Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago; Into the Woods; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; Memoirs of a Geisha) and starring Emily Blunt (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen; Into the Woods; The Young Victoria; The Devil Wears Prada; Edge of Tomorrow; The Girl on the Train), Lin-Manuel Miranda (mainly known for film soundtracks), Ben Whishaw (Paddington 2; Spectre; The Danish Girl; The Danish Girl), Emily Mortimer (The Bookshop; Harry Brown; Match Point; Hugo; Shutter Island) and Colin Firth (Mamma Mia!; Kingsman; Bridget Jones's Baby; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; The King's Speech).
Family comedy drama; 130 mins; EA (children admitted)
In this family film set in Depression-era London, Emily Blunt reprises the role made famous by Julie Andrews in the original 1964 film "Mary Poppins".
This time round, Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) and his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) are adults, with Michael an artist who has taken a job in a bank to make ends meet. His wife died and he has two young children, and is held by their housekeeper (played by Julie Walters) and Jane who has her own flat in London. Michael's finances are on the ropes and he and the chiildren are about to have their home repossessed thanks to the unscrupulous Wilkins (Colin Firth).
Then comes Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), nanny to the rescue, announcing her arrival by her magical (and talking) umbrella, equipped with her magical carpet bag. Also appearing on the scene is jolly lamp man Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) whose cheerful persona and happy-go-lucky attitude harps back to Bert (Dick Van Dyke) in the original film. Dick Van Dyke may be 93 years old but he puts in a cameo performance towards the end of the film and even tap-dances...
Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, Mary Poppins helps the family rediscover the joy missing from their lives.
The storyline ties the film together, with the acting of Emily Blunt, Emily Mortimer and Lin-Manuel Miranda particularly noteworthy; however, while the tunes and songs are catchy and appropriate, they are unimaginative as none are going to stick in our minds unlike those from the original film.
Great entertainment, particularly for the younger members of the family, with hand-drawn animation used to replicate the ways of the original film. Emily Blunt helps gel the film together and equals Julie Andrews in pulling off such an iconic role.
