Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

Coming a full ten years after the first film, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, picks up again with all the characters we fell in love with the first time a ways down the road from when we last saw them. Within that time, the filmmakers managed to craft a follow-up that is maybe, possibly, and much to my surprise better than the first one.  

Sophie (played by Amanda Seyfried) is putting the finishing touches on a remodel of her mother's treasured hotel on the small island of Kalokari in Greece. Her mother, Donna (played by Meryl Streep), passed away a year prior so the completion is something of a tribute to her mother on behalf of her and her father Sam (played by Pierce Brosnan). To mark the reopening, they are planning a grand celebration with the return of old friends, including Donna's best friends Tanya (played by Christine Baranski) and Rosie (played by Julie Walters) as well as Sophie's other dads, Bill (played by Stellan Skarsgard) and Harry (played by Colin Firth). During this, we also flashback to when Donna (played by Lily James) first struck out on her own, first to Paris where she met Harry (played by Hugh Skinner), and then on to Greece, where she first meets Bill (played by Josh Dylan) and then Sam (played by Jeremy Irvine), as well as how she first wound up with her beloved hotel. By her side for much of it are her beloved best friends Rosie (played by Alexa Davies) and Tanya (played by Jessica Keenan Wynn). 

Ol Parker both wrote and directed the film, from a story he developed with Richard Curtis and Catherine Johnson. They took inspiration from one of the greatest sequels of all time, The Godfather, Part II, to craft their follow-up with a movie that is at once a sequel and a prequel. Parker does a great job balancing both halves of the film as it transitions from the past to present day with ease. I also have say it takes balls of steel to make a sequel and kill off the beloved main character of the previous film, a plot point I was initially very resistant to, but it does add a strong poignancy to the film that actually sneaked up on me and I was not expecting. 

Of course, the main draw of the film is the musical numbers. I feel that they were maybe a bit better integrated into the narrative, but it probably helps that this film uses some deeper ABBA cuts like "When I Kissed the Teacher" or "Why Did It Have to Be Me". Some of the more popular songs do make an appearance though, such as young Donna and Harry having lunch at a Napoleon themed restaurant so we can shoehorn in "Waterloo" (which is not a complaint, in fact it's one of the best numbers in the show). "Dancing Queen" also makes a second appearance towards the end in a wonderfully triumphant sequence. Of course, it also feels like they stepped things up a little in terms of the musical numbers, such as the aforementioned "Why Did it Have to Be Me" being performed on Bill's sailboat in the middle of the ocean, which could not have been easy to shoot. The same for both the "Waterloo", which was playful and fun, and the reprise of "Dancing Queen" being a huge and wonderful spectacle. 

The whole cast of the original film return for this outing, including Meryl Streep in a scene I won't spoil except to say it was beautiful and absolutely wrecked me emotionally. Amanda Seyfried leads the film for the modern day segments, fretting about the opening of the hotel as well as her strained relationship with boyfriend Sky (played by Dominic Cooper). Pierce Brosnan is back as Sam and does well at being a source of support for Sophie as the two try to get the hotel open. For those who didn't like his singing in the first one, he is mercifully spared from singing for most of the film, aside from one small, poignant moment that I really rather liked. Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are as much fun as ever slipping back into their roles as Tanya and Rosie, returning for the grand reopening and to help Sophie. Also back are Stellan Skarsgard and Colin Firth, who don't have as big of parts this time around, but certainly make a fun pair for their scenes together (I won't spoil it, but you'll see what I mean when you see the movie). Andy Garcia is a new addition to this film as the manager of the hotel who, in a fun twist, has a strong connection to Sophie's family that I don't think she was even aware of. And, of course, I have to talk about Cher as Sophie's grandmother. Anyone going to this just for her is going to be disappointed as she doesn't show up until towards the end, but she is fantastic as Ruby. 

The prequel side of the cast is equally impressive, led by Lily James who manages to so perfectly embody Donna with her infectious free spirit nature, it's easy to see why the three guys she encounters in her adventures all fall for her right away. On the other side of the coin, they found some wonderfully charismatic guys to play the younger versions of the three guys. First up is Hugh Skinner as wonderfully innocent and funny Harry who pretty much falls for her the moment they meet in a hotel lobby in Paris. After that, she encounters Bill in Greece, played by Josh Dylan, who is frankly quite charismatic and smoking hot so no judgement there for jumping from one guy to the next. Finally, there's Jeremy Irvine as the younger Sam, who she meets when she first arrives on Kalokari. He has some good chemistry with Lily James, but anyone who saw the first film knows how this one ends as well. 

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is a triumphant and fun second outing with a group of characters I have always loved, while also delving into their past and showing how some key events referenced in the first film actually played out. It is just as much a bright and lively musical as the first film, but with a bit more of an emotional center to it as well making the film overall a little more satisfying than the lightweight original (which, don't get me wrong, I still love just as much). Fans of the original film will probably love this one just as much. I know I did, as I sat in the dark with my ice cold soda, tapping my feet and singing along with every song.