Overview: it’s a fun, enjoyable, heart-warming, uplifting film.
Plot: It’s the sequel to Mamma Mia ! (2008), and is mainly set on the same Greek island a few years later. The daughter, Sophia (Amanda Seyfried), is about to open a restaurant. And there are flashbacks to many years earlier when her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) arrived on the island. The young Donna (Lily James) is really the main role in this second film.
Comment: It’s very much the same formula as the first film:
a light-hearted meandering storyline with various Abba songs fitted in. It’s a sunny, enjoyable journey around the joys and sorrows of life
with a diverse array of characters.
How does it compare with Mamma Mia ! ?
The first film had a bold, direct storyline and packed quite a punch. It also had the plus of presenting something new.
The second film builds on the first (which you really need to have seen to understand the story) with a more complex storyline and a wider range of characters.
It also has more detail, more songs, more settings and more surprises
(for example, there are scenes in five countries besides Greece).
With the success of the first film, they clearly had more confidence to innovate and expand. They clearly also had a bigger budget and have gone out to indulge the filmviewer with lots of sumptuous scenes. And there is lots of Abba: even the background music is made up of instrumental versions of their songs.
In short, Mamma Mia ! had more oomph, while Here We Go Again ! is more easy-going and enjoyable. The first film is stronger, but the second is a very worthy follow-up. What is the meaning, message, mood of the film ?
While Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again ! is by no means a deep and serious discourse. I feel it does have an innate message and mood, which is: a celebration of life; and ‘enjoy the journey of life’.
The younger adults in the film (esp young Donna) are experiencing the many opportunities and possibilities of life opening up.
The older adults are living in the places the journey of life has brought them, but they still have choices and opportunities.
The big group scenes contain a diversity of people of different generations and backgrounds which form a picture of life.
What the critics think: They’ve been harsh to the film but one has to remember they tend to measure things by the standards of deeply serious arthouse films. I think they’re being too serious.
Here We Go Again ! is consciously made as a light-hearted, not-too-serious, sending-itself-up, life-affirming film. And should be enjoyed as such.
It’s easy to criticise the storyline for being weak at points and contorted to fit in Abba songs, but it’s just a light-hearted musical.
For this sort of film, the critics need less Strindberg and more retsina.
Did you know ?
Mamma Mia ! is the 11th highest grossing film of all time in the UK. This is because, as well as simply being popular, people went back to see it a second time and people went in groups to see it, as a fun night out.
The original film Mamma Mia ! is (or was) the best selling DVD of all time in the UK, with over 5m sales. It helps that it is suitable as a gift and also is a fun film to have in your collection.
IMdb: 6.7/10 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6911608/
Verdict: 4/5 Light-hearted, warm, colourful, entertaining, uplifting.
30 July 2018, revised 14 March 2020
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