Is Mamma Mia 2 better than the first? Surprisingly, yes. The film picks up a few years after the first left off, and after Donna’s (Meryl Streep) untimely death, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is ready to finally open up her Mother’s hotel. Whilst preparing the welcome party, she discovers more about her mother’s past (Lily James as young Donna). The film is paced a bit awkwardly. Sometimes seeing Sophie in the same place that Donna was in continuous scenes works; it shows a really good connection between them and helps us to establish their close connection. However, sometimes seeing one part of the story in modern day and then jumping to a completely separate part in the middle of France makes the film feel slightly disjointed. It also feels like each story is fighting to be the main storyline, and that the writers can’t make up their minds about which to focus on. This makes it sound like I hate the film, I don’t. I think the star-studded cast is again amazing, Lily James is a particular standout partially because of how hard and intimidating it must be to play the same character as Meryl Streep!
What with the film being a musical, I think it’s only fair I mention some of the songs. First of all, let me explain what a jukebox musical is. A jukebox musical is a musical that is compiled of pre-existing songs. Mamma Mia is a jukebox musical as it took songs that were previously made and performed by ABBA and incorporated them into the film. Whilst this can sometimes make the film feel a bit weird and as if the songs had been forced into the film. Mamma Mia does this in a way that feels as least awkward as possible; the cast perform them brilliantly and they sound great. I also love the choreography (particularly on the boat) and think it was done really well. Another thing that may be hard to notice is the score. If you listen hard enough, you’ll hear some of the songs lightly sprinkled into the score. This is done in such a way that doesn’t feel forced – more like a subtle easter egg. Overall, Mamma Mia: here we go again (!) is an enjoyable, light-hearted and essentially a fun time to have.
