A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush ...
"Mary Poppins Returns" Review - A Sequel I Never Knew I Needed
A mysterious, whimsical Nanny descended from the clouds to save a family in their time of need, once again, in a colorful, musical adventure that exists beyond a child's imagination.
When it comes to magical, blissfully uplifting child-friendly films, there's no denying that Disney is proven to be the King of the realm and I have to say, it still holds weight in this 2018 sequel of a timeless classic, Mary Poppins Returns. Directed by Rob Marshall, this film follows Michael Banks (Ben Wishaw), now an adult and is a father of three adorable children, who's having an existential crisis over the passing of her wife and the possibility of losing his family house due to unpaid bank loans.
Michael was in full despair, dealing with all of his problems, and is adamant to find a means to pay his debts until her sister, Jane Banks (Emily Mortimer), suggested that maybe they could use their father's shares as payment. As the weight of the problem is taking its toll on Michael, a magical nanny has found its way back home, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt). Mary Poppins was the nanny of Michael and Jane when they were young, as depicted in the 1964 movie, Mary Poppins played by the ever wonderful Julie Andrews. In this sequel, Mary Poppins returned to bring happiness once more— reminding the Banks' that everything is possible, even the impossible.
The Good
Mary Poppins Returns, just like its prequel, is a blissful, heart-warming film that captivates the hearts and the souls of weary individuals. The musical numbers is quite respectable, including one of my favorites, 'Can You Imagine That?'. The animation sequences were amazing as it's a nostalgic reminder of the beautiful 2D animations that were a popular style from way back. The acting performances of the kids is surprising and very pleasant to watch, unusual to most kids being annoying in other films.
Dick Van Dyke, who played Bert in the original film, returns to play the role of the owner of the Bank. His presence, though very short, is a reminder that even with his old age, he can still pull off that swift dance moves and fanciful singing performance. Ben Wishaw, I thought, was a standout in this film. His acting performance gives justice to the role as he gives an emotional gravity to it and owning every scene that he's in. Lin-Manuel Miranda's performance were quite good as well and his theatrical background proves to be useful in this film as well.
The Bad
Emily Blunt owned the character and while her version was exactly pulled from the books, I just thought that her presence on screen were not as powerful and captivating as that of Julie Andrews. There were a few scenes in this film, especially that 'Big Ben' sequence, where I found quite ridiculously stupid and kind of ruins the vibe and made me think if it was done on purpose or was just a proof of lazy script writing.
I also thought that the film's darker mood takes away the softness of the first film which is quite surprising considering that this was meant to be a cheerful, familial Christmas movie. While I enjoyed the musical numbers, I thought some of them were not as resonating in comparison to the original. Some of the lyrics were very unclear and so it's hard to follow what that song was about. The biggest disappointment for me was Jane's character, basically being useless in the film. She wasn't there for the most part and didn't contribute anything to progress the story.
Should You Watch It?
Mary Poppins Returns, despite its numerous flaws, is still a joy to watch. It's a sequel I never knew I needed and I am thrilled for more. I recommend that to fully appreciate this movie, you should really check out the original first.
Comments
Post a Comment