Mamma Mia : Here We Go Again

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Director : Ol Parker

Year : 2018

Genre : Musical

Rating : **1/2

Having despised Phyllida Lloyd's inexplicably popular 2008 adaptation of Bjorn Alvaeus and Benny Andersson's award-winning Broadway smash 'Mamma Mia!', I can't admit to being overly enthusiastic towards the promise of a sequel. With all of the major stars returning including Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski as well as a host of new faces including Lily James, Andy Garcia and even Academy Award winner Cher, 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' appeared to be yet another uncomfortable viewing experience akin to that of  being privy to a drunk hen party. However, while the primary problems of the first film remain intact, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the quality of the performances and in particular, the direction. 

Once again the plot is as thin as you would expect from a movie solely built around the admittedly indestructible ABBA songbook. Taking us once again to the beautiful Greek island of Kalokairi, 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' sees Amanda Seyfried's Sophie desperately trying to bring her late mother's vision of a luxury hotel to life. Meanwhile, the film also features numerous flashbacks to show us how and why Sophie's mother Donna (Lily James) came to the island in the first place as well as how she met her her daughter's three potential fathers. 

Unlike the previous film which looked like a series of poorly choreographed dance sequences hapharazardly strung-together, 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' is directed with a surprising amount of flair and penache by 'Imagine Me & You' helmsman Ol Parker (also serving as principal screenwriter) who uses a great deal of imagination in the many musical numbers. In one particularly memorable duet between Amanda Seyfried's Sophie and Dominic Cooper's Sky, Parker utilises well-crafted transitions and creative work to surprisingly emotive effect. It is this talent behind the camera rather than the actors in front of it that makes 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' a far more enjoyable viewing experience than it's predecessor. That's not to say the stars don't do a good job; Amanda Seyfried is once again great as Sophie while 'Baby Driver's Lily James is absolutely outstanding as the dungaree-wearing Donna (played in the original film by a seemingly inebriated Meryl Streep). But as was the case with the first movie, the biggest problem with 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' is that its story is constructed around the songs when in reality, the opposite should have been the case. 

There is an audible metallic grind that accompanies every preposterously crowbarred musical number (oh, just wait until you hear how the song Fernando is included in the film!) and while most of the cast do a good job with the ABBA songs - apart from Pierce Bronson whose singing voice once again bears an uncanny resemblance to the agonised groanings of a walrus passing a kidney stone - it can't be denied that the inherent awkwardness of the original film pervades in its sequel. Unlike other musical films where the song and dance scenes feel organic and germane to the emotional arc of the plot, here they instead feel forced and, at certain points, wholly unnecessary. From a purely technical standpoint, 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' looks and sounds a million times better than it's predecessor. However, after a small amount of deliberation, I have come to the decision that the 'Mamma Mia!' films are like class A drugs or general daily exercise - enjoyable for a lot of people but just not for me.