Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Review
Get ready to go again, as “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” was released for all musical lovers to enjoy on July 20. Ten years after the original film, this sequel is set five years later and bounces between co-protagonists Donna and Sophie Sheridan’s young lives. Music, plot and consistency must be explored to answer the ultimate question: is it worth seeing?
Music: 10/10
With a plethora of songs from a variety of characters, this soundtrack can make anybody feel like a dancing queen. While it did have original songs like “Mamma Mia,” and “Super Trouper”, plenty of new hits were featured. “Fernando”, “When I Kissed the Teacher” and “Why Did It Have To Be Me?” are just a few. The mixture of fun upbeat melodies and relaxing slow songs can give any music lover a tune they can remember.
Plot: 8/10
Sophie’s goal throughout is to reopen the hotel that her mother had opened years ago and the audience is not informed on how it closed. The sequel is supposed to take place around 2005, but to keep it modern, Sophie and other characters are seen with iPhones and laptops. Despite the gap in technology, the bouncing between present time with Sophie and into the past with young Donna, the transitions between never feel confusing and are well placed. The plot makes sure to answer plenty of questions people have been asking for over a decade and has an ending satisfying enough to its viewers.
Consistency: 9/10
From actors to costumes and settings, there is not much of a difference from the original film to the new one. The actors and actresses that played younger versions of Donna, her best friends Tanya and Rosie and her three lovers look nearly exact to their older counterparts. While of course all of the characters looked older than they did before, it does not distract from the story. However, there were some small inconsistencies, such as young Donna’s eye color being brown when Meryl Streep has blue eyes, along with the order that Donna met her lovers. In the original film Sophie sang the song, ‘Honey Honey’ while reading her mother’s diary about her old-fashioned ‘dot dot dot’ encounters with each man. The original order of meeting the young men is Sam, Bill and Harry. However, the sequel went in the order of Harry, Sam and Bill. Beyond this, the acting was consistent and persuasive enough to make viewers go past their world of disbelief.
Final Verdict: 8/10
There were a few inconsistencies in the plot and minute details, but everyone can dance and jive to this marvelous musical. It is definitely worth seeing for those who enjoyed the original, or just musicals in general.