 Mary Poppins Returns is the extremely long-awaited sequel to the original 1964 film. Now starring Emily Blunt in the titular role, does this new film find us floating on balloons of happiness? Or do we find ourselves falling down a bottomless bag of horribleness? Stay tuned. Hey guys, I'm Justin. If you're new here, we do movie reviews, some TV reviews and a lot of other fun stuff. So if you're a fan of all of that, be a movie nerd and hit that subscribe button. We really appreciate it. And share it with your friends. Maybe they want to be a movie nerd too. Mary Poppins Returns is directed by Chicago and into the woods director Rob Marshall and retains him with his Into the Woods stars Emily Blunt and Meryl Streak. Not to mention Lin-Manuel Miranda, the genius behind the Hamilton musical, who has worked with Disney in the past. He co-wrote the songs for the animated hit Moana. The film takes place 20 years after the events of the first film. The bank's children have now grown up and Michael has three kids of his own. We pick up the story a year after the passing of his wife and mother of his three kids, and after a bad turn, after a bad turn, and an exciting sequence featuring a runaway kite. Mary Poppins floats back into their lives and takes it upon herself to take care of the children while Michael and his sister Jane take care of some pressing matters involving their future. Along the way we meet Lin-Manuel Miranda's Jack the Lamplighter who, similarly to Burton the original, somehow has a strong bond and knowledge of the magic and mystery of Mary Poppins. Now this film could be taken one of two different ways. In a modern 2018 context where film pundits can pick at the slightest detail in a plot and tear it apart without taking in the whole of the film and, well, those who take in the whole of the film and enjoy it for what it's supposed to be. It's wonderful. There is magic and fun and lightheartedness and incredible sadness and darkness, and it left me questioning its tonal choices. On one hand we're watching the story of Mary Poppins, Jack, and the children having magical adventures, and on the other hand we're dealing with the incredible sadness and guilt of Michael after the loss of his wife and everything else in his story. I felt like I was watching two separate films, and I don't think it worked as well as they had hoped. Don't get me wrong, the sad side was necessary in carrying the emotional weight of the happy side, but there was just something about it that confused me. Maybe. It's that I'm a product of these times, and this film holds onto the past so much that maybe it's not specifically meant for me. Which is fine. Maybe I'm in this weird middle generation that will question it too much. My kids loved it, and I'm sure my parents would love it too. But yeah, for me, while it was no doubt an amazing film, and there was some tears to be had, but I can't help holding onto the plot holes and the unnecessary dance routines, but maybe I need a second viewing. I know it's coming now, so maybe I can watch it and enjoy it without thinking too much. As I said before, this film holds onto the past and sometimes in the best of ways. I miss the look of Disney's classic 2D hand-drawn animation style so much, and it brought such a smile to my face during that entire sequence, and I've always geeked out at seeing live-action characters and animated characters on screen at the same time. I really enjoy when that happens, and this time even their costumes seem to be hand-drawn. I was daring so hard trying to figure out if it was some kind of CG trickery that was going on, but nope, I swear sometimes it looked fully drawn. Speaking of the production design on the entire film was perfect. It was superb. The entire film looks beautiful. It's by Disney, so they have no excuse, but it's wonderful to re-enter the world of Mary Poppins. It truly carries the look and feel of the original, from the sets to the costumes to the camera work, and even the way that they treated the visual effects, there was definitely something old-school about the film. But with the modern techniques that they used, it makes me really appreciate how much further that they could have brought the visuals, but they constantly kept it grounded and tied to the original, which is exactly the direction that they should have gone, and they did, so well done. Now onto the main attraction. Emily Blunt is perfect as Mary Poppins. She brings the same cheeky magic that was made not only famous, but iconic by the great Julie Andrews, but the same feminist strength and grit of character too. Mary Poppins has always been a feminist icon, and she has given plenty of time to shine and stand up for equality in the face of a 1930s male-dominated society. The film's feminist themes are scattered throughout, and they don't ever force it down your throat, but in the world that we live today, it's a way to hold up a mirror to our own times and show us that no matter how much we want to change, we still have a long way to go, and it's characters like Mary Poppins that lend themselves to be great role models for our children. All right, that's enough from me. Now it's your turn. Are you looking forward to this film, or are you from the future, and have you already seen it? Anyway, what did you think? Let us know in the comments below, and we'll reply to every single one. Please like the video, subscribe to our channel, follow us on social media, and check out our Patreon page. We really would appreciate it, or the links are in the description. Thank you guys so much. I'm Justin, and until next time, I will see you at the movies.