SYNOPSIS

PRODUCTION NOTES & PHOTOS

Due to the financial success of the first film, Universal Pictures had long been interested in a sequel. The film was officially announced in May 2017, with Ol Parker hired to write and direct. In June 2017, many of the original cast confirmed their involvement. Filming took place from August to December 2017 in Croatia, and at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England. The film opened in the UK and US on July 20, 2018.

MOVIE STILLS

COMMENTARY

"The sequel (which is also a prequel) features a bigger cast, a longer running time, extra subplots and additional romantic entanglements. But it’s emptier than its predecessor and has even lower stakes. It’s less entertaining, and for all its frantic energy, it manages to go absolutely nowhere. Once again inspired by the music of ABBA and set on a picturesque Greek island, the second 'Mamma Mia!' is the lightest piece of Swedish pastry with the sweetest chunk of baklava on the side. And while that may sound delicious, it’s likely to give you a toothache as well as a headache."   ...Film critic Christy Lemire

"Every single person in the cast seems geeked to be in this. I’m not even sure Firth and Skarsgård are receiving direction in one scene where they re-enact that romantic embrace at the bow of the ship in Titanic, with Skarsgård hugging Firth from behind. They simply seem happy to be there, and I am happy to watch them being happy. The movies can do this: They can share happiness."  ...April Wolfe, Village Voice

"Fans of the first movie will find that a lot of the magic is gone and everything loses some of its luster the second time around. As for the majority of the movie-going community, which exists between those two camps, there’s no cogent reason to see Here We Go Again. The first movie does a better job of everything this one does rendering the second installment redundant – painless but purposeless." ...James Berardinelli, Reel Views

"The template may remain essentially cheesy and the men still appear never to have experienced a dance floor. Yet it would be churlish to argue against a film of such smile-out-loud optimism. While borrowing ‘here we go again’ from the song Mamma Mia might seem misguided – toying with thoughts of weary resignation – it’s worth remembering the undeniable line that follows: 'My, my, how can I resist you?'"   ...Demetrios Matheous, Screen Daily

"Ol Parker has created a joyous film in which the past and the present fuse together harmoniously. There's a lovely free-spirited feeling about the film, its clever screenplay providing a platform for the stunning settings, marvellous cast and a backstory that adds to our overall experience. It's sweet but not too sweet, funny in a delightful way with poignant touches to tug the heartstrings."  ...Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile

"Even by the standards of our current era's wanton entertainment franchising, 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' is a thoroughly unnecessary sequel to a decade-old film that combined self-conscious acting, dubiously tuneful singing, and cartoonish comedy into an erratic, lifeless musical. It's all the more surprising, then, to discover that writer-director Ol Parker's follow-up boasts such confident performances and choreography that it feels as much like a final draft of the 2008 film as a continuation of it."   ...Jake Cole, Slant Magazine

"It's been a decade since 'Mamma Mia' stormed cinemas, and while this is a better written and constructed film, it's unlikely to become as indelible for one simple reason: it's packed with leftover Abba songs that few will remember. This sequel does feature some marvellously rousing moments, but overall it lacks that joyful sing-along exuberance that made the first one so easy to watch over and over again."    ...Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

"'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' is terrible. And irresistible. How a movie that’s almost not even a movie can be both of those things at once is one of the mysteries of filmgoing, and one of its puckish pleasures. The thing barely holds together, though that shouldn’t be a surprise: like its predecessor, the hugely successful 2008 'Mamma Mia!' it is tailored around the music of ’70s Europop superstars ABBA. It doesn’t really need a plot; its chief job is to prove that ABBA’s songs are unkillable, and sure enough, they live."   ...Stephanie Zacharek, Time magazine

"'Here We Go Again' is a viewing experience best described as a long nap on the beach while staying at a chain resort. It’s extremely pleasant, if a little lacking in imagination, and every so often, a waiter comes by to refill your drink."   ...David Sims, The Atlantic

"The key to the franchise is that 'Mamma Mia!' never takes itself seriously: This time out, the joy is giddy but the sentiments are cloying; the musical scenes are mainly delightful, but quieter moments often fall flat. Director Ol Parker proves to do his best work on the production numbers – the bigger, the better. His direction is swift and imaginative. His dialogue, on the other hand, is painfully contrived in a screenplay he wrote using a largely nonsensical story concocted with Richard Curtis and Catherine Johnson."  ...Kate Taylor, The Globe and Mail

"Unfortunately, most of those limp moments happen when Lily James isn’t onscreen, thanks to a short-shrift storyline regarding Sophie’s quest to open the Hotel Bella Donna. While that portion of the film’s bisected storyline is responsible for bringing back a slew of returning faces, it’s also the one most lacking in both joy and actual stakes. Ultimately, throwing the same people in the same place with little to do and even less time to do it is emblematic of the sins of far worse, much less worthy sequels. Without Streep there to tie it altogether, well, it just doesn’t sing."  ...Kate Erbland, Indie Wire