Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Review
author: quinn bell| a&c writer
Arts and Culture at it’s finest / Courtesy of Nuit Blanche
Mama Mia! Is going at it again
Well, here we go again. Uni is starting up again for the year. It’s back to the deadlines, the sleepless nights, and the many drinks to be had with friends to cope with the deadlines and the sleepless nights. With September 2018 officially here and the fall semester beginning once more, “Here We Go Again” seems an apt phrase — and Mamma Mia!’s sequel seems the perfect movie to watch.
Let me start by clarifying that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is not a particularly good or original film in its own right. When my friends and I left the theatre, we all easily agreed: “It wasn’t even good!” For one thing, probably half of its material is recycled from the first film — from the plot to the songs sung. At the same time, Here We Go Again owns that fact (just look at the title), and it unashamedly milks the original for all its worth. This leads to something great: more of Mamma Mia!, more of what we all loved about the film the first time around, and more singing and dancing and uplifting storylines.
Despite knowing that the movie wasn’t actually of quality, my friends and I loved it. In exclaiming “It wasn’t even good!” we were really just expressing our confusion: it’s not often we watch something bad and enjoy every second of it, laughing and crying together. Honestly, Here We Go Again was probably my favourite new movie of the summer, because I watched it with people I could be silly with. It shows us a world so rich in friendship, family, and community that it makes you feel warm to be there with your besties. Or your mom, for that matter: if she’s anything like mine, you should take her out to see it tonight (she might even offer to pay).
Watching Mamma Mia! reminded me of something else, going into this new semester: that love can be spontaneous and the world can be amazing. Going into the film, I was feeling lonely. I was about to go online with my search for love. Two hours later and leaving the theatre, I felt alive and well, ready for the world to send the right people my way. If Donna can attract Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, AND Stellan Skarsgård in only a few short days, then so can anyone. Are you only interested in eye candy and not worried about love? Well, I just mentioned three solid, hot reasons to go see the movie. (Spoiler: their younger selves all feature, too, so there are three more reasons to go: Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner, and Josh Dylan).
If you’re worried that you won’t enjoy Here We Go Again because you haven’t seen the original, then you’re in luck. Running from Sept. 19 to Oct. 21 (extended from the 2nd due to insanely high demand), you can catch Mamma Mia! live at the Globe Theatre in Regina, every day but Monday. It might be the perfect chance to catch up before watching the sequel, and it’s supporting Regina theatre at its best. This production is also breaking records for the Globe: Mamma Mia! will have the largest cast in Globe Theatre history, beating out both Little Mermaid and Shrek the Musical. For those of us who have seen shows there with only two or three actors, the twenty cast members of Mamma Mia! will be a real treat. Hope to see you there!
One word of caution, however: it’s probably more socially acceptable to bust out ABBA hits in your basement than it is to sing along in public. Good luck keeping quiet.
