Watched in the cinema

In retrospect, I would find it really interesting not to know the first part and to know what thoughts I would have for the sequel. Since I will never experience it, I must inevitably compare the 2nd part with the first. Unfortunately, this is not to the advantage of the new movie. It's clearly worse in many aspects, whereas worse might not be the right word. There is simply a lack of innovation.

The story is very much based on its predecessor and has parallels that can't be overlooked. I'm looking forward to the comparison videos that will probably be shown on YouTube sometime. I could imagine that the two films could be played in parallel and that both films contain the same story elements in the same places. The animations are pretty old-fashioned and remind of the drawings from the 70s like Robin Hood.

The songs are really disappointing compared to the first part. I can appreciate the fact that the songwriters completely refrain from quoting the old songs. But unfortunately most of the new songs are crap. Not a single song is really catchy. I have to say that unlike in other musicals they were completely translated into German. In addition to the dubbing actors there is also a singing voice for each character. I liked the message of the song about not judging a book by its cover, but I forgot the melody or the lyrics right after the end. Maybe that's why a second glance in the original would be necessary to be able to make an all-embracing judgement.

The acting performances are mixed. The children are less creepy than those from part 1. Lin-Manuel Miranda tries his best, but he lacks the dancing ease and perhaps also the talent as an entertainer to even begin to approach his counterpart Dick Van Dyke. This becomes all the more obvious as the over 80 year old has a small guest appearance and in this short time radiates more joy than Miranda the 2 hours before. There are small cameos, but only Colin Firth is worth mentioning. He plays the slick villain and is fun.

The only reason why I would really recommend this movie is the performance of Emily Blunt. It's her dreamy elegance that saves the movie. She is Julie Andrews' equal and the highlight of the film.

Apart from that, the movie seems like a reinterpretation of the first part. Only the first one was more memorable in almost every aspect.