Mary Poppins Returns: Everyone’s Favourite Nanny Comes Back!

‘Mary Poppins Returns’ is a musical comedy fantasy film it serves as a belated sequel to the 1964 film. The plot this time around sees everyone’s favourite nanny return to teach the next generation of Banks children, how to have fun. The characters of original Banks children are in this film though they’re not played by the same actors.

I have never counted myself as a Mary Poppins fan, I know that it is a very popular film, but it never appealed to me personally. Now that I’ve said that, let’s get into the review.

I think this film has been rather unfairly written off, many people had very high expectations when the sequel was announced, and I believe no matter how good this film was, it would never live up.

I think this film has a lot of charm and all of it, and I mean all of it, comes from Emily Blunt. Blunt plays the new iteration of Mary Poppins and seems to be loving every minute, she has charm and class to spare and lives up to, if not eclipsis, Julie Andrews from the original film. Not only that, but Blunt can also hold her own when it comes to singing, she is fantastic in every song she is in; especially the lamplighter themed one in the second act.

I think on the whole the songs in this film are good, they’re catchy and memorable, without becoming annoying. Though this isn’t true of the film’s first musical number ‘(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky’ which is the worst song in the entire film as it feels like it goes on and on and won’t end; this opens the film on a bad note.

The plot of the film is fine, the Bank’s have to find some shares in the bank so, their house doesn’t get taken away from them. It is serviceable if a little uninspired. It completely wastes the talents of Colin Firth, who is the film’s villain as he is incredibly boring and one-note. The one good thing Firth’s villain does is allow for us to see Dick Van Dyke return, which admittedly is a crowd-pleasing moment.

Overall this film lives only because of how good Emily Blunt is in the role, it has nothing else going for it, in many ways it seems like money was the only thing that made Mary Poppins Return.

Ps. Don’t even get me started on Meryl Steep as Topsy, for another time.

Pros.
Most Of The Music.
Emily Blunt.
Dick Van Dyke’s Return.

Cons.
The Opening Song.
The Plot Of The Film.
Wasting Colin Firth.

3/5

Reviewed By Luke.

Frozen 2: Into The Unknown?

Frozen 2 is an animated musical fantasy film; the plot takes place three years later and centers around Elsa, (Idina Menzel), finding out the origins of her powers.

The most notable thing about Frozen 2 is the distinct change in tone it is very much similar to the tonal shift that the Harry Potter films had; with Frozen 2 being much more mature and exploring far darker themes than Frozen.

The overall narrative choice of tieing Elsa’s powers into her being an elemental is an interesting choice. The other elementals, air, fire, earth and water are a mixed bag; fire is a cute salamander, literally to sell merchandise, air and earth are bland and full of plot holes; water is by far the best.

The songs, which are a key part, are even better this time around. ‘Into the Unknown’, is a better song than ‘Let it Go’, as it says more about Elsa’s character motivations while also serving to set up and foreshadow the later plot. That is something that applies to all the songs in this film they no longer just feel forced in because the films needs a song, which Frozen 1 is guilty of. Instead, most of the songs this time around serve a narrative purpose.

The characters except for Elsa and Olaf,(Josh Gad), who I will talk about separately, all feel sidelined in this film, being reduced to caricatures. Anna, (Kristen Bell), becomes so needy and, controlling with Elsa that she can’t let her out of her sight for more than five minutes; which leads to Anna repeatedly putting herself in danger and needing to be saved. Kristoff, (Jonathan Groff), who was already a background character in the last film is now given even less to do; making me ask the question why was he even included if they weren’t going to use him? His whole story line revolves around him wanting to propose to Anna, and it keeps going badly, does that sound funny to you? The first time it’s passable, maybe you think it’s just a throwaway gag, but no that is his whole arc; and it is incredibly unfunny. He does get a song this time around ‘lost in the woods’ which is surprisingly, but that is it. There are some other side characters but, they’re only featured briefly.

The two characters who I think are good in this film and progress in interesting ways are Elsa and Olaf. Elsa’s quest to find out who she is keeps us guessing most of the film, yes at times some of the twists along the way are painfully obvious, but I still respect how her character progresses and, the fact that by the end of the film she is no longer Queen. I think the side plot of her maybe having a romantic moment with a Northuldra woman, is brushed over far too quickly, but maybe we will get that in the inevitable Frozen 3? Olaf, who was mainly comic relief, here has an existential arc where he questions reality and the nature of change; which I thoroughly enjoyed and thought it added a nice bit of comedy for a more mature audience.

To conclude I think that this film could have been better if it was just an Elsa, and maybe Olaf, standalone film. Anna and Kristoff have so little to do why include them? The more mature story is definitely a plus as well as the ballsy ending, but the issues I have mentioned just drag it down for me.

3.5/5
Reviewed by Luke

Frozen: The New Christmas Hit

Frozen is an animated musical fantasy film, focusing on two Princesses Anna, (Kristen Bell), and Elsa, (Idina Menzel), as they have to save the Kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa is born with ice powers that she can’t control, which scare her to the point she seals herself away from society. However, she rejoins society when her parents die and, she ascends the thrones, this all turns bad and, the kingdom is plunged into eternal winter, she then runs off so she can’t hurt anyone else. Her sister Anna then begins a journey to find her sister and save the kingdom.

The refreshing thing about Frozen is how it bucks the traditional Disney formula. There is no Prince Charming, and the closest we get is the villainous Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. There is a romance subplot between Kristoff, (Jonathan Groff), and Anna but, this isn’t the main focus. Furthermore, the ending of the film which calls for ‘true love’, is the love between the two sisters; which I found to be delightfully subverting.

The songs are all very well done, especially ‘Let it go’ the song a million little kids listened to on repeat, they add to the dramatic elements of the film nicely. Furthermore, the Nordic/ Sami influence in the score helps the film to have a sense of original identity.

The two sisters are incredibly well fleshed out characters with very well defined motivations and personalities, being great role models for younger audiences. However, the rest of the cast are ignored as a result. Kristoff and Olaf, (Josh Gad), have their moments but, they end up feeling more background characters; with Olaf being the worst for this.

Olaf is only in the film to act as comedic relief, which more often than not comes across as annoying. The humour of the film is very much skewed towards a child audience, yes it is a film aimed at children, but most good animated films have jokes and lines in for the older members of the audience; this one does not.

The mythology of the film is very interesting, with strong Nordic influences, it is rife to explore; though it is only lightly touched on here.

Overall all this is on the better side of Disney fare interestingly bucking the trend of the film’s gone by. Anna and Elsa are both incredibly well-formed characters that have a lot to love about them; being great inspiration for little girls. The score is well used and, memorable with songs you will remember long after the credits roll. My one issue with the film is that the supporting characters aren’t given a lot to do which makes them feel more akin to cardboard cutouts.

4/5
Reviewed by Luke

Mamma Mia 2

Spoilers

Mamma Mia, here we go again is a musical film, with two central plotlines. One is set in the present day focusing on Sophie, (Amanda Seyfried) as she tries to open a hotel in honour of her late mother Donna, (Meryl Streep). The other plotline is a series of flashbacks that chronicle how Donna, met each of Sophies 3 fathers and her early time on the island. Both storylines are good and have emotional weight, which leads to a bittersweet interwoven climax in the film’s third act. Furthermore, the casting of Lilly James as young Donna is spot on, James nails the performance; with it being clear to see she is enjoying every minute of it. However, my one criticism of the flashback storyline is that there is one moment that is clearly trying to be funny but instead comes off as overly awkward. In many ways the present-day storyline, whilst still being good, is overshadowed by the flashbacks. This is true in many ways, such as if we are being honest James is more of an enjoyable presence than Seyfried. The best thing about the present-day storyline is Fernando Cienfuegos, (Andy Garcia), who chews up every scene he is in. Moreover, whilst his character’s late in the game romance with, Ruby, (Cher) produces the best musical number of the whole film, it suffers from being underdeveloped. Finally, the music, the score and the songs themselves are of course superb. However, there is an issue which lies in how the songs are used. Mostly the songs feel spontaneous and natural, but there are a few instances where they feel needless and forced in for the sake of hitting all of ABBA’s greatest hits. Overall, this is a very fun romp, being a nice bit of summer escapism that I strongly recommend you indulge in. This film will make you laugh, cry and most importantly sing along.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Pitch Perfect 3

So, for the sake of honesty, I’ve not seen the first 2 movies and this was where I was jumping in, and like I’ve said before musicals aren’t really my thing. That being said, I was incredibly pleasantly surprised by this movie, I went into it with very low expectations, and over the course of the run time, it made me smile and laugh a good few times. Now whilst Trish Sie’s movie isn’t going to win any awards, it does manage to be effortless charming throughout. The plot whilst being unbelievable, is no more so than a Fast and the Furious movie, and I believe that if you can get past that there is a lot to love about this film. None of the characters are particularly grating, which is a surprise because usually in these larger ensemble movies, where characters are more caricatures than anything else that is usually the case. The songs are mostly quite good, with only one or two feeling a little too long. However, even in the case of the bad songs the choreography of the dance sequences are all very well done and quite impressive. Ruby Rose’s character of Calamity, is probably my favorite character of the whole film. Whilst she isn’t given much to do, with the general focus staying with the main characters; she is an entertaining antagonist and has one of the best musical set pieces in the whole film. The plot centers around Beca Mitchell, (Anna Kendrick), and the rest of the Bella’s reuniting to play a show for the US troops. From there it devolves into a strange plot of singing, kidnapping, and c4 in cereal. Whilst many people criticise the film for its unbelievable plot, I liked it because every moment I was entertained and engaged. I even thought that the subplot about Fat Amy, (Rebel Wilson), and her estranged father was quite touching in parts if a little ridiculous. Furthermore, this sweetness carried over into the romance between Chicago, ( Matt Lanter), and Chloe, (Brittany Snow), which I thought was very believable and didn’t slow down the film at all. Most the jokes land quite well, with the exception of a few, but on the whole a very funny film. To compare it to a recent musical the Greatest Showman, I felt that whilst the song was good, they weren’t quite as memorable or whimsical. Really the main issue with this film is that its characters feel a little one-note and generic; with none of them outside of Wilson’s Fat Amy having much of an arc. That being said this film made me want to go back and watch the other two movies, and that is it’s the strongest praise. Whilst not for everyone, there is a lot to love about this movie, it’s sweet, charming and most of all entertaining; and most certainly an excellent not to go out on.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Greatest Showman

Let me start off by saying that musicals aren’t really my type of films, and at its heart, that is what this is. However, this is the first musical I have managed to relate to and enjoy. There truly is something for all ages with this film, making it hard not to like. This film is actually quite informative about the life of P.T Barnum, showing him progress from being a child well into his establishing of his Circus. The ability to capture the wonder, awe, and imagination of the Circus and of P.T Barnum himself, would be quite a tall order for any actor, but Hugh Jackman manages to pull it off with ease never breaking the immersion once. The rest of the cast also do a great job with especially great turns from Zac Efron and Zendaya, with quite a believable romance; that doesn’t fall prey to the usual stereotypes of musical romances. Furthermore, the most rememberable song was the bar scene when Barnum tries to recruit play write Phillip to the circus, with the most creative use of shots I’ve ever seen in a film. The overall problem with the film is that some of the songs sound quite similar to each other, and some quite poor lip-synching especially with Rebecca Ferguson’s Jenny Lind during her big number it’s quite apparent it isn’t her who is singing. Furthermore, the mid point character transformation of Barnum also feels quite unbelievable, with him going from a nice family man who cares about his friends and workers to a man only concerned with chasing fame and status. With this shift being an interesting one but ultimately one that feels rushed. The side shows performers all being quite interesting flushed out characters, although they all share a similar arc, the character progression with these characters feels just that bit more earned.

Ultimately the film is a joyful Christmas film, that fills you with optimism and can brighten even the blackest day

4/5

reviewed by Luke