Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! Review: Hitting All The Right Notes

I suspect that out of the five films I see this week, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! will be the one I most fondly remember. Not because director Ol Parker has concocted a world-class story. Nor is it the fact that Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is pathbreaking cinema. But, the film, also thrives on nostalgia with spurts and hints of freshness added to the narrative. This freshness comes in the form of Lily James, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alexa Davies, Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner and Josh Dylan - playing younger counterparts of their frankly, more likeable, characters. The ones that truly hit the right notes are James, - who gets maximum screen time as the late Donna Sheridan, Skinner as a young and chaste Harry, and Josh Dylan as a playboy Bill.

All of them bring to their characters what Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård and the goddess, Meryl Streep did. Their likability comes across so strong, that even though the reason the sequel works is because the older cast propels it, they stay in your memories. Lily can’t match up to the revelation that was Meryl as an older, and quite frankly wiser Donna, but she is still perfectly good as the wilder, carefree valedictorian at Oxford, who belts out a risque but well-placed rendition of “I Kissed The Teacher”. The chutzpah with which the character conducts herself seems rather derivative of many earlier films and the weakest track in the film is how she saves three drowning men, by just simply teaching them how to live. We’ve already seen Zoya Akhtar do the same with the Arjun-Laila track and Kabir-Farah track from ZNMD and Dil Dhadakne Do, and it just seems lazy now.

The film follows Sophie (a nicely cast Amanda Seyfried), who is gearing up for the reopening of the refurbished Hotel Bella Donna - in ode to her late mother (Meryl Streep, buckled down by a lame cameo). The whole gang is gathering together for the grand reopening, including Sam (Brosnan), who now lives like a hermit off the coast of the island. Sam’s track made me jealous - living his sunset years, single (not to mention), in a beautiful Greek island, with Pierce Brosnan’s dashing good looks still intact. The thing that works for Mamma Mia 2 is the picturesque island it’s set on. The fictional paradise known as Kalokairi, lends itself to the frame so beautifully - and cinematographer Robert Yeoman beautifully juxtaposes the lush greens of the forest against the sparkling blue sea.

As Sophie gathers herself for the launch, Parker shows us exactly how similar her life is to her mother’s - a girl smitten with wanderlust and casual sex back in the 70s. The entire film, shows us seamlessly how similar yet different Donna and Sophie’s lives truly were. Now it’s not a secret that the sequel is ridden with plot holes (Cher’s entire character, to name one) but because Ol doesn’t market this as anything but a wistful walk down memory lanes - laden with those damn catchy ABBA beats that will have you humming - it can’t affect you. Unless you’re an obsessive fan of the earlier cult classic, this won’t upset you much.

Now, to the question that’s really on everybody’s minds - if I didn’t catch onto the craze of Mamma Mia! in 2008, should I really go for its sequel? The answer? Probably not. Because unless you are a fan that worships not at the shrine of this exotic world these characters inhabit, but one who worships ABBA and their pathbreaking music - this sequel won’t have half as much delight for you. I was humming and singing along to the songs - especially a nicely refined “Andante Andante”, a spunky “Fernando” and a lovely “Knowing Me, Knowing You” - while my eyes were glued to the screen.

The sequel always packs in bouts of humour - particularly in the form of the absolutely perfect Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. The two women imbue their cardboard characters with the same charm they did 10 years ago. When the sequel stretches, especially with an underworked track involving Sophie and her now-estranged husband, Sky (a distant and dazed Dominic Cooper), the two of them liven it up with their jabs at each other. Also funny are Colin Firth as a business savvy Harry and Stellan Skarsgård whose BIll has an obese twin brother. There’s a hilarious gag involving Omid Djalili as a Greek customs officer who has too many opinions on these characters’ hairdos.

So now, one could complain that Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is never really more than the sum of its parts. I agree, But it’s not trying to be. It’s trying to be a refreshing take on a cult classic, with an exceptional cast and some great music to its benefit. This is one film you can’t not like. Also, two pieces of advice. Don’t get restless. You will, especially after an unnecessary track, involving a Botox-injected Cher, is thrown into the mix. It seems like the producers needed a star to fill the vacuum of the superstar Meryl Streep - whose presence is greatly missed. But hang in there. Because the show-stopping finale, Super Trouper, where Streep too joins in, will make you cheer out loud. I’m going with 3.5 stars out of 5 for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! It’s not a crescendo of any sorts - lucky for the film, it’s not trying to be.