I'm not ashamed to admit that I have a certain affection for Mamma Mia. I think it boils down to the idea that it's so bad that it's good. In some ways, the sequel is much of the same. However, there are some seemingly intentional precautions taken that lift this movie to heights that the first one never reached.
The story is split between the past and the present day. As Sophie (Seyfried) prepares for her own daughter to enter the world, we learn more of her mother's story through flashbacks of a young Donna (James) arriving on the island. The interwoven stories are actually executed really well, with certain scenes intentionally mirroring prior/future events. There is good balance between the screen time of the old guard and their younger counterparts, although I personally found the flashback sequences far more interesting that the continuation of the present story. One of the biggest improvements is that the whole affair feels more knowing. Fun is poked at the preposterousness of the plot in a way that wasn't the first time round. It certainly feels more like we are laughing with the movie rather than at it. But even with the self referential tone, there are still some really emotional moments. In particular, the ending scene in the church caught me of guard with it's tenderness and heart.
One of the strongest draws to Mamma Mia was it's extremely likeable cast, which is only further bolstered by the new recruits. Jeremy Irvine, Josh Dylan and Hugh Skinner all do solid jobs of capturing the essence of Sam, Bill and Harry, but the lovely Lily James is the star. Her heavenly voice and bubbly screen presence are responsible for much of the films joy. Most of the original cast up their game too. Julie Walters and Christine Baranski are both hilarious. Brosnan's improvement vocally is pretty impressive - he sounds far less like a terrible David Bowie impersonator and offers genuinely emotional moments. In fact, the film as a whole does a good job of making you feel exactly what you should in any given moment. Special mentions must go to Omid Djalili, who's expertly dead-pan persona steals every scene he is in.
My criticism of the film might be due to a fault in myself rather than the movie. I'm a fairly passive Abba fan - I enjoy a lot of their songs but I'm by no means a super fan. As a result, a lot of the songs were unfamiliar to me. Now I understand that I would be a mistake to simply repeat the soundtrack from the first movie song for song. Variety is the spice of life and all that. Yet, another part of me feels like you've got to stick to the hits. Other than the obvious: Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Fernando etc, there weren't many songs I recognised which left me a feeling a little disengaged during some of the musical numbers. But as I said, that's probably my fault. One the whole the music is really good and there are noticeable improvements to the choreography.
It may not be spectacular, but Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a solid movie. It's a definite improvement from the first movie - the performances, the musical set pieces and the overall tone are all significantly better. As far as feel-good, summer movies go, it's certainly one of the better ones.
3/5 Stars
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