Remember 2008? I don’t quite think of it as the year President Obama took office or the year of the financial crisis.
I tend to think of 2008 as the year Swedish pop music made its triumphant return and the year I began to understand the true allure of Meryl Streep.
“Mamma Mia!” came out that year, catapulting ABBA back into the spotlight and prompting every young girl’s dream of owning a private island hotel in Greece. It was nothing short of whimsical.
Slowly, 10 years went by — the original “Mamma Mia!” still stood the test of time.
Then a rumors materialized. A second installment of the hit film was set to show, and this time with an even bigger cast and all our favorite ABBA songs.
The sequel, aptly titled “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” released this summer. It brought with it nearly the same main cast as 10 years ago and a new set of songs incredibly difficult to not sing along with in the theater.
It’s no spoiler that Meryl Streep is less a part of this film than we could have hoped for. The previews showed the actress for just a split second and fans shed a tear until they realized Cher would be part of the film, as well.
“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” only added to its wonderful, but aging star power with the storyline. Amanda Seyfried, who plays the daughter, holds the focus of the present-day storyline, while Lily James plays a young Meryl Streep looking for an adventure in 1970s Greece. Both actresses almost make up for the fact that Meryl Streep plays little a role in this film.
This film takes place as Sophie, the daughter, begins making the quaint Greek island hotel her own. And, just like her mother, she realizes she is pregnant in the same place her mother once was with her. Leave it up to her three fathers, played by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard, to help bring the comedy and love we saw in the first film.
Their younger selves, the love interests of Donna Sheridan played by Jeremy Irvine, Hugh Skinner and Josh Dylan, are bronzed, beautiful and quirky as ever.
While sitting anxiously in the theater for this film, I felt just like I had watching the 2008 film — giddy and ready to sing.
Neither of the two films provides for the strongest plot. But, what it’s missing in plot it makes up for in music and magic — we have ABBA to thank for that.
It is no easy task to make a sequel and a sequel worth seeing. On top of that, the producers of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” had to do all this without the immense starpower of Meryl Streep. Rather than creating something totally new, they built on what they know best: pop music, dazzling costumes and firey red fake sunsets as the backdrop to every good ballad.
When this second installment eventually hits Netflix, most viewers will most likely still flock to the original. But, as soon as the credits role on the first, we’ll all undoubtedly click play on the next.
I may not remember the year 2018 as the year “Mama Mia! Here We Go Again” hit theaters. But, I will remember it as the year my childhood felt a little more complete.
Hailey Stewart can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Hailey_ann97