Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!

I'm at a loss why there are so many poor reviews of this film. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I loved it from the start. Lily James was outstanding as young Donna. Yes it was a shame Meryl Streep didn't play a bigger part but such is life. Take it for what it is. There were a couple of songs i didn't know so it may have been better keeping to the well known songs, however they did fit in with the script. It was a rollercoaster or emotions. Laughing and crying in equal measure. Julie Walters was as fabulous as always too. I loved it and will be watching it again as soon as i can.

Greetings again from the darkness. It's been 10 years since director Phyllida Lloyd presented the crowd-pleasing MAMMA MIA! movie. It was a box office hit (over $600 million worldwide) and was, for a few years, the highest grossing musical of all-time. Most importantly, it was extremely entertaining and a joyous cinematic romp for viewers. This year's sequel is directed by Ol Parker (THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL and husband to actress Thandie Newton), and though the melancholy is slathered on a bit too thick, it also fulfills its number one priority - entertaining the fans.

The story begins with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) putting the final touches on the house-turned-hotel in preparation for the upcoming Grand Opening. It's named Hotel Bella Donna in honor of Sophie's mother (Meryl Streep). What looks to be a straight-forward story surprises us with a flashback to Donna's 1979 graduation, which features not only the first song-and-dance number "When I Kissed the Teacher", but also the first of two ABBA cameos ... Bjorn Ulvaeus as a professor. The young Donna is played brilliantly by Lily James, and she effortlessly captures the free-spiritedness that led to the conundrum of the first movie - 3 possible dads for Sophie.

Those 3 dads return not only as Pierce Brosnan (Sam), Stellan Skarsgard (Bill), and Colin Firth (Harry), but also as Jeremy Irvine (young Sam), Josh Dylan (young Bill), and Hugh Skinner (young Harry). In fact, most of the run time is dedicated to the backstory of these characters and how they first met as youngsters. Each has a segment (and song) with young Harry featured in "Waterloo" accompanied by Benny Andersson (ABBA cameo #2) on piano. Young Bill is the charming sailor who saves the day for Donna, while young Sam assists her with saving a storm-shaken horse (kind of humorous since Mr. Irvine starred in WAR HORSE).

Also back are Dominic Cooper as Sky, Sophie's true love, who can't decide between romance and career, and Donna's life-long friends Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters), who are also part of the flashback as Jessica Keenan Wynn (excellent as young Tanya) and Alexa Davies (as young Rosie). New to the cast are Celia Imrie in the graduation number, Andy Garcia as the hotel manager, and drawing the biggest applause of all ... Cher as Sophie's grandmother (and as my viewing partner commented, an early peek at what Lady Gaga will look like as a grandma)! It's best if you experience Cher for yourself, and it should be noted that this is her first big screen appearance since BURLESQUE in 2010.

Of course, the songs are key and many of the ABBA numbers from the first movie are featured again this time. In particular, "Dancing Queen" is a nautical standout, and "Fernando" is a show-stopper. While it may not be quite as raucous as the first, it's a treat watching Lily James, and there is a wonderful blending of "old" and "new" in the finale. The only real question remaining is, did the casting director do the math before casting Cher (age 72) as Meryl Streep's (age 69) mother?

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, takes place five years after the original movie, as Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) prepares a party for the grand reopening of her mother's Hotel Bella Donna on Kalokairi. Through flashbacks, a second plot-line set in 1979 reveals how young Donna (Lily James) met and romanced the young Sam, Bill, and Harry who became Sophie's fathers.

The 1979 plot-line, which was written to fill in the long-awaited details of how Donna became involved with Sam, Bill, and Harry, was, for the most part, uninspired. The attraction between Young Donna and the charming Bill (Josh Dylan) was believable, and a bright spot in the movie. The development of Donna's feelings for Sam (Jeremy Irvine) and Harry (Hugh Skinner) were unconvincing, though, and it seems that the songs in these scenes were used to cover up for the lack of chemistry between the characters.

Cast-wise, the lovely and charming Lily James carried the show. She sang beautifully, turned in an outstanding acting performance, and most of her scenes made for striking cinematography. Cher (as Ruby Sheridan) rode the strength of "Fernando" to one of the musical's highlight numbers, but her performance in "Super Trouper" was lackluster.

Director Ol Parker did not measure up to Phyllida Lloyd's impressive directing in the original Mamma Mia! The supporting players, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard were not well portrayed in some scenes by Parker, and the actors looked awkward at times. Lloyd's use of facial close-ups and angles in the original were brilliant by comparison.

Five songs; Waterloo, "I Have a Dream," "The Name of the Game," "Mamma Mia," "Dancing Queen," and "Super Trouper" from the original Mamma Mia! are featured in this prequel.

The dance scenes mostly looked bland in comparison to the original. The "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" -- "Voulez-Vous" party sequence of the original movie was spectacular in comparison.

There are a few good songs that were not used in the original. Early in the movie, Lily James turns in a sexy performance with "When I Kissed the Teacher," wearing retro-style pinstriped pants that accentuate her curvy hips. Mostly, though, the writers reached pretty deep to present music in Here We Go Again that wasn't sung in the original. Unfortunately, this resulted in many of the musical segments feeling forced into the story line. Also, Director Ol Parker falls well short of achieving the enjoyable visual and audio quality of the original film's musical numbers.

While the on-scene sets were mostly in Greece in the original, most of the on-scene sets in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again were in Croatia. Although they tried to achieve similar scenic effects in Here We Go Again, the scenery is better in the original.

The original Mamma Mia!, with an excellent cast, superb directing, intense face close-ups, choice song selection, beautiful scenery, and superbly-produced musical numbers resulted in a huge smile factor for me throughout the movie. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again fell well short of the original in all these aspects, with few smiles.

I like the first film and we looked forward to the second. It has some funny bits but overall has lost the feel good factor expected. The first half was very slow and it jumps too much between times. The songs aren't as well known which doesn't help. There was really no need for the loss part could have just had donna away somewhere and flown in with cher at the end. The plus part was super trooper as it felt like the first film's happy vibe as I hoped the whole film would.

Feel-good film of the year. I cannot get over how good this movie was. It was the most entertaining sequel I've seen. Point. There was a portion in the middle of the film where I laughed after every line said.

This is a humorous, light-hearted film that gets you addicted to the feeling of being young; having no plans and being okay with the uncertainty of it all.

A aesthetically beautiful film that captures the heart of the disco eva of the 70's. Costumes are beautiful - especially that scene in the orchard when the girl wears that orange skirt. Gorgeous.

A film to watch with your mum, ganny and best friend. Go into the film with a smile and leave laughing. Don't expect to learn life lessons - just enjoy the silliness of the Mamma Mia universe.