Mary Poppins Returns reviewed—a trip a little bit lighter than fantastic

By: Julianne Rose Gabis

It will always be difficult to top a classic movie, especially if it is practically perfect in every way like Disney’s crown jewel—Mary Poppins. The sequel created an online buzz last year as it revealed its star-studded cast such as “Hamilton” creator Lin Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep. It even included 93-year old actor Dick Van Dyke, who played Bert in the original film.

The film picks up 25 years after the 1964 film that starred Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The two Banks children of the original tale took center stage in the sequel with Jane (Emily Mortimer) becoming a union organizer and Michael (Ben Whishaw), a grieving widower who resorted from being a painter to a desperate accountant.

Just like how the original Mary Poppins enters the scene, flying down the Lovely London Sky to save the day, Blunt’s version of the classic nanny is as classy, sophisticated yet mysterious, but in a way that diverges from Andrews’. Her version resonates a sassier approach to the Banks children. Blunt justifies this version as her own interpretation of the Mary Poppins from the P.L. Travers books as she did not attempt to copy from the first film.

Strange accents aren’t new to the universe of Mary Poppins with Dick Van Dyke being widely criticized for the most of 50 years since the release of the original. Emily Blunt took a bold move not to impersonate Julie Andrews’ version of Mary Poppins, as even her London accent is worlds different from the original posh one. Lin Manuel Miranda opens the first scene of the film with a strange venture on a rather bad attempt to a cockney accent.

Despite being closely knitted with the original story in terms of timeline, the whole movie felt entirely different with the absence of nostalgia until the much awaited appearance of Dick Van Dyke in the last 15 minutes of the film.

Although the plot of the sequel took a heavier turn from its predecessor and not living up to the classic film, Mary Poppins Returns still managed to pay tribute to the original tale with its similarly playful and whimsical dazzle.