Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!
/"May the rest of our lives be the best of our lives."
Filmology Rating: 3 out of 4
I never thought that a sequel was needed for Mamma Mia!, I simply thought the film was a one hit wonder and we would never return to the magical Greek Island, but the world seems to have grown much darker since 2008. We live in a world of chaos and watching the Avengers battling for the fate of the entire cosmos really isn’t that light hearted fair that the world could really use right now; simply put we need the most light hearted escapist fair that we can get and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again fits the bill.
Life has taken a turn for the worst on the magical Greek Island Kalokairi with the death of Donna, played by Meryl Streep. But her daughter Sophie, played by Amanda Seyfried, is still attempting to keep her mother’s legacy alive by running the hotel that her mother put her heart and soul into.
The biggest wonder that I had while watching the film was would the film being stronger being strictly a prequel rather than a prequel sequel mix. For cinephiles I urge you to not think about Godfather Part II because it will only make this sequel feel like a complete waste of theatre space, but for the causal film goer you will find the shifting timelines to be unique and special especially for a musical film. To say that the prequel nature of the film works better than the more modern story would be a colossal understatement; not only does the flashbacks feature the better music with songs like “Waterloo” and “Why Did it Have to Be Me?” but it also features the immensely charming Lily James. James won over the hearts of many with her performance in Cinderella (2015) but she clinched her spot as one of the best up and coming actresses after appearing in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies proving that she could bring gravitas to a role that is incredibly ridiculous. While it might seem alarming to some, James gives a more dynamic performance than Meryl Streep and that alone should be worth the price of admission.
Since I’m in my mid twenties and rather naive to the world of music I only know Cher for being in the mind-numbing Burlesque so I would never associate her with good entertainment. While I don’t believe that Here We Go Again offers any reason to have a person of such note in such a small role other than saying “look who we have in our film, we must be a big deal”! I’m probably not the target audience for a Cher performance but I still found her performance enjoyable and “Fernando” just left a huge smile on my face. While I still don’t understand the Cher appeal, I was able to understand that she brought a sense of importance to her role that most other people wouldn’t be able to capture.
Before the baby boomers start to suggest that I’m only drawn to the prequel nature of the film because it deals with the younger actors; I would also argue that those who try to insist that are just resentful of the youth on display; I want them to know that I found the “Dancing Queen” callback to be the highlight of the film and that entire moment is only made because of the more seasoned members of the cast. I also thought that the chemistry that Christine Baranski and Julie Walters have together is dynamite and I would personally be first in line to see a spinoff film with just those two characters traveling the world together.
Does Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again deserve the outstanding cast that it’s given? No. Does the film deserve a near two hour running time? No. I cannot in good faith tell people that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is an overall good film, I can easily tell you that you will leave with a uplifted soul and a smile on your face. The lyrics of “Mamma Mia” have never been more true than after watching Here We Go Again: “My, my how can I resist you? Mamma Mia, does it show again; my, my just how much I’ve missed you?” Even the most jaded of hearts will find themselves being unable to resist the undeniable charm of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Rating: See It
-Jonny G