Sam *

This movie has the same plot points as the "first" movie, but with 2 week old filler in the gaps. Except for when this movie wanted to be more up to date. Don't even get me started on the bmx trick riding scenes. Mary Poppins, pops a wheelie. WHY? Some plot points are completely ignored in the story in favor of some quick hashed together nonsense. Deux-ex Dick Van Dyke. Costume design was excellent, and I hope the team wins at least 5 awards. The dresses and suit details, down to the buttons and ribbons. Perfect. Bargain Bin Step in Time, however, did not fly well with me, and I feel as though Jack was underused in this. He's just written as knockoff Bert, which is a shame. Lets Go Fly A Kite Song... I mean, the Balloon Song. Awful. It felt so hollow. I did like Emily Blunt as Mary though. Ultimately, the story was somewhere between a sequel and remake. I wanted to believe that it was a sequel, but the movie keeps riding off the waves of the original. I never get enough time to invest in these characters before being reminded of the "first" movie. They should have chosen one or the other, not both. One last thing: Colin Firth looks absolutely miserable in his role, I almost felt bad for him. Hope he got paid some good Disney money.