Remember at the end of last year when we all (rightfully) called Paddington 2 the film the world needed in such dark and troubling times? Mamma Mia 2, ingeniously subtitled Here We Go Again, gorgeously recaptures that very sense of magic for a sunny slice of summer cinema spectacle, transporting us to the same exotic location, with faces - familiar and new - whisking us through a fizzy jukebox musical bursting at the seams with pop sensation ABBA's biggest, brightest hits and some hidden gems for good measure. Brilliantly bonkers and unapologetically joyful, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is everything any fan of the original film could have wanted.
Both a sequel and a prequel, Here We Go Again weaves between the present and the past to explore how Donna (played by both Meryl Streep and Lily James) came to live on the island, meet her three lovers and cope as a single parent with the pregnancy of her daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried). Alongside Streep, James and Seyfried, the returning cast members *deep breath* Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters are joined by an array of new faces, including *deep breath* Andy Garcia, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies, Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner, Josh Dylan and the one and only Cher.
If its frivolous fun, exuberant charm and unmatched extravaganza you've come looking for, then Here We Go Again is the film for you - but you knew that before you brought your ticket. Mamma Mia 2 is not in the business of changing hearts or minds and is more than happy in doubling down on the camp spectacle of the first and giving more of what the audience loved the first time, without hesitation or concern. It's breezy, carefree attitude and approach remain intact and its tongue is more firmly in cheek than before - reflected no more than in Benny Andersson's cheeky look-to-camera cameo appearance.
A stacked soundtrack terrifically balances the fan favourites with new material; the iconic piano roll of 'Dancing Queen' (a sound that filled me with so much excitement that I kicked over my drink and nearly broke my neck on trying to avoid at the end) and the effervescent celebration that follows it is a clear highlight topped only by the show-stopping 'Super Trouper' finale that plastered the biggest smile imaginable on every audience members' face. It is a sequence that empowers the film to have its thoroughly-deserved cake AND eat it too, to everyone's delight, breaking the space and time continuum to stunningly buoyant effect. 'Waterloo's' set piece is packed with imagination and admirable diversity, while the titular anthem receives a stunning reimagining that you could argue is the heart and soul of everything the film is built around - friendship, family and music. Gorgeous production design (that inflated production budget really does help) and a hard-working art department allow the film to fire on every cylinder imaginable.
A film like Here We Go Again relies so very much on a hearty, committed cast and the filmmakers are extremely lucky to have the ensemble they have here. Amanda Seyfried is the only person to play it seriously - but I think the film needed it. She manages to bring a dramatic charge that provides it with the range and depth it requires to work. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are so perfectly matched and their double act is unbelievably refreshing, slipping right back into the dynamic they nailed in the original film: 'Angel Eyes' is where they come to life, with a bubbly, often slapstick performative piece that fizzes with energy. Brosnan, Skarsgard and Firth are all game but it is the latter who is most charming, a total joy to have around with some barn-burning dances moves in tow - although I'm a little disappointed a pivotal element of his narrative arc was ignored this time out.
Lily James is the brightest ray of sunshine in a film that is literally pure sunshine, so magnificently capturing the spirit and personality of Donna; that she even begins to fill the star-spangled golden boots of a legend like Streep is a hearty testament to her prowess and talent. 'When I Kissed The Teacher' is a gloriously bolshy opening and really sets the tone for a bigger and better sequel. Other 'young' cast members do a similarly impressive job at filling their counterparts' platforms and while Cher is there, plainly and simply, for fan service, who can deny a film this preposterously ludicrous to indulge us in just that. Your heart with swoon for her firework-heavy rendition of 'Fernando' with a wonderful Andy Garcia matching her charisma.
Unsurprisingly, Streep delivers a towering performance in what is essentially a glorified cameo, making her impact felt across the film; Streep is the film's beating heart and injects it with plentiful emotion, flooding even the hardest of hearts with tenderness: 'My Love, My Life' is an unbelievably moving sequence and it wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it does without the film's sense of character and strong theme work. Family and friendships are the pulse of Mamma Mia! and the third act's church-set sequence is exquisitely crafted to reflect and capture everything crucial to the film's (and original musical's) long-enduring success.
No one comes to Mamma Mia 2 for the script but we have to talk about it: it's incredibly flimsy. It barely holds together and the narrative is evidently pieced around the songs, rather than them developing organically - but it is serviceable, operating effectively in connecting the songs we know and love. Although Ol Parker's screenplay may not hold much weight it is essentially designed as a series of glossy, flashy music videos and we zip between them so energetically that you care not for how thin the connective tissue is.
Here We Go Again is a far slicker experience, visually. With smoother camerawork and clever scene transitions that bolsters the crossing of timelines, there is some genuinely impressive technical work on display. Editor Peter Lambert enhances it with some quick cuts but Parker deserves most of the credit for so efficiently streamlining the piece. Honestly, the whole thing could have collapsed under the pressure of the bells and the whistles and the kitchen sink but - in his feature directorial debut, no less - he keeps it ticking over fantastically. It's a step up from the original in almost every regard and the stronger, confident direction plays a considerable part in that.
No one comes to Mamma Mia 2 for the script but we have to talk about it: it's incredibly flimsy. It barely holds together and the narrative is evidently pieced around the songs, rather than them developing organically - but it is serviceable, operating effectively in connecting the songs we know and love. Although Ol Parker's screenplay may not hold much weight it is essentially designed as a series of glossy, flashy music videos and we zip between them so energetically that you care not for how thin the connective tissue is.
Here We Go Again is a far slicker experience, visually. With smoother camerawork and clever scene transitions that bolsters the crossing of timelines, there is some genuinely impressive technical work on display. Editor Peter Lambert enhances it with some quick cuts but Parker deserves most of the credit for so efficiently streamlining the piece. Honestly, the whole thing could have collapsed under the pressure of the bells and the whistles and the kitchen sink but - in his feature directorial debut, no less - he keeps it ticking over fantastically. It's a step up from the original in almost every regard and the stronger, confident direction plays a considerable part in that.
The world needs Mamma Mia: that may be a bold claim but it is the most perfectly-calibrated and uncompromising piece of escapism we may ever see, oozing with an unparalleled sense of fun that fills you with so much happiness. It sparkles, crackles and bubbles with pure euphoria for the entirety of its 114-minute runtime and flashes by in a beautifully frothy blur of glitter, spandex and picturesque scenery that will make you sing, dance, gasp, cheer and cry - often at the same time. A jukebox musical that catapults you into the stratosphere, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is everything fans of the original wanted it to be and often so much more - can we not wait ten years to do it all again, though? I want the feeling this film created within me to be bottled for future use.
★★★★★★★★★☆
(9/10)
Summary: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is everything fans wanted it to be and more, a fizzy spectacular that enhances everything you loved about the first to show-stopping effect. Complete with a gloriously-committed ensemble, the songs you know and love and the purest sensation of fun and joy imaginable, gather your Dancing Queens for the time of your life with Here We Go Again!