MAMMA MIA; HERE WE GO AGAIN

Like the first one it is, of course, critic-proof, (Meryl knew that when she agreed to put in a cameo appearance and Cher knew it when she saw a chance to resurrect her career at the age of seventy-two). There are times when it resembles nothing more than gay night at the pantomime, (and if you thought the first one was gay wait until you see this one), but it would be churlish to try to resist it and, to be fair, this is by far the better movie. We are talking, of course, about "Mamma Mia; Here We Go Again", the sequel/prequel to the film version of the stage show that has been playing somewhere in the world for what seems an eternity.

The first film worked because the Abba songs were/are basically indestructible and I did think it quite clever how they were able to construct a story around them. It was a terrible movie but it was also undeniably good fun and there were even a couple of times when it didn't seem so terrible at all. I enjoyed it while recognising every one of its faults but I dreaded this follow-up. Surely all the best songs had already been used up, I thought. Isn't this just cashing in on the success of the original?

Well, yes and no. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that they were on to a good thing so why not come up with another 'story', however flimsy. The plot is simply how did Donna meet the men in her life and how come she couldn't be sure first time around who the father of her child was. It isn't much of an idea to hang a whole movie on so let's have her daughter Sophia plan a big reopening of Donna's hotel, (Donna/Meryl has been dead a year when the film opens), bringing together the cast of the original, (as I said Meryl's appearance is reduced to a good-natured cameo), while cross-cutting between past and present.

In the flashbacks, Donna is Lily James while Stellan Skarsgard and Pierce Brosnan are now hunky Josh Dylan and Jeremy Irvine. Unfortunately, poor Colin Firth is reduced to a very nerdy and obviously gay Hugh Skinner who seems to have mastered the art of playing fools. No matter, he's still the first to bed Miss James, losing his virginity in the process. So far, so obvious but this time around the musical numbers are much better served by the material and are actually very well staged while the performances are, in every way, stronger. As I said, by the time 'Dancing Queen' comes around resistance is futile and the movie becomes an elaborate party, the kind you always hoped you'd be invited to. Of course, neither film will ever be on anyone's list of all-time great musicals but even if you hate yourself in the morning, this is one party worth having a hangover for.