Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again | Film Review

Put on your platforms and get ready to go make moves, Dancing Queens. Here we go again.

Mamma Mia 2 follows Sophie’s determination to revitalize the hotel just the way her mother would want it, but also gives us a glimpse into how Sophie came to be, as well as what Donna was like as a young girl, just before getting pregnant.

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) must learn how to cope with many challenges that are brought her way, both leading up to this point in the story, as well as what’s to come. To prepare for the grand re-opening of the hotel her mother worked so hard on her whole life, she invites the entire gang to come back and see it. All three dads and Donna’s ‘Dynamos’, among many others in this gleeful cast.

While we focus on Sophie’s present life complications, we take a look back at Donna’s struggles and first interactions with her lifelong Greek island. Lily James plays the young version of Donna and man, is she a stunner. Lily James manages to shock me in each role I find her in, even though at this stage in her career I am fully aware she’s going to be wonderful. Having an actress who steals the beauty of every scene she is in and gives us a performance to hold on to and remember, truly feels like a gift. She is not only talented on the screen, but also has a pleasantly enchanting singing voice as well; a true showstopper who is perfect to take the reigns from the Queen herself, Ms. Meryl Streep. Although we get very little of Streep, the essence of her character is completely evoked through James’ performance as Donna, throwing her hands in the air, laughing with passion and putting us all under a spell with her smile.

While I could go on and on and fulfill thesis length requirements about how stellar Lily James was and how I want to see her in everything (I do), I’d be failing you if I didn’t mention the rest of the cast. Having Colin Firth, the almighty Cher, and Amanda Seyfried as the most recognizable cast members, you’re bound to have fun, but the rest aren’t without praise. There’s not enough in Mamma Mia 2 to sing the praises too high in terms of depth, but they all seem to have an enjoyable chemistry that makes you feel like you are right there with them. Singing, dancing, laughing.

The script in itself is very simplistic, but with the casting, music, and heart, it feels much more developed than you might expect going into it, and certainly more than the first Mamma Mia. The story really dives into love and friendship further than the first did, but also moves into grief, utter heartbreak, and loss. There are a few moments that I felt could have been tightened up a bit, but for incorporating two timelines, it didn’t feel choppy or shuffled. It’s a fun flick to catch with your friends, especially the ones you go out to Karaoke with on Friday nights.

Director Ol Parker does a great job of incorporating the apparently never-ending catalog of ABBA songs into scenes with much more relevancy than the first, and for the most part, chooses the right voices for the songs. Although, one of them might make you stop dancing in your seat long enough to wrinkle your nose and go “mmm, not today, Satan”.

But nonetheless, you’re going to add the soundtrack to your playlist and dance it out when you’re running, doing the dishes, or just had a long day and want to exert all the positivity you can. Don’t expect your shoulders to stop grooving to this Mamma Mia for quite some time.