Magical, heart-warming, lovely (albeit somewhat fantasized)

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2014)

Version I saw: UK cinema release (preview screening)
Actors: 8/10
Plot/script: 7/10
Photography/visual style: 7/10
Music/score: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
The disputations over the film 'Mary Poppins' between Walt Disney and the author of the book on which the story is based, P.L. Travers, are often reported. This film takes that and spins it into a magical tale of it's own, with a dark undercurrent stemming from Travers' troubled childhood and relationship with her alcoholic father. Tom Hanks (as Disney), Emma Thompson (as Travers) and Colin Farrell (as Travers' father in flashbacks interspersing the drama in Hollywood) all do what they do best, and what they do best, they do really excellently. They are supported by a strong cast, and the soundtrack is brilliant too, full of echoes of the iconic music in the original film.
The whole is a delight to see. Just don't expect documentary truth. This is a Disney Corporation film, and they were never going to portray their founding father with all the character flaws he was rumoured to have. It is a fantasy, with a few darker themes sensitively portrayed. Just view it on its own merits, and you are sure to enjoy it.
My full review is on my independent film review blog, Cinema Inferno: http://cinemainferno-blog.blogspot.co.uk