover said:

And why must Meryl Streep be in every. Fucking. Movie??

The law, back during the late '90s/early 2000s, someone earmarked it onto  a Defense appropriation bill.

[Notwisconsin]

While the songs were okay (yet forgettable) and the cast was wonderful and the animation (it really saddens me that they had to go to an outside body to do the 2d stuff) top notch, I was really disappointed in the script mostly due to the idiot plotting. Granted, if Michael wasn't such a moron, the plot (oh, I forgot to put my -ultra valuable stock certificate in the safe deposit box so my little kid could cut it up and use it to repair a kite) there wouldn't have been a plot. Also, it might have been better if we knew WHY Colin Firth's character wanted to kick the Bankses out of their home. I know..."It's for children!!!!" but that doesn't mean that the plot doesn't have to make sense.

[Raja]

49 minutes ago, Notwisconsin said:

 Also, it might have been better if we knew WHY Colin Firth's character wanted to kick the Bankses out of their home. I know..."It's for children!!!!" but that doesn't mean that the plot doesn't have to make sense.

That's simple more money for the bank as they rent or sell the house. To go as far as destroying all Banks Family records however but then keep his word on the last ring of midnight was strange 

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, Notwisconsin said:

Also, it might have been better if we knew WHY Colin Firth's character wanted to kick the Bankses out of their home. I know..."It's for children!!!!" but that doesn't mean that the plot doesn't have to make sense.

I thought that was explained, calling in the loan and collecting the collateral made money for the Bank (renting, selling the home). Considering he was doing it all over the place,19 foreclosure for the month and, they already had 19 more lined up for the next week. 

What I thought was too simplistic was showing Colin Firth as the villain in the very first scene (tearing out the Banks' Record of Stock Ownership) and then proceeding to have the Evil Cartoon Wolf and his 2 henchmen stealing from the Banks Children's Bedroom. I think the whole revelation would have worked better if they kept Colin Further has the "nice guy" in his first scene.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[SmithW6079]

I saw this today (well, I missed the first 30 minutes, but I read about the movie beforehand, so I knew the set-up).

I quite enjoyed it. I thought Emily Blunt did a fantastic job as Mary Poppins, and the Banks kids (the children) were terrific (the older Michael and Jane not so much).

Great effects -- I especially liked the chase scene in the bowl, and visually the movie is bright and stunning. 

Having said that, there's not one song that stuck with me (in terms of melody or lyrics). In fact, I came out singing songs from the original "Mary Poppins."

The dancehall number about books was obviously geared for Lin-Manual Miranda's talents, and the lamplighters' number had modern elements to it (the bicycles going up and down half  pipes).

I was actually quite surprised that the book cover song got as risque as it did. Mary Poppins was always so proper; she wouldn't be singing bawdy numbers in a dancehall.

[Minneapple]

We saw this last night (thank you Christmas Eve from Muslims who got the theater to themselves!) and I pretty much agree with the other reviews. A fun movie, great effects and visuals, but some of it didn't make sense (like, why didn't Mary Poppins just fly up to the clock to start with?). The songs were good but not nearly as memorable as the songs from the original movie. 

I really liked the child actors. They held their own with Lin-Manuel and Emily.

[morakot]

On ‎12‎/‎23‎/‎2018 at 12:16 PM, Notwisconsin said:

Granted, if Michael wasn't such a moron, the plot (oh, I forgot to put my -ultra valuable stock certificate in the safe deposit box so my little kid could cut it up and use it to repair a kite) there wouldn't have been a plot.

If Michael wasn't such a moron, he wouldn't have drawn a portrait of the family on the back of an ultra-valuable stock certificate and then throw it away...

[rmontro]

On 12/24/2018 at 11:08 PM, SmithW6079 said:

Having said that, there's not one song that stuck with me (in terms of melody or lyrics). In fact, I came out singing songs from the original "Mary Poppins.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but this seems to be a common theme among the comments.  I've also heard snippets of the songs on TV and previews.  

Makes me think they should have gotten Lin Manuel-Miranda's help on a few tunes, like I suggested back on page one.

[JessePinkman]

On 12/23/2018 at 4:30 PM, Morrigan2575 said:

What I thought was too simplistic was showing Colin Firth as the villain in the very first scene (tearing out the Banks' Record of Stock Ownership) and then proceeding to have the Evil Cartoon Wolf and his 2 henchmen stealing from the Banks Children's Bedroom. I think the whole revelation would have worked better if they kept Colin Further has the "nice guy" in his first scene.

If this were a Pixar movie they would have.

This movie was so purposely joyful that it left me sort of numb. It was very "Oh we're onto another song. A homage? How original. More unnecessary CGI."

I thought Ben Whishaw brought real pathos to Michael. The scene in the attic with him singing about his wife was incredibly sad. I wish the aftermath of her death had been a more pronounced through line in the movie. I'd like it if Michael had seemed more lost than he was as opposed to just exhausted and exasperated. It could have made his turn around by the end more satisfying.

Also it's kind of dark that this semi-sweet women comes into the lives of these children who recently lost their mother and then leaves them so abruptly. I feel for the kids. Is that how Mary leaves in the first one? She just goes away, no goodbye to the kids? I think they could have made a great song out of that.

My audience cheered when Dick van Dyke showed up, so did I. I love that man. He's got charm to spare and honestly was the brightest spot in the whole endeavor. Him and Angela Lansbury hold such dear places in my heart, so it was fantastic to see them on the big screen for the first time for me personally.

[rwlevin]

On ‎12‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 5:00 PM, Browncoat said:

Michael retrieves his tuppence from Mr. Dawes, and in the sequel, Mr. Dawes says the account Michael started with the tuppence has compounded enough interest to save their house.

Actually, this isn't an error. My husband and I watched the original Monday night before seeing Mary Poppins Returns on Tuesday. After they all go home from causing chaos at the bank and, you know, dancing with the chimney sweeps, Michael apologizes to his dad for getting him in trouble and gives him the tuppence. They don't show him giving the tuppence back to the bank, but it can pretty much be inferred that that's what he does, especially after he gets rehired.

[snickers]

I saw this on opening night, my theater was only half filled, so to hear this came in second to aquaman was not surprising

 

I enjoyed it, didn't think a sequel was necessary but since the House of Mouse is all about making money now (and I'm a huge Disney fan) I thought visually it was very, very good....that animation scene i loved since they don't do traditional animation anymore....and those outfits in that scene were great! and the dance sequence with the lamp posts, at first I thought they were fake....when they started moving, i was like, wow

 

but-the music...was very, very, very underwhelming....it doesn't hold a candle to the original and i know the original is a tall order, but i thought at least 1 song would be great...nope

 

no wonder it's hardly getting any best original song nominations and "Shallow" will sweep

 

I was also kinda disappointed in Lin Manuel Miranda, but Blunt was excellent as Poppins and really held her own

Edited December 27, 2018 by snickers

[Cherpumple]

I thought this was a very sweet movie, and smiled through much of it. I love Emily Blunt's portrayal of Mary and think Lin-Manuel is a big ball of sunshine, so I loved his little subplot with Jane.

Like most of you, I enjoyed the music, but nothing really stayed with me after I left the theater. But this isn't unusual for me; it often takes more than one viewing for me to really remember specifics. I liked the dancehall song, but the verses were sung so quickly, especially Lin-Manuel's, that I barely caught any of the words. The only part that really fell flat for me was the scene with Meryl Streep. It seemed very disconnected from the rest of the story.

I loved seeing Dick Van Dyke, and greatly appreciated that they spelled his name as an anagram in the closing credits, just like in the original movie.

For those who missed it, the original Jane (Karen Dotrice) makes a brief cameo about midway through. She's a well-dressed older woman who walks past the house and bumps into Jack briefly before continuing on. It made me very happy!

[Ceindreadh]

On 27/12/2018 at 4:08 AM, rwlevin said:

Actually, this isn't an error. My husband and I watched the original Monday night before seeing Mary Poppins Returns on Tuesday. After they all go home from causing chaos at the bank and, you know, dancing with the chimney sweeps, Michael apologizes to his dad for getting him in trouble and gives him the tuppence. They don't show him giving the tuppence back to the bank, but it can pretty much be inferred that that's what he does, especially after he gets rehired.

I got the impression that Mr Dawes junior was lying about the value of the tuppence. (25 years to grow to more than a years salary?). And that he was just trying to do the right thing after Colin Firth’s character had tried to screw them over. (And a banker trying to do the right thing is definitely the most implausible thing in the movie!)

[Captain Carrot]

On 12/28/2018 at 4:33 PM, Ceindreadh said:

I got the impression that Mr Dawes junior was lying about the value of the tuppence. (25 years to grow to more than a years salary?). And that he was just trying to do the right thing after Colin Firth’s character had tried to screw them over. (And a banker trying to do the right thing is definitely the most implausible thing in the movie!)

I did too, so I checked the original. He was fired, walked out of the bank, and shows up the next morning after repairing the kite. The kids ask how he managed to fix the kite, and the Let's Go Fly a Kite song starts, "With tuppence for paper and strings You can have your own set of wings" implying that he spent the tuppence to repair the kite.

Maybe he started the account later on, but I definitely think Mr. Dawes Jr was lying. I think he did it partly to make up for his nephew, but I also think Mr. Dawes Jr had a happier life because of the events of the first movie. And this was his way of thanking Michael for his part in that.

[Shannon L.]

I saw this yesterday and thought it was visually stunning and enjoyed most of the musical sequences, although I agree that they weren't as memorable as the songs from the original.  I loved Emily Blunt and agree with @Cherpumple that Lin-Manuel is a big ball of sunshine and smiled when they had him flirting with Jane.  I was rooting for them.

On 12/24/2018 at 8:08 PM, SmithW6079 said:

The dancehall number about books was obviously geared for Lin-Manual Miranda's talents, and the lamplighters' number had modern elements to it (the bicycles going up and down half  pipes).

Those were my two favorite songs and sequences.

On 12/26/2018 at 7:04 PM, JessePinkman said:

I thought Ben Whishaw brought real pathos to Michael. The scene in the attic with him singing about his wife was incredibly sad. I wish the aftermath of her death had been a more pronounced through line in the movie. I'd like it if Michael had seemed more lost than he was as opposed to just exhausted and exasperated. It could have made his turn around by the end more satisfying.

Also it's kind of dark that this semi-sweet women comes into the lives of these children who recently lost their mother and then leaves them so abruptly. I feel for the kids. Is that how Mary leaves in the first one? She just goes away, no goodbye to the kids? I think they could have made a great song out of that.

I agree that Ben Whishaw was great, but I had a hard time with him since he looks so young that I just saw a teenager using a bad fake mustache in an effort to look older.  I also came out wondering wtf with Mary leaving without saying good bye.

Edited December 30, 2018 by Shannon L.

[Sarah 103]

On 12/19/2018 at 5:00 PM, Browncoat said:

Just got back from this one, and it was fine. I tried very hard not to compare with the first one, but it was extremely difficult, as I love that one so much, but I felt like this one was trying just a little too hard to be magical.  For example, they take a broken bowl to be fixed by Mary's cousin Topsy -- this parallels the "I Love To Laugh" scene with Uncle Albert from the first one, but then we never get the bowl back.  Was it fixed? 

If memory serves correct, cousin Topsy said to return in a week or two to pick it up after she had fixed it. 

[Tanichka]

Will never understand why this was remade.  First one was painful, maybe because Julie Andrews has always made me want to slap her in the face.  I suppose this one is directed toward the pre-teen crowd.  

[Caia]

Quote

 

Quote

I got the impression that Mr Dawes junior was lying about the value of the tuppence. (25 years to grow to more than a years salary?). And that he was just trying to do the right thing after Colin Firth’s character had tried to screw them over. (And a banker trying to do the right thing is definitely the most implausible thing in the movie!)

I did too, so I checked the original. He was fired, walked out of the bank, and shows up the next morning after repairing the kite.

 

During the scene where George is dismissed, he tells the bankers the 'Wooden leg named Smith' joke and puts the tuppence into Mr. Dawes Sr.'s hand before he leaves.  So, while I doubt tuppence would have appreciated enough to pay off a bank loan 25 years later, it's not a mistake or a fib.   It's a good thing the Dawes side of the family are scrupulously honest.

 

I had a similar opinion to others about Mary Poppins Returns.  To me it was just a derivation of the original.  'Clean up the Nursery Song' becomes 'Clean up the Children Song.'  Uncle Albert becomes Cousin Topsy.  Popping into the Street Painting becomes Popping into the Painted Bowl.  Trip to the Bank.  Chimney Sweeps are Lamplighters now.  Kites are balloons.  

For all they claim it's not a remake because there are eight other books they really just remade the movie.  Maybe that's how they got around P.L. Travers interdiction. 

[Anela]

On 12/24/2018 at 11:08 PM, SmithW6079 said:

I saw this today (well, I missed the first 30 minutes, but I read about the movie beforehand, so I knew the set-up).

I quite enjoyed it. I thought Emily Blunt did a fantastic job as Mary Poppins, and the Banks kids (the children) were terrific (the older Michael and Jane not so much).

Great effects -- I especially liked the chase scene in the bowl, and visually the movie is bright and stunning. 

Having said that, there's not one song that stuck with me (in terms of melody or lyrics). In fact, I came out singing songs from the original "Mary Poppins."

The dancehall number about books was obviously geared for Lin-Manual Miranda's talents, and the lamplighters' number had modern elements to it (the bicycles going up and down half  pipes).

I was actually quite surprised that the book cover song got as risque as it did. Mary Poppins was always so proper; she wouldn't be singing bawdy numbers in a dancehall.

I saw this tonight, and thought that one song was really saucy, for what is pretty much a kid's movie (Disney). I thought Emily Blunt was fantastic, too. 

On 12/25/2018 at 11:21 AM, Minneapple said:

We saw this last night (thank you Christmas Eve from Muslims who got the theater to themselves!) and I pretty much agree with the other reviews. A fun movie, great effects and visuals, but some of it didn't make sense (like, why didn't Mary Poppins just fly up to the clock to start with?). The songs were good but not nearly as memorable as the songs from the original movie. 

I really liked the child actors. They held their own with Lin-Manuel and Emily.

I also wondered why Mary didn't just fly up to the clock in the first place. I was cringing when they had those men climbing so high, and then being bounced up to the clock face.

I did like the one song that Mary sang when the children had their nightmare, but I also cried. I lost my mum in 2016, and I'm an adult, but I was stifling sobs during that one.

On 12/26/2018 at 10:04 PM, JessePinkman said:

If this were a Pixar movie they would have.

This movie was so purposely joyful that it left me sort of numb. It was very "Oh we're onto another song. A homage? How original. More unnecessary CGI."

I thought Ben Whishaw brought real pathos to Michael. The scene in the attic with him singing about his wife was incredibly sad. I wish the aftermath of her death had been a more pronounced through line in the movie. I'd like it if Michael had seemed more lost than he was as opposed to just exhausted and exasperated. It could have made his turn around by the end more satisfying.

Also it's kind of dark that this semi-sweet women comes into the lives of these children who recently lost their mother and then leaves them so abruptly. I feel for the kids. Is that how Mary leaves in the first one? She just goes away, no goodbye to the kids? I think they could have made a great song out of that.

My audience cheered when Dick van Dyke showed up, so did I. I love that man. He's got charm to spare and honestly was the brightest spot in the whole endeavor. Him and Angela Lansbury hold such dear places in my heart, so it was fantastic to see them on the big screen for the first time for me personally.

I wondered why she just disappeared, as well. I was hoping that when she lost her balloon, it meant that she should stick around.

I wasn't into everything in the movie, the bowl bit I thought went on a bit long, but I smiled through almost the whole thing, too - except for the song about things not really being lost, and the bit with the dad singing to his wife. I'm so glad this was playing close to midnight this year, instead of another Star Wars movie. I've been in a terrible mood since I got up, but the movie actually cheered me up. 

[Anela]

Oh, I forgot about that bit with the guy shooting off a cannon every hour, exclaiming that Big Ben finally got it right. LOL. I knew that would come, as soon as I saw they were going to turn the clock back five minutes.

[Inquisitionist]

18 hours ago, Tanichka said:

Will never understand why this was remade.  First one was painful, maybe because Julie Andrews has always made me want to slap her in the face.  I suppose this one is directed toward the pre-teen crowd.  

Though it did follow the tempo/structure of the original movie quite a bit, it was definitely a sequel, not a remake. 

Quote

I also wondered why Mary didn't just fly up to the clock in the first place. I was cringing when they had those men climbing so high, and then being bounced up to the clock face.

Because, like the good witch Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, she wants people to work things out for themselves first.

[Anela]

11 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

Though it did follow the tempo/structure of the original movie quite a bit, it was definitely a sequel, not a remake. 

Because, like the good witch Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, she wants people to work things out for themselves first.

By almost killing themselves? They can't fly. she was pushing it there.

[AimingforYoko]

On 12/31/2018 at 8:09 PM, Caia said:

So, while I doubt tuppence would have appreciated enough to pay off a bank loan 25 years later

Dick Van Dyke said the bank "Made some wise investments."

This movie was so educational, who knew that British lamplighters invented the X-Games?

[Inquisitionist]

On 1/1/2019 at 10:40 PM, Anela said:

By almost killing themselves? They can't fly. she was pushing it there.

Well, she HAD just seen them do some pretty miraculous things with their ladders during the previous song and dance number.  ;-)

[Crs97]

We finally saw it tonight, and I agree with just about everyone here.   The lyrics were almost too clever; I enjoyed most of the songs, but none stayed with me like “Feed the Birds” or “Spoonful of Sugar.”  Husband stepped out during the Book by its Cover number and was surprised when we summarized the naked wealthy woman part-the song just didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the story.  I loved Michael’s song to his wife and “Out of Place.”  I enjoyed Meryl, but then I usually do.  Sometimes she chews the scenery a little too much when she gets a chance to be funny and quirky, but this time she was just the right amount.

Lin Manuel just glows and Emily Blunt was terrific.  The movie doesn’t hold a candle to the original, but it was still a delightful way to spend a couple of hours.  My favorite thing was catching the homages to the original songs in the score.

Edited January 4, 2019 by Crs97

[Anela]

19 hours ago, Inquisitionist said:

Well, she HAD just seen them do some pretty miraculous things with their ladders during the previous song and dance number.  ;-)

It still annoyed me. We can't all fly with an umbrella. 

[methodwriter85]

On 12/22/2018 at 1:31 PM, kiddo82 said:

Not the way she used to because of that surgery, yeah, but she did sing a little in Princess Diaries 2, and her voice wasn't bad, just a lower octave. I don't know if things have changed more since then. In any case, they wanted Julie to cameo but she declined because she didn't want to take attention from Emily. Which was classy, but still a shame.

From what I understand, she can "talk sing".

I feel like having Julie there would have great, but I got why she turned it down.

[stealinghome]

I saw the movie today and thought it was very, very charming. I barely remember the first one and so have no great attachment to it, but from what I remember, this movie was both more emotional than the original and did a nice job of paying homage and hitting familiar beats while still being its own thing.

Emily Blunt was great as Mary Poppins, and I too thought she hit the right mix of snark and tartness while still obviously caring quite a bit for the Banks family—just not where they could see! This seems odd in a movie named for her but I wanted a little more Mary; it felt like she really dropped out for stretches. Lin-Manuel Miranda was predictably quite charismatic and engaging as well—he is just the living embodiment of puppies and rainbows wrapped up in a flannel blanket!

For me the song that stood out was the one Mary sang in the nursery about grief—things being gone but not forgotten, and in the place where lost things go. I lost my dad a few years back and really choked up at that one. It hit hard.

I was really rooting for Jack and Jane, and thought Jane was VASTLY more interesting than Michael—I kept waiting for the movie to do more with her. I was disappointed with Ben Whishaw; I thought he was fine at the start but he still came off as weak even at the end, when I wanted him to seem stronger. I also am surprised that he never picked up his artistic career on-screen again, since putting all his artistic supplies away at the start was symbolic of his general malaise. Though it may be that Whishaw just has a more limited range than I initially thought.

I laughed hard when Colin Firth’s balloon wouldn’t rise. I also am happy the good bank lawyer got in on the fun at the end!

The animation in the bowl was so, so cool.

[VCRTracking]

[sally-can-wait]

I finally saw this. Talk about disappointing! Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies growing up and this was unable to come even close to touching the magic of the original. As hard as I tried I could not connect the new actors to their characters. I love Emily Blunt but she felt like a faux Mary Poppins to me (I mean that in the nicest way possible because I really do love her) but Julie Andrews just owns that role. On top of that Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer did not feel like the adult Michael and Jane AT ALL.

As others have already said, there was nothing memorable about the music and even the dance numbers did nothing for me. And that china bowl scene was bizarre wasn’t it? I did not understand the point other than to give the original animators a chance to reanimate the characters and to give Lin-Manuel Miranda a platform to rap.

I was so looking forward to this and I think everyone involved tried their hardest but missed the mark.

[ChiCricket]

On 1/1/2019 at 4:59 AM, Anela said:

I did like the one song that Mary sang when the children had their nightmare, but I also cried. I lost my mum in 2016, and I'm an adult, but I was stifling

That song hit my (adult) daughter and me the same way..we both cried during it, thinking of recent family losses.

[Sharpie66]

I I just rented this OnDemand last night and am rewatching it right now. I really liked it a lot! If the dvd has commentary, I’ll be picking that up. 

The only flaws I’ve seen are Colin Firth’s villain—no motivation other than pure greed—and the quality of the songs. They are perfectly serviceable, but not classics in the Sherman Bros. mold of the original film. I would rank them alongside the songs of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, none of which I remember. 

My favorite songs were Michael’s and Mary Poppins’ in the nursery. Ben Whishaw’s delivery of his song has made me cry both times I’ve seen it. 

LMM’s performance of the opening number showed off a lovely falsetto I didn’t know he had, and his patter song in the music hall was great. You can tell he really worked hard on both his singing and dancing, because they are vastly improved even from his Hamilton days. I love that they hooked him up with Jane at the end. The way everyone is trying to get them together is just delightful!

The returning characters who were recast from the original were fun—David Warner as the Admiral and Julie Walters as Ellen were both wonderful. 

All three of the kids were quite good. I appreciated that they made at least the two older kids grow up much faster than they should, very true to children of the ‘30s who experienced the Great Depression/Slump. 

Even though George and Winifred Banks aren’t here in person, their legacies are in their children. Jane is a wonderfully engaged activist, just like her mum, and Michael turned to the bank for a job when he needed to, something he never would have done if he had bad memories of his banker father. Their memories of the candy dish at the bank president’s secretary’s desk showed that they were frequent visitors there after the first film. 

The Topsy number is really unnecessary, just like the Ed Wynn one was in the original. Meryl Streep is having a ball, though.

My favorite tertiary character is the nice lawyer who you just know from his first minute on screen will be a vital asset for them in the finale. And Angela Lansbury is her iconic self as the balloon lady. I wasn’t expecting her to have a song, for some reason. 

Emily Blunt is a worthy successor to Julie Andrews. She doesn’t equal her, but I still believe her as Mary Poppins. 

[shrewd.buddha]

On 12/23/2018 at 3:16 PM, Notwisconsin said:

I was really disappointed in the script mostly due to the idiot plotting. Granted, if Michael wasn't such a moron ... there wouldn't have been a plot.

Just saw this and enjoyed it - for what it was - but it was difficult not to be distracted by the Dad's incompetence and the fact that he seemed to have just lived on, and exhausted, this own parents' estate. 
So, at some point the Dad was an aspiring artist (slacker?) and drew on the back of the very valuable stock certificate (he only had one?). Later, while actively looking for the stock certificate, the Dad throws the drawing into the trash .. but Mary Poppins orchestrates things so that the youngest son finds the drawing and keeps it ... then cuts it up(?) to patch the kite. Thus, Mary Poppins has known where the stock certificate has been the entire time, but chose to let things play out on their own, to the point of the family moving out of the house, with only minutes to the midnight deadline. Really, Mary?!? 

In the original movie, Mary had more conversations and confrontations with the original Dad. It was apparent that her mission was to help the Dad be a better parent - maybe more so than being a nanny to the children. In this movie, Mary just stands back and does not interact with the Dad and his sister very often. (And did they feel obligated to have the sister Jane, return - to the point of making Michael a widow?)
 

It seemed like plotting and character development took a backseat to the huge musical productions and big name stars. There were not any really catchy tunes in the movie - and most of them, while clever, felt overdone. I was impressed with the cast's ability to deliver all the lyrics while dancing. Lots of rehearsing and retakes, I guess..

Edited August 20, 2019 by shrewd.buddha

[rmontro]

I finally got to see this a few weeks back.  It was largely what I had expected.  Good, but the songs couldn't measure up to the original.  I guess you can't write classics on demand.  Lin Manuel Miranda was a highlight, as was Dick Van Dyke.  Emily Blunt makes a fine Mary Poppins.  I wonder if there are plans to make any more?  I hope so really, because I think they could do a little better.

Since PL Travers didn't like the original, and forbade any further involvement of the Sherman Brothers, I wonder what she would have thought of this one?  I wonder if she would appreciate the original any more?

It seemed like they were trying to mirror every scene in the original with a similar scene in the new one.  The cartoon sequence, the dancing through London, the oddball relative, the father being dejected, the kite/balloon scene (which was one of the best in the movie, IMO).  Understandable, but kind of an odd approach to making an original movie.

[Notwisconsin]

Travers wrote a treatment for a "mary poppins  2" I don't know what became of it. 

[kiddo82]

I just watched this again on Netflix the other night and I'm pleasantly surprised how delightful I still found it.  Not that I thought it wouldn't necessarily hold up on rewatch, but sometimes a second or third viewing of something you previously enjoyed can be disappointing.  It's not a great movie but it makes me happy.  The movie lives and dies on the back of Blunt and she just delivers again and again.  When Mary has to be tart, when Mary has to be touching, when Mary has to be an entertainer, etc. etc.  Everything is just on point.  Even the little things like when John asks Mary how much she weighs and she gives the briefest look of shock and appall? It killed me.  I hope they make another with her because I think they could do a better job crafting a complete movie around her performance.

And while I must agree that the musical moments wont be as iconic as those from the original I still think they stand on their own.  Can You Imagine That, A Cover is Not a Book, Where the Lost Things Go, Trip a Little Light Fantastic, and Nowhere to Go But Up are all enjoyable in their own right.