I don’t think there must have been much trouble picking the title!
The movie takes place 5 years after the events of the first movie that came out 10 years ago! Mamma Mia was a huge blockbuster of 2008 and was only recently surpassed by Beauty and the Beast for being the highest grossing musical ever made along with being the highest grossing movie ever made by a woman which was also recently surpassed by Wonder Woman. It is one of those movies widely and profoundly cherished by fans everywhere. It easily led the makers wanting to cash in the success by making a sequel of the summer jukebox musical blockbuster based on the songs by ABBA, who were the best selling music artists of the 70’s.
The movie is based on both, the present and younger versions of Donna, Rosie, Tanya, Harry, Sam and Bill. Hence, the movie keeps going back and forth from the present to flashbacks of the time when Donna first met the three men. The two different timelines, work well enough. I think Ol Parker’s previous work in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel is comparatively better. The musical is a feel good kind of a film in which you can walk in and enjoy some singing and dancing with characters we have all loved once before. Most part of the film is the story from Donna’s diary, which we have already heard in the previous part. Honey, honey, how he thrills me a-ha! (I don’t really like that song) Remember?
Almost the entire original cast of the film has returned. We have Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies playing young Tanya and Rosie respectively, along with Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner and Josh Dylan portrays young Sam, Harry and Bill. I wasn’t bothered much about the younger versions of the male cast, though Skinner looked most apt for spontaneous Harry’s part. Lily James, plays young Donna however, she looks nothing like Streep (even the eye color is different). Nevertheless, she is still good in her part. We saw her recently in Darkest Hour and Baby Driver amongst her recent roles apart from television. Though she played Cinderella, I would rather remember her as the young and confident Donna!
This is one of those films loaded with errors, just like the previous one! It was clear by the trailers that Cher is playing Donna’s mom, who, it seems, has come to life! Correct me if I am wrong. Isn’t she supposed to be dead already? That’s as per what Donna said after Sophie’s bachelorette party in the previous film. Also, I was befuddled as I watched on, since the flashbacks showed Donna meeting the men in a different sequence as compared to what we heard before. The younger versions of Sam, Bill and Harry looked totally different to what they were supposed to, as compared to the photos we saw on the ship during “Our last summer” the last time! What’s happening?
I hadn’t heard the soundtrack of the film beforehand and for those who did, already knew Meryl Streep does not have a huge role in the film. Her presence was missed! According to the makers, she did not want to take on a big role in the film and anyways, whatever the reason is, it’s a bummer that she isn’t present in the film for long enough. Since, the biggest star of the film is not present, the makers had to find a way to still make it appealing for which they brought in Cher. They wanted to have her before as well, however, things did not work out then. That is the biggest issue with any sequel, they try too hard to make it bigger and better. The inclusion of Cher is not unwanted, she is totally apt as Ruby Sheridan, whom we only heard of a little till now, however, just to have her sing Fernando, they have Andy Garcia as her past lover. For those who have seen it, comprehend what they endeavored to infer, hence, “Fernando” was used. It felt pointlessly hauled towards the end. It was funny when one guy sitting two seats apart from me in the auditorium went like, “enough now, it should have ended already!”
The singing is definitely better this time around. Apparently young Donna sang way better! Loved her singing “Andante, Andante”. Even then, since most of the best songs were already used, not many options were left and most of the music numbers were reused. I liked Waterloo (also, already used in the end credits in the previous film), Fernando is very catchy as well. Despite of the singing, the music was better in the previous film. I love each and every version of “Gimme, gimme, gimme”, along with Voulez Vous, Lay all your love on me, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and Super Trouper. I can still listen to those infectious ABBA songs for hours!
I will not shy away from saying that the original cast did bring a smile on my face. They somehow mysteriously manage to do that! I am a crazy person! I would want a fun musical to make me want to get up and dance and that did not happen with this one. The locations are beautiful and all of them are fun to watch, though, such sequences and choreography isn’t something unseen before. If you are a fan, you will naturally see only the good in it, however, though it is fairly fun enough, it is not a great musical to be remembered for a long time. If “you are free, take a chance on it”.
Mamma Mia! Here we go again
*** 2/5 ***
*** ⛄️ ⛄️ ***
Starring:
Pierce Brosnan
Colin Firth
Stellan Skarsgard
Julie Walters
Dominic Cooper
Amanda Seyfried
Sophie Christine Baranski
Lily James
Josh Dylan
Hugh Skinner
Jeremy Irvine
Alexa Davies
Jessica Keenan
Andy Garcia
Meryl Streep
Cher
Writer(s):
Ol Parker
Richard Curtis
Catherine Johnson
Judy Craymer
Director:
Ol Parker
Universal Pictures
Runtime: 1hr, 54mins
Disclaimer: I do not own the images provided.
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