There’s something deeply moving about a film full of artistry, where the passion and thought involved in its creation is palpable in each frame. Watching that kind of movie, you can’t help but feel slightly heavy once the credits start to roll, left with so much to think about that you don’t know where to begin.

Mamma Mia : Here We Go Again isn’t one of those movies, though. It’s spontaneous, wild, and rather than feeling deeply moved after watching it, you feel borderline inebriated. Yet even though watching it is a mind-bending experience, Mamma Mia 2 remains one of my favourite movies to this day. So what exactly is that magic that makes this film so special that it’s in the top 10 highest grossing movie musicals in the past 5 years despite its insane story?
70s Psychedelia

When I said above that Mamma Mia : Here We Go Again wasn’t one of those artsy films born of passion, I might have been somewhat misleading. It isn’t artsy, but it has more than enough passion to it, but rather than passion for filmmaking itself the movie is full of passion for pure, unbridled joy. Maybe it’s because the Mamma Mia movies are rumoured to have been filmed drunk, and if true, that definitely might have something to do with it. But overall, the movie shines because everyone seems to have had a genuinely great time, as if they were on vacation and suddenly decided to improv a whole movie. Despite this spontaneity, though, the planning behind the scenes means that everything feels like its falling perfectly into place, creating a dream world where nothing is ever a problem - not even the prospect of suddenly becoming a single mother in a foreign country.
Mamma Mia’s style isn't without its critics, of course. Here on Peliplat, it's sitting at a 6.7/10. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about. To be entirely honest, though, the above-mentioned buzzingly happy tone lets it get away with almost anything. There are weird choices and moments that most people would normally complain about. Somehow you don’t wonder too much about the random horse in the abandoned basement, and when Meryl Streep’s character is revealed to be dead as soon as the movie starts, the tonally-weird news is quickly forgotten thanks to an abrupt musical number. Sure, many aspects of the movie could be criticised, but when it comes down to it, the mood of the movie makes it nearly impossible to bring yourself to do it.
Holding on by a Thread

I don’t want to give off the impression that the movie is a complete mess, though. Media Processing’s analysis really captures the essence of the movie best : “An Absurdist Masterpiece”. It’s a chaotic film with a plot cobbled-together from B-side ABBA songs at first glance, to be sure, but the film still works hard to make sure that there’s a good payoff for putting up with its nonsense. Arguably one of my favourite plot points in the movie is the love affair between Sophie’s grandmother and Señor Cienfuegos. The hints sprinkled throughout the whole movie about her grandmother’s ill-fated foreign romance, only for it to be revealed at the film’s climax that it was the hotel manager all along? Revealing that Sophie’s grandmother is Cher and then learning that Señor Cienfuegos’ name is Fernando, making it blisteringly obvious that the whole thing was just a way to shoehorn in another barely-related ABBA song? An iconic moment that can only be done justice by gasps and screams of shock and realisation that of course.
Mamma Mia : Here We Go Again’s crew had a tough task ahead of itself when faced with crafting a film based on lesser-known pop songs from the 70s, but it pulls it off. Seeing Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie try to realise her mother’s dreams while simultaneously getting a deeper understanding of said mother subtly weaves a touching story for the audience, especially as it culminates in Sophie finally feeling a deep connection with her late mother as she too has a child. It’s the gentle baseline that supports the film’s more… eccentric moments, and it does it perfectly.
“I Have a Dream”

All told, Mamma Mia 2 is unique in its joy and heart, and it’s clear that that’s the core of its existence. I wouldn’t hesitate to agree with anyone who says it lacks artistic merit, but perhaps we shouldn’t make that the defining criteria of a “good” movie. Intense, thought-provoking movies deserve all the praise they get, but would it be so bad if there were more movies that just wanted to have fun? Just because the world can be a dark place doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t allow any light in. The Mamma Mia franchise might not be for everyone, but there’s something to be said when you can thoroughly enjoy a sequel without knowing much about its predecessor, and in my opinion, the potential third installment can’t come fast enough. What could the plot even be about? No idea, but as long as it keeps the same blinding brightness and doesn’t tell me who Sophie’s dad is, I’m sure the magic of it all will ensure another hit.
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