Hollywood sequels, it’s a game we play! Bye bye doesn’t mean forever…

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is the sequel to the 2008 musical hit Mamma Mia! With the same star studded cast consisting of Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth. With new additions featuring Cher, and also Lily James, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, and Jeremy Irvine playing the younger versions of their respective characters.

Mamma Mia! while charming, and featured 109 minutes of Meryl Streep performing ABBA numbers, (and let’s face it, how could any of us resist that) – felt lacking in some areas, the plot was elaborate enough. But the film simply glossed over it, and the musical numbers & its choreography – while cute, weren’t exactly high quality material, and certainly didn’t do Pierce Brosnan any favors unfortunately.

But as a connoisseur in the realm of cheesy musicals, and being the soft spoken melancholic mess that I am. I couldn’t help but fell in love with the film, in all of its overly-saturated blue-tinted glory. (you did too, don’t lie to yourself)

So when i went to a showing of Ridley Scott’s All the Money in The World, and to my delight the first trailer for Mamma Mia 2 was played. I couldn’t help but sang along to all of its cheesy ABBA glory as soon as Lily James yelled HIT IT! Which to no surprise left my newly-made friends dumbfounded, (and looking back now, it’s crystal-clear why i’ve never heard from them since then).

So… How’s the Sequel…?

I went in to Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again with moderate expectations. Obviously there’s that voice in your head that everyone has when dealing with sequels which is; “what if it’s only a quick cash-grab?” – but honestly, if it even managed to feature a miniscule amount of what glory the first one had, i would’ve been pretty damn happy.

Felt More than Damn Happy…
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, is an exemplary sequel. Not only it featured the cheesy aspects that you and i so cherish. But, it breathed new life to the characters, something i personally felt lacking in the first one.

It took a very Empire Strikes Back-esque route of story telling which is “screw the plot, let’s just put it all on the characters” and it worked wonders for them. While Amanda Seyfried is still the main throughline in this story. She does take a backseat in the scope of the narrative, and we are presented with more of Donna‘s past which featured the lovely Lily James.

With the many strengths this film possesses. Editing, is definitely one of them. Not only it featured very stylized and creative transitions, but it excels in juggling both Seyfried‘s and James‘s respective narrative without it becoming a jumbled mess.

The Past Never Seemed so Great…

And it’d be a crime not to mention the newly added supporting cast. You’d be forgiven if you thought the filmmakers conjured up strenuous amounts of black magic to get a young Julie Walters, but all of that is thanks to Alexa Davies who brilliantly portrayed young Rosie. Jessica Keenan Wynn was also great as young Tanya, and their chemistry was simply electrifying.

and as for the the three dads, Josh Dylan portrays a charming young Bill (surprisingly they went with someone who isn’t a Skarsgård), Jeremy Irvine gives us a possible vision of how Brosnan was when he was still smiling, but it was truly Hugh Skinner who stole the show, portraying the everso timid, and clumsy Colin Firth.

As for the elephant in the room, Cher‘s performance is something you truly need to judge with your own eyes & ears. But there’s a truly glorious moment with her in which she performs a certain number, and you’ll know it when you see it.

Go See It for Heaven’s Sake…

Every hour, every minute seemed to last eternally for Mamma-Mia! Here We Go Again, it’s one of those rare films that achieved all of its goals that it set out. It’s immensely wholesome, a feel-good flick that stands mighty amongst the now fetishized dark and dreary flicks. It’s pure joy

 

Look… the rules are simple, when one of your sub-plots involves Stellan Skarsgård receiving an Award for “Best Swede Ever”, then you ought to be a contender for best film of the year.

 

While it never sets out to be complex. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again oozes charm, and exuberates infinite amounts of joy.