Mary Poppins Returns (2018) review

Disney’s 1964 adaptation of P.L. Travers’ classic book series Mary Poppins is a film that needs no introduction. With a lovely visual style, iconic soundtrack by the Sherman brothers, and outstanding lead performances from Julie Andrews as the titular nanny and Dick Van Dyke as her lovable sidekick Bert, Mary Poppins is quite arguably the most beloved Disney film ever made. For starters, it achieved a studio record by earning 13 nominations at the 37^th annual Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and ultimately won 5, with Andrews winning the Oscar for Best Actress. And with a total box-office gross of over $102 million achieved through its initial release and additional re-releases, it’s safe to say that this is a film that has continued to stand the test of time. One person who didn’t like the film, however, was P.L. Travers. As dramatized in the 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks, the film’s pre-production mostly consisted of disagreements between Travers and Walt Disney over changes that the latter and his team were making to her story. And because of all these creative conflicts, Travers forbid Disney from ever making a sequel… that is, until 2015, when the studio got the approval from Travers’ estate to do a sequel to the original classic. Under the direction of veteran filmmaker Rob Marshall, who’s no stranger to musicals having directed the 2002 Best Picture winner Chicago and Disney’s 2014 adaptation of the popular Broadway show Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns is not just a remake of the original Mary Poppins as many feared it would be when it was first announced. And while this new film does ultimately share quite a few things in common with its predecessor, it still comes together nicely for a truly heartwarming family flick.

It has been twenty-five years since Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), the magical nanny who’s ‘practically perfect in every way’, came to the Banks family and changed their lives for the better. In the years since, Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw), who still lives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, has started a family of his own with three kids, his daughter Annabel (Pixie Davies) and his two sons John (Nathanael Saleh) and Georgie (Joel Dawson). However, since the passing of his wife Kate one year prior, the family has been dealing with serious financial troubles which have only been made worse by the onslaught of the Great Depression. And to make matters worse, Michael is notified by his lawyers that he only has a few days to pay off the loan that he made after his wife’s passing or he and his family will be forced out of their home. To try and fix the problem, Michael and his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) try to find the certificate that verifies their father’s shares at Fidelity Fiduciary Bank while Michael’s kids attempt to earn the money on their own accord. Luckily for all of them, Mary Poppins ends up coming back into the family’s lives, agreeing to look after Annabel, John, and Georgie while Michael and Jane deal with their current predicament. And just like their father and aunt before them, the new crop of Banks children discover the full extent of Mary Poppins’ magical abilities, which she uses with the help of a friendly lamplighter named Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) to turn their luck around.

Now let me start by saying that, while I usually try not to directly agree with popular opinion, I will admit that I do concur with one of the most common points that are being brought up about this film in that it has quite a bit in common with its predecessor. The main plot isn’t that different from the original save for a more tension-filled climax and a more pronounced villain. Heck, even the songs in this film’s soundtrack have similar set-ups to the ones from the original, from a show-stopping dance number to lighten the mood like ‘Step in Time’ to an uplifting grand finale tune a la ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’. And yet, despite all this, the film does a great job of maintaining the heartwarming atmosphere of the original Mary Poppins without being a direct carbon copy of it. Even with a similar plot, this new film is on par with the original when it comes to having a strong sense of emotional depth throughout via the Banks family’s current gloomy predicament and how they overcome it with the help of Mary Poppins. This is then matched nicely with all the whimsical adventures that Mary and the Banks children go on, and just like the original, this film boasts a gorgeous visual style throughout right down to the inclusion of a sequence where the characters interact with traditionally-animated characters. As for the soundtrack, courtesy of Hairspray songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, it generally matches the Sherman brothers’ soundtrack for the original film in terms of how perfectly well- balanced it is. In other words, there are just as many great emotional melodies in this (e.g. a heart-wrenching solo for Michael, ‘A Conversation’, and Mary Poppins’ big solo ‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’) as there are grandiose show-tunes (e.g. ‘Trip a Little Light Fantastic’ which, as previously mentioned, is basically this film’s version of ‘Step in Time’).

Clearly, a lot of expectations were set upon this film given the pedigree of its predecessor, and perhaps no one felt this greater than Emily Blunt when it came to her taking on the role of Mary Poppins from Julie Andrews. Luckily for Blunt, her take on the whimsical English nanny is a wonderful performance that fully allows her to make the part her own. Specifically, she gets to go off Travers’ books a bit more by having her Mary be a bit snarkier with the Banks family. However, the compassion that she has for them, AKA the one thing that made Andrews’ take on the character vastly different from the books but iconic nevertheless, is still there, providing a unique balance between book and film. And just like Andrews did with Dick Van Dyke all those years ago, Blunt works wonderfully off Lin-Manuel Miranda as this film’s ‘Bert’, Jack the lamplighter. But just like Blunt, Miranda manages to make his character more than just a copy of his predecessor, whether it’s through an opportunity for Miranda to show off his freestyle roots or a sweet little romance that forms between him and Jane. Speaking of the Banks children, both Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer are excellent in their respective roles, with Whishaw getting some of the most understated emotional moments in the film and Mortimer making the most out of what is basically the equivalent of Glynis Johns’ role from the original as Winifred Banks. The new Banks children are great as well thanks in large part to the strong sibling camaraderie between them that is apparent right out the gate. Lastly, just like the original, this film features some highly memorable cameos throughout, including Meryl Streep as Mary’s eccentric cousin/fix-it shop owner Topsy and even the one and only Dick Van Dyke as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank chairman Mr. Dawes Jr., a nod to his secondary role in the original as Mr. Dawes Sr.  

In short, it’s true that the new Mary Poppins has quite a lot in common with the original classic. Not only does it have a near-similar plot to its predecessor, but even its new soundtrack mirrors the original in terms of both song placement and premise. As such, the inevitable argument regarding this film’s necessity continues to be in play, especially given Disney’s current trend of revitalizing some of their classic stories for a new generation. But to be clear, this is not just a ‘remake’ of the original Mary Poppins (believe me, if it was, then it would’ve been dead in the water as soon as it was announced given how intense the internet gets about stuff like this). Yes, it feels like the original in a lot of ways, but considering how great the original Mary Poppins truly is, this isn’t such a bad thing in this instance. Under the solid direction of Rob Marshall, this film nobly follows in the footsteps of its predecessor when it comes to achieving that perfect balance of thoroughly emotional family drama and whimsical fantasy. The soundtrack by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman is quite arguably on par with the Sherman brothers’ iconic soundtrack from the original and the film maintains the same great visual style of its predecessor. And with a terrific ensemble cast headlined by Emily Blunt’s phenomenal turn as Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns is easily one of the most delightful films to come out in recent years. Admittedly, I can’t say that it’s ‘better’ than the original, but it’s still very much a worthy follow-up to one of the most beloved Disney films of all-time. And to be perfectly frank, in these dark times that we’re currently facing, this is exactly the kind of film that we need right now.

Rating: 5/5!

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) - Quick Review

I apologize, folks, for both the lateness and brevity of this post, but due to unexpected technical difficulties that have prevented me from accessing the review that I was working on for this film, I decided to just do a short review for it instead so that I could get it out at a reasonable time. With that said, let’s delve into Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the highly-anticipated follow-up to director Matthew Vaughn’s 2015 effort, Kingsman: The Secret Service. In a year that saw the release of several spy-themed films, including the latest installments of the Mission: Impossible and James Bond franchises, this adaptation of comic book writer Mark Millar’s 2012 comic series of the same name managed to stand out amongst its peers thanks to its thrilling action sequences and a great origin story for its likable main protagonist, Eggsy. The same strengths apply to this new film as well, which does up the ante in terms of the ludicrous but still all-around entertaining action sequences. As was the case with the first film, though, the extreme brutality of some of these sequences may prove to be a bit much for some. However, also like its predecessor, the film manages to temper this thanks to some great character development for Eggsy, who’s once again played excellently by Taron Egerton, and his two main allies, Harry Hart and Merlin. Yes, as seen in the trailers, Colin Firth returns as Harry after his presumed death in the previous film, and for what it’s worth, the way in which this film explains his return does make sense in the context of this universe. Plus, Harry’s ‘road to recovery’ is handled greatly thanks to both the writing and Firth’s performance. Closing out the main trio is Kingsman tech guru Merlin, played by Matthew Vaughn regular Mark Strong, who also gets some great character moments as well.

Now, with all that said, that doesn’t necessarily mean that this film is ‘perfect’. Despite the addition of the Kingsman’s American cousins, the Statesman, most of the new characters in this film don’t exactly get much to work with (e.g. even though he appears prominently in the trailers, Channing Tatum’s Agent Tequila is basically just a ‘cameo’ role). The film also boasts a longer runtime than its predecessor, meaning that some scenes do drag a bit. And it could even be argued that this film’s plot doesn’t do much different compared to the first film, as there are some noticeable similarities between the two. Still, what’s not to love about a film that opens with a car chase set to Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy’, concludes with an epic shoot-out set to Elton John’s ‘Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting’, and features the Rocket Man himself in one of the most epic cameos in recent memory. In short, this film reminds me a lot of another sequel that came out this year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Both films were entertaining follow-ups to their excellent predecessors but were also deemed by most critics as being ‘inferior’ to them. And yet, like Guardians 2, I find that I kind of like this film more than the first Kingsman. Obviously, I’m going to have to see this film again to see if this truly ends up being the case but, suffice it to say, after the crap that I had to put up with last week thanks to a film that shall not be named, Kingsman: The Golden Circle was exactly the ‘pick-me-up’ that I needed.

Rating: 5/5!

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) review

I’m a big fan of the James Bond franchise and in 2006, the 21^st entry of that prestigious film series, ‘Casino Royale’ was released in theaters. But this one was much different than the Bond films that came before it and there was a fairly good reason for this as the producers decided to reboot the series after the previous film, 2002’s ‘Die Another Day’, was criticized for being way too campy. So as a result, they decided to go the route of the recent ‘Bourne’ films and go for a much grittier take on the character and it’s worked out pretty well for the most part. But if you’re one of those people who misses all of those old-school spy movies then I think you’re really going to enjoy ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’, which is based off of the comic book series of the same name (minus the Kingsman part) by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. This also happens to be the second major film from director Matthew Vaughn to be based on a Millar comic, the other being ‘Kick-Ass’. In the end, ‘Kingsman’ is just as zany and ridiculous as those aforementioned old-school Bond films… and also so damn fun thanks to Vaughn’s excellent direction, a stylish look, and a top notch ensemble cast.

When one of his fellow agents dies during a mission, Kingsman secret agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) personally visits the agent’s widow and their son, Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin. He gives them a medal with a phone number on the back and tells them that, if they ever needed any help, all they had to do was just dial the number on the medal and to use a special message. 17 years later, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is now a juvenile delinquent living with his mom and his abusive stepfather and is constantly getting into trouble with the law. After one arrest, he calls the number on the medal and Hart ends up bailing him out of prison. Eggsy ultimately learns all about the Kingsman and is chosen by Hart as a potential candidate for an open position after another agent is killed during a rescue mission. Eggsy is then enrolled into the training program, which puts him and the other candidates through a series of rigorous tests. While this is going on, technology tycoon Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) is developing a series of special SIM cards that, when activated via a special program, sends out a signal that causes all humans to turn violent. Valentine plans to use these cards to wipeout most of the human population in order to keep it from further destroying the Earth, resulting in the Kingsmen having to stop Valentine before his plan can succeed.

I’ll admit that when the first trailer for this film came out, I wasn’t really sure what to think of it. It looked fine enough but at the time nothing about it really stood out to me that much. But then I saw the red-band trailer and that was the one that really clued me in as to what kind of a film this was and that’s why this film is so damn awesome. As I noted in the intro, it can pretty much be described as a love letter to the old-school spy films (e.g. the pre-2006 Bond films) with its over-the-top tone and action sequences of pure insanity. And even with that in mind, the film actually does manage to stay fairly fresh in terms of its writing, spinning some of the old spy film clichés on its head. Sure, the film’s violence can be just a tad bit overly brutal at times but the film maintains a badass and stylish look, similar to Vaughn’s previous film, ‘X-Men: First Class’, which also felt like an old-school Bond film in regards to its tone and atmosphere. The action sequences are excellent and the film is just entertaining from beginning to end, though I must say the film really shines in the finale. Admittedly some of Vaughn’s films have suffered from weak endings; heck, even ‘First Class’s climax, while not bad, wasn’t that memorable either. But this is where the movie really takes off in terms of its over-the-top action, including one of the most memorable explosion sequences of all time.

One of the best parts of this film comes in the form of its stellar ensemble cast, led by Colin Firth in what I’m pretty sure is his first major role in an action film. And I must say that he handles that transition pretty darn well. He more than holds his own in the action sequences while also maintaining a great sense of charm and wit. Arguably even more impressive in this is newcomer Taron Egerton, who also does a great job at conveying a lot of charm and wit. The fact that he manages to hold his own alongside bigger name actors like Michael Caine (who plays the role of the head of the Kingsmen agents, Arthur) and Mark Strong (who plays Merlin, a senior Kingsmen agent) shows that he has a very promising career ahead of him. And then we have Samuel L. Jackson as the main villain Valentine. Admittedly, like how the first trailer didn’t really ‘wow’ me that much, going in I felt that Jackson might actually be the weak link as it looked like he was just acting way too over the top for this role. But of course, knowing what kind of movie this is, it does work and the end result is an incredibly charismatic villain that also has that badass vibe that one can always expect from Mr. Jackson.

‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ is quite frankly one of the coolest action films of the past decade or so. Like with his previous film ‘First Class’, director Matthew Vaughn, who if you ask me at this point can do no wrong given his directorial track record, brings such a stylish look to the film while also giving a nice big old dose of craziness in terms of its story, action sequences, and overall tone and atmosphere. It’s not a spy film in the veins of recent entries of the genre like ‘Bourne’ and the ‘Casino Royale’ era Bond films but in this case that’s a good thing as instead it harkens back to the spy films of old while also managing to keep things fresh for a modern era. Yes, it’s over-the-top and ridiculous compared to the spy films of today but it’s just straight up fun. In short, the end result is easily the first major ‘stand-out’ film of 2015. I know that this weekend a lot of people are going to go see ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and that it’ll probably be the Number 1 film of the weekend. For the record, I’m not one of those people who complains whenever audiences make a film like that successful because that’s just mean. But in all seriousness folks, believe me when I say that you’re definitely going to be much better off with this movie.

Rating: 4.5/5