MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

It's been ten years since the release of Mamma Mia!, which was based on the hit stage musical of the same name. A lot of people doubted its success, mainly because audiences had already seen it on the stage and Phyllida Lloyd, who directed both the stage musical and its film adaptation, didn't think it'd be as successful. Fortunately, she was proved wrong as Mamma Mia! went on to receive $615 million at the box office. I think the main reason it was successful is because of its star studded cast which includes Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski. It also featured many of ABBA's greatest hits, including Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, SOS, Money Money Money and many more. Because of its success, a sequel was announced and now, a decade later, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again has been released, however, is it as entertaining as its energetic predecessor or a disappointment like a lot of sequels?

Five years after the events of Mamma Mia!, on the Greek island of Kalokairi , Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is running her mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) villa, who has died a year prior to the events of the film. Her relationship with Sky (Dominic Cooper) has been turbulent for some time, giving her cause to doubt that she can survive without her mother. With Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie's (Julie Walters) guidance, Sophie will find out more of Donna's past, including how she fronted The Dynamos, started her villa on the island from nothing, met each one of Sophie's dads, Sam, Bill and Harry (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård, and Colin Firth), and raised a daughter, without a mother to guide her. She also has an unexpected visit from someone she has never even met: her estranged grandmother, Ruby Sheridan (Cher).

While lacking the high energy of the first film, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is still very entertaining throughout and I doubt fans will be disappointed. Because most of ABBA’s biggest hits were featured in the previous film, most of their songs that feature in the sequel will probably only be known by die-hard fans of the Swedish pop group. Before watching Here We Go Again, I wasn’t familiar with the songs Angeleyes, When I Kissed The Teacher, Fernando, however, they were the songs I really enjoyed the most. Those who are more familiar with their greatest hits will be happy to hear that Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Super Trouper make another appearance. Mamma Mia is sung by a broken-hearted young Donna (Lily James), however, it soon turns into an energetic rendition as she performs on stage with her friends, Rosie (Alexa Davies) and Tanya (Jessica Keenan Wynn). Dancing Queen is sung in the present day by Sophie, Rosie, Tanya, Sam, Bill and Harry in one of the most energetic sequences of the film. 

The majority of Here We Go Again focuses a lot on Donna when she was younger and is played by James who captures her likeable and ambitious personality. We learn how she met Harry (Hugh Skinner), Bill (Josh Dylan) and Sam (Jeremy Irvine). While these scenes are fun to watch, mainly due to its catchy musical numbers, the story is predictable as Donna explained her past in the first film. We know her romances with each of the three characters are going to fizzle so there’s no surprises or any tension. The romance aspect of the story is rushed so it’s hard to believe Donna had any feelings for either of the three men. I would’ve enjoyed Here We Go Again if it had focused on the current day and on Sophie, who is pregnant and stressing about running the hotel on the island without her mother. I found this side of the story more interesting as I wanted to see more of the characters we loved from the first film. Certain scenes in the flashbacks felt more awkward to me than fun, including when Harry sings Waterloo. Donna and Harry meet in Paris and Harry tries to seduce her by taking her to a restaurant where he begins to sing Waterloo. It's hard to believe anyone would fall in love with him after that rendition, let alone sleep with him, which is what Donna does. She then leaves the next morning to get a boat to Greece, unfortunately, she is late, leading to her getting on Bill's boat which leads to her next hook-up. 

I don't think that it's really a spoiler to say that Donna is dead as many viewers guessed it from the trailer, due to her absence. I would’ve liked to seen Donna return, unfortunately, Streep was too busy filming for her Oscar nominated role in Steven Spielberg’s drama, The Post, which was released earlier this year. It’s a shame that the writers couldn’t come up with any better excuse as to why Donna wasn’t in the film so they killed her off. Despite her absence for the majority of Here We Go Again, she does make a cameo in one of the most emotional scenes in the film. She also appears in the end credits where she sings Super Trouper with the entire cast.

Speaking of cast, most of the actors who appeared in Mamma Mia! return for the sequel. Seyfried gives a very good performance as Sophie. For most of the film, she is grieving for the loss of her mother and stressed about the opening of the hotel. Sophie has also matured a lot since the first film and is starting to understand what her mother went through. Many criticised Brosnan's singing and those critics will be thankful to learn that he doesn't sing as much in this sequel, however, in one scene, as he remembers Donna, he softly sings SOS. Firth and Skarsgård don't get much screentime, however, they make an appearance towards the end when they realise their priority is Sophie. Baranski and Walters bring the majority of the comic relief, with their witty one liners. James was a great choice for the role of younger Donna. She captures her ambitious and energetic personality. A casting choice I was most confused about was Cher as Donna's mother. Cher is only three years older than Streep and it feels like the casting decision was made mainly due to how famous she is. I think that her fans, who are only watching this sequel for her, will be disappointed as she doesn't make her appearance until the end of the film, where she sings Fernando to the hotel manager who is called Fernando (Andy Garcia), a man she had a previous relationship with.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, while lacking the high energy of its predecessor, is still entertaining throughout, due to its catchy soundtrack and strong performances from its star studded cast.

7/10