There are no words existing that could profoundly express the necessity of making the sequel to “Mamma Mia!”. And finally, when it was done, the feeling of anticipation felt like the blade of a sharp knife dancing through the heart. After all, we do not deserve going through a harsh challenge only the most patient of persons can pass. And when the time comes, after you sit through the entire film, you will realize that it is one of those films which leave you an absolutely brand-new person, fresher, happier and with so much energy you feel strong enough to move mountains.
It starts after five years of the original “Mamma Mia!” when we find Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) pregnant with Sky’s child (Dominic Cooper), ready for the grand re-opening of Bella Donna Hotel and still mourning the death of her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep). As she thinks through her bumpy relationship with Sky, Sophie makes the trip back to 1979 with the help of Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) from which she learns how her mother ended up meeting her dads, Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) and raised her daughter alone. But the biggest surprise is yet to arrive when all of a sudden without any invitation her grandmother, famous singer Ruby Sheridan (Cher) appears at the party.
“Life is short. World is wide. I want to make some memories,” says a young Donna, played by the absolutely outstanding Lily James, that sets the perfect tone and pace of the film. As we go back in time when Donna was about to meet the three different men that would define her future, the viewer gets the chance to learn about Donna’s personality, her being a free spirit and why in the end she ended up being a single mother. But not only that, if you have seen the first “Mamma Mia!, then you probably remember the story of Bill, Harry and Sam and why they decided to move on with their life leaving who they had on the island behind.
All the actors cast to portray the younger Donna (Lily James), Tanya (Jessica Keenan), Rosie (Alexa Davies), Bill (Josh Dylan), Sam (Jeremy Irvine), and Harry (Hugh Skinner) were truly exceptional. All of them had a strange on-screen chemistry that helped to deliver that joyful atmosphere, help to share the three men’s personalities and why it was not their fault when Donna decided for herself to keep all of them away. Of course not all the relationships she had with the three men were perfect, but they were dreamy, enchanting and worth remembering. All three of them were genuinely in love with her and did not even want to part with her; it just so happened that Donna envisioned her life in a different way.
Lily James’ mezzo-soprano voice or Amanda Seyfried’s training in classical opera or studying under Broadway voice coach for almost five years were the true treasures of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”. Both women would sing like birds – flawlessly, effortlessly and in a very touching way. You could tell by listening to their part as if they invested their own heart into every line and it was truly, truly magical. But overall, the entire film was like a beautiful dream no one would like to wake up from. And the last thirty minutes of Ol Parker’s film is deeply moving, emotional and epic.
In the end, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” will exceed all of your expectations. In fact, it somehow ended up being much better that the first part, which is truly amazing. The crazy atmosphere and non-stop entertainment will make your day. And it’s all because of the amount of tears that will come down from your eyes, sufficient enough to create a river so you can swim through the endless joys of life with the help of absolutely upbeat songs from ABBA, marvelous performances and beautiful voices you will never want to stop hearing, especially after Cher’s performance of “Fernando” with the support of Andy Garcia that can cause any frozen heart to melt. But it`s fair to mention that Lily James is arguably the best part of the film. What she does is unforgettable, incredible and must go down in history as something special and heart-warming without any doubt.