Pretty Good

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Blistering performances.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

For the record, the premise of this military nanny mixes Mary Poppins and the "supernanny" interpreted in a curious and charismatic way by Emma Thompson I have always liked .. but as it happens many times, second parties tend to be worse. Although in the first one I laughed in a lot of its moments, in its continuation I only yawned (and laughter not one)."Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang" is a very nice continuation of that children movie of the year 2005 (although that was not the finished one either (it was just a foolish and foolish movie), at least it was fun at times and with embellish magic touches that made it bearable and enjoyable for the whole family ... something that can not boast its sequel).Their second part repeats exactly the same formula of the previous one (half-witch nanny who is in charge of educating with magic and hits a baton on the floor to a bunch of spoiled children ... and so relieve some pressure on the overwhelmed father/mother in question), but this time the thing is not so well exploited. Let's say that this time the magical babysitter does not hit with his cane as accurately as in the first installment (where a very entertaining and burlesque script, a dynamic narration, a magical setting and attractive and timely performances saved a movie very dumb at first ). In "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang" we find a rhythm too slow for a succession of situations too forced, a grace that does not make grace, a few educational moments less well-off with humor, and a few charming characters (children never they gain the affection of the spectator and do not dazzle as much as the first Maggie Gyllenhaal is not horrible as a burdened mother but, unlike Colin Firth in the first installment, his character never captivates or transmits naturalness in his oppression or in his love to the kids, anyway, even Thompson is not as fascinating as expected).And the main problem is not the script (which was not required much to be a children film), but some misplaced performances, a lack of chemistry between actors, a narrative rhythm not successful that will bore an adult, and some visual adornments that do not convince at any time.Unfortunately this continuation will only please the kids who, after all, are more conformist when it comes to watching simple movies (as nice as it is to say otherwise, I can say from experience that it is).The best: That will please the kids. The movie poster. The worst: To throw overboard a good idea with a very little ingenious development.

Our family loved the charming first movie but this movie is just awful. The negative reviews already written recap the problems very well: Poor directing, plodding story, predictable outcomes, etc. Ghastly. Three additional criticisms not yet mentioned.(1) Very confusing clothing and haircuts. Who would cast farm kids during WWII to wear polo shirts? That and Vince's mop haircut gave the feeling in the opening scene that this was a modern film with elements from American suburbs.(2) On which planet does a fun children's film feature villains who extort characters with deadly threats of removing both kidneys...and worse? I'm not taking this film seriously but that's just too macabre. (3) During the introduction to special features, Emma Thompson says that this is "An entirely new film." That is just so not true. Indeed, an early scene sets you up to expect to see a duplicate scene copied from the first movie. You get fooled but then a few seconds later you see the scene you expected anyway. The only thing original to this movie compared to the first is that pigs fly. There are positive elements to this movie--beautiful country scenes, nice camera work, good acting by lesser characters--but not enough to warrant spending precious time to watch it.

I really liked the first Nanny McPhee, so I was looking forward to Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. And I enjoyed it greatly, comparing it to the first, they're about the same score-wise but I prefer the first just slightly. The plot isn't as fresh or quite as imaginative this time round I feel and the film could have been shorter, however the film never fails to be lively, colourful and entertaining which was everything I liked about the first movie.The sets are colourful and gorgeous and captured very well by the luscious cinematography, while the music have a certain energy and liveliness to it. The film goes at a cracking pace as well, maybe they could have slowed it down a tad in one or two scenes, but that is minor really, the script is witty and funny, the message doesn't overly-patronise and the direction is sprightly.The performers do wonderfully. The kids are entertaining and don't fall into the trap of being overly-precocious or annoying. Maggie Smith is a delight to watch, Ralph Fiennes is a welcome presence, Rhys Ifans is entertaining and Maggie Gyllahaal is wonderful with a controlled accent and mannerisms. Emma Thompson is the real delight, she does bring a lot of charm, fun and vigour into her title character.All in all, a very enjoyable sequel that does justice to its predecessor. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

After seeing all the positive reviews of this movie, I was hesitant to write a review, but as another reviewer so accurately pointed out, this movie lacked the magic of the first.I can't tell you how disappointed I was. The magic was simply and completely gone in this one.Admittedly, after seeing the terrible commercials for this film, I only rented it at Red Box (for $1 - glad I didn't spend any more!) due to two people being in it...Rhys Ifans and Maggie Smith...Smith being one of my favorite actresses.I won't go into detail about the plot (you're capable of reading and can read that for yourself) but will instead concentrate on what this movie lacked...and there was a lot of that.Gone was the magic of the first movie and yes, I realize that this is a sequel, not a re-make.None of the characters are worth caring about except Ifans and Smith. Ifans is such a royal pain that you simply want to reach into the TV and slap him for being such a nuisance and Smith is charming and much too adorable. Her character is a real delight.The kids, on the other hand, are terrifically boring and lackluster, the character of the mother was simply too over-the-top to even want to care about and what was with the squeaky voiced (and oh-so irritating) hit woman and her counterpart that sounded as if her male-esque voice was faked (because it was)? Might I ask what exactly they were supposed to bring to the movie except to make it ridiculous? Every time the frog voiced woman opened her mouth, I cringed.While I did appreciate the lovely scenery and the quaint farm (which redeemed this movie...somewhat) the only thing that saved it from a 2 rating, was the twist at the end that literally almost knocked me out of my chair.I must also comment on the absolute silliness that Nanny McPhee was now in the military as an Army Nanny (you're joking, right?) and in this one, Nanny herself seemed almost wooden and her lines, forced, as if she didn't want to be there and was simply going through the motions to get them done.In the first one, she was quaint, polished, magical and believable. In this one, she was laughable...and not in a fun or positive way.I was utterly sick after I finished watching this film, because the first Nanny McPhee is one of my favorite movies and even at my age, I watch it all the time. I was not looking forward to the terrible review I was going to have to give it and hate writing this.Vast, vast, disappointment...