This is a review of the standard-def DVD released 19th July 2010

Five years on from the original film, this sequel sees Emma Thompson again play the part of the mysterious nanny who appears when she’s needed the most and wanted the least. This time she finds herself on a family farm set during World War 2, and mayhem has broken out between some boisterous country children and their spoilt city cousins who have been sent away for their own protection. Nanny McPhee is there to help bring some peace for Mrs Green, who is the mother of the three country kids and aunt to the two others. Using such aids as a flying motorcycle and a tree-climbing piglet, Nanny McPhee conjures up just the right formula to teach the children five new lessons.

While my children thought this was as good as the first film, I thought it lacked some of the colour and cartoonish appeal its predecessor had, due in no small part to the characters who are missing this time round. Colin Firth was outstanding in the earlier film, but his equivalent in this tale, Rhys Ifans, lacks the comic subtleties that appeal to young and old alike. As a story it’s quite good, and efforts have been made to include a little more of everything – particularly animals and birds – but despite good production design it still feels slightly disappointing, the overall concept too similar without any really new ground being covered. But the primary target audience is primary school children and my own expert offspring have already passed judgement and have decided that the sequel is every bit as good as the first.

On the DVD there are 11 deleted scenes and some featurettes including some ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage of how some parts of the film were made, and a speeded-up short film of Emma Thompson having her very heavy make-up applied. Finally there is a full re-run of the film with a voice-over (commentary) by the director Susanna White.

It’s a pleasant enough family film which will probably please most of those who enjoyed the original Nanny McPhee film, but it isn’t as funny or as memorable and I doubt that it will get as many repeat viewings. Although I bought it, on reflection I think renting might have been a better option.

This sequal follows a similar story arc to the first Nanny McPhee but the story is very different.
I loved the first film and didn’t expect too much from this one as quite often I am dissappointed by sequals, however this time I was very plesantly surprised, I think they stuck to the basic outline of the first one and put in the parts which they needed to and surrounded them by a fantastically funny and magical new story.
My two boys who are 6 and 7 absolutely loved it and have already watched the dvd 5 times, we really hope they do a third film in the series, as Nanny McPhee is such a great character.
The DVD itself has a small selection of extras, mainly featurettes and all in all isn’t a bad price.

The second outing for Nanny McPhee is charming, relaxing and surprisingly moving. In my view it is not quite as funny as the first film, and the cast not quite so magnificent, but it remains very enjoyable and well worth the money. It also tackles more serious issues than the first film, and handles them very well. If you liked the first film then you will definitely enjoy this one. Recommended if you like this sort of thing.

MY FAMILY AND I THOUGHT THIS FILM WAS BRILLIANT EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE. I WONT TELL THE STORY BUT NANNY GETS A FAMILY WHICH NEED HER TO TEACH THEM LESSONS IN HOW TO GET ON AND WHEN THEY DO LEARN THESE LESSONS THEY WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE THE DAY,WITH THE HELP OF NANNY MC PHEE AND HER WONDERFUL MAGIC STICK.
THIS FILM KEPT THE LITTLE ONES GLUED TO THE TV AND US BIG ONES AS IT WAS SUCH FUN TO WATCH AND THE STORYLINE DID IN THE END SHOW HOW IT LINKED TO THE FIRST FILM IT WAS JUST EXCELLENT, I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS FILM AS A BRILLIANT HAPPY FUN FILM FOR ANY RAINY DAY IT WILL KEEP YOU GLUED TO THE END.JULIE.

I received my dvd on Saturday, I sat down and watched it Sat night. I enjoyed it from start to finish. The swimming pigs, the mannerisums, the amimals, what a brilliant film, fantastically put together, brilliantly made and a great family film.

I would recommend this film for anybody of all ages to watch, I hope they do another Nanny McPhee,(little c big P)

We enjoyed the first installment of Nanny McPhee and this one didnt disappoint , both my 7 and 8 year old loved it , a real childrens film with innocent humour and a touching story , highly recommended

Emma Thompson had her role in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows so that she could focus on Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, the sequel to the 2005 family hit Nanny McPhee which she starred in and wrote. The new film has an all-star cast just as the first, is fantastically British, is charming and witty and appeals to all ages. It also fits into the rare group of films in which the sequel is better than the original. Yeah, it’s quite good.

This time around, Nanny McPhee is called upon by Mrs Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to help her with her 2 children and another 2 she’s looking after for her brother (a high ranking war official played by Ralph Fiennes) while her husband (Ewan McGregor) is away at war. The story follows a similar pattern as the first with Thompson’s character teaching the kids vital life lessons, encountering a potentially terrible situation (evil uncle Rhys Ifans wants to sell their farm, oh no!) and then bobbing along towards the inevitably happy ending. It’s kept interesting and entertaining though by the constant flurry of gags for the adults and good use of slapstick for the kids.

The humour works because the cast are so good. Thompson’s delivery is perfect and there’s also a fantastically funny cameo appearance from Bill Bailey. Emma Thompson also wrote the script for this film and so she should really take 95% of the credit for the entertainment. The rest of the cast do a great job too though, with Ralph Fiennes standing out as he always does and the kids are also to be commended even though they aren’t quite as good as those from the first film. Although, like in 2006′s Stormbreaker, having Ewan McGregor in there seems just like an excuse to have a big name on the poster because he really adds nothing to the film.

Director Susanna White should get a healthy dose of kudos too. The film looks brilliant with it’s bright colours and old fashioned British feel. Filmed in modest locations such as Oxfordshire and Surrey, the film shows that you don’t need all the green screen in the world to have a damn good looking film.

I could praise the director and the cast all day, but the real star of the show is of course Emma Thompson. She’s not only brilliant as the titular character, the script she’s written is also fantastically funny and entertaining. Big respect to her for turning down the big budget Harry Potter to put her heart and soul into this modes family British film – it shows she put a lot into this film and as a result it’s the best family film I’ve seen this year so far.

i went to see this film with me mates and we all loved it! it was a funny film and better then the old one. Some films that you watch, you have to see the first film to get the next one but with Nanny McPhee and the big bang you don’t.

i absolutely loved this film when i went to see this with my friend and i thought it was very funny to. its a good film for the whole family ages from about 5 or 6 to be able to be enjoyed. the best part of it was definitely the pigs because they did synchronised swimming. altogether a great film and i’m sure you will like it too.

The second Nanny McPhee movie varies very little from the format of the first. A parent living on their own struggles to cope with a number of “high spirited” children. A magical Nanny appears uninvited to teach the children a few lessons about socially acceptable behaviour, considerably improving her physical appearance as each lesson is learned.

This time Maggie Gyllenhal is the stressed parent. Her husband is away at the war and she struggles to run the farm, especially with debt ridden brother-in-law Rhys Ifans trying to persuade her to sell the farm.

Happily this time the children aren’t as insufferable as the first film. They are very helpful around the farm but do not get on with their two visiting posh cousins. Thamkfully Nanny McPhee teaches them the benefits of everyone getting along together.

Written by Emma Thompson the young ones will enjoy the slapstick and chase scenes but adults who have seen the first film may find it a bit repetitive. The acting is generally good. Ms. Gyllenhal’s English accent is excellent though her acting veers towards the shrill at times.

An enjoyable if unoriginal children’s film