Michael Scott

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

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Movie: :3.5stars:
4K Video: :4.5stars:
Video: :4.5stars:
Audio: :4.5stars:
Extras: :4.5stars:
Final Score: :4stars:



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Movie

Mamma Mia! was a box office smash a decade ago, raking in a ridiculous $615 million off of a piddly $52 million dollar budget. The jukebox musical was lambasted by critics (and some fans) everywhere, but the ABBA infused soundtrack had people’s toes tapping, and singing everywhere, so the $615 million haul was more than enough fuel for Universal to pump out a sequel. My only surprise is due to the fact that it took them 10 years to actually make one, as they didn’t strike while the proverbial iron was hot. Well, it seems that they weren’t too far off the mark, being that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was budgeted only $72 milllion and STILL raked in a whopping $392 million worldwide. It may not be as much as the original, but the ABBA fans are still in full force as that is one of the best profits from a modern musical in the last 15 years or so.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a semi sequel, semi prequel film that uses split time line stories to blur the lines between the two. Daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is realizing her mother’s dream of turning that little Greek farmhouse into a hotel. Donna (Meryl Streep) has passed away, leaving only Sophie and Sam (Pierce Brosnan) to take up the mantle and complete the free spirited woman’s vision. However, things aren’t going exactly as planned. While the catering is done, the opening day party is set, and the hotel is spic and span, a storm is brewing on the horizon. A storm that is both metaphorical and physical, as a few days before the event Sophie and her boyfriend Sky (Dominic Cooper) have a falling out that rivals those of her mother’s. With wet weather on the horizon, the love of her life gone, and a full opening day hotel to manage, Sophie is not sure how she can get through it all.

Simultaneously we have a second story line going on, this one chronically just how Donna (now played by Lily James as a young woman) got to be the owner of the little Greek farmhouse. Graduating from college with a bang, the free spirited Donna has no desire to be trapped by the typical confines of life. Traveling around the world to Europe she runs across three separate men, each one leaving an impact on her life (those of you who have seen the first movie know exactly who I’m talking about). The first being the shy but kind Harry (Hugh Skinner, Colin Firth as the older man) who tempts her with his enthusiastic honesty, the muscular Swedish sailor Bill (Josh Dylan, Stellan Skarsgard as the older version), and Sam (Jeremy Irvine, Pierce Brosnan as the older variant), the man who would break her heart and leave her there on the little isle. Each interaction, each person is enthralled by Donna, and while they all wish to have her, the only thing that is able to keep her is a little Greek island with a little Greek farmhouse.
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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is just like the first movie in many ways. It’s got cheesy romances, bad dialog, and a TOOOOOOOOON of ABBA music flowing through the speakers. I would have to say that if you enjoyed the first film, there’s no way you’re not going to enjoy the sequel. In fact, if you didn’t like the first film (like me) you may end up enjoying Here We Go Again a bit. I wasn’t a wild fan of Mamma Mia!, but surprisingly ended up enjoying Here We Go Again due to the fact that it wasn’t nearly so insipid, and Pierce Brosnan didn’t assault our ears with his singing (there’s a moment in the film where he starts to mumble a few of the lyrics that he sang in the first film, and my heart leaped into my throat in sheer terror). The use of Lily James as a young Donna is a huge boon to the film, as she’s an adorably sweet woman who infuses Donna with a sense of realism that belies here free spirited nature. Amanda Seyfried is still Amanda Seyfried, but having Pierce, Stellan and Colin reprise their roles as her three “fathers” is the second largest boon. They where the stars of the first movie, and the chemistry between the three men is still undeniably the best part of the movie.

Having the movie work as a “sequel that’s really a prequel”, ala The Godfather II, actually works to the film’s favor. Having both stories running simultaneously keeps each story from over staying it’s welcome, something the first movie had an issue with. The prequel story gave us just enough background on the three men that Donna met who MIGHT be Sophie’s father, and the Sophie story line is a wonderful memorial to the mother who taught her so much. It also helps that Lily James and the three men playing her “fathers” are a LOOOOOOOOOOOT better singers than their older counterparts! In a musical, if you can’t get the singers to sing the songs right, you’ve pretty much crushed the whole reason for the movie. The one big downer in the whole thing is not having Meryl Streep in the film except for a ghost cameo. They had killed her off between movies (something that was actually intended from the beginning of the script) , and Streep's vivaciousness is sorely missed.






Rating:

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material




4K Video: :4.5stars: Video: :4.5stars:
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Shot on Arri Alexa cameras and mastered in 2K, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again comes to Blu-ray with a good looking 4K transfer that really is a nice step above the Blu-ray. When A/Bing the two discs I made sure to watch the 4K UHD disc first and then go to the Blu-ray to watch, and going backwards like that really showed the differences. The colors are much richer and more vibrant in the 4K disc, showing off the Blues of the hotel, as well as the glinting greens of the Greek fields, and the amber colors shining off the beach side rocks. Details are well done, showing a noticeable uptick in textures and fine detailing from the 1080p image. The one thing that really stood out was how much sharper and cleaner the image looked, with deep inky blacks and the slightly washed out look of the Blu-ray completely mitigated. While there are some noticeable improvements over the Blu-ray, I will say this. Here We Go Again is not a film that just screams razor sharp and demo material. The movie was stylistically tweaked to have a slightly soft look, and there is so much digital enhancement to a few of the characters to make them look younger, or make them look like other characters that it just won’t ever be 100% demo, which is actually not a fault as much as it is a statement. A solid transfer all around.









Audio: :4.5stars:
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Upgraded to Dolby Atmos (on both the Blu-ray and this 4K UHD release), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a cornucopia of music, with ABBA songs flowing throughout all the channels with gorgeous clarity. The surrounds are almost always active with the music, and the soft score that’s not ABBA music handily handles the rest. Despite being an Atmos track, the actual Atmos portions of the mix are not utilized very much. Except for Cher’s helicopter coming from the top and moving on down, the overheads don’t get a whole lot of work, and the directional shifts are almost nonexistent due to the majority of the work being dialog in the front of the room, or the musical numbers. Both of which don’t really shift around. Voices and dialog are spot on perfect, and the music really is enhanced by the wide spaciousness of the track, but the Atmos itself is kind of overkill for the type of movie it is (the only reason I’m rating this a 4.5/5 instead of 5/5 is due to that simplistic design, not because it isn’t a great sounding track).





Extras: :4.5stars:
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Deleted/Extended Songs and Scenes with Commentary by Director/Screenplay Writer Ol Parker
- Extended Song Performance - The Name Of The Game
- Extended Song Performance - Knowing Me, Knowing You
• Enhanced Sing-Alongs
- One Of Us
- S.O.S.
- Why Did It Have To Be Me?
- I Have A Dream
- Kisses Of Fire
- Knowing Me, Knowing You
- Angel Eyes
- My Love, My Life
• Cast Meets Cast
- Tanya Meets Tanya - Jessica Keenan Wynn interviews Christine Baranski about playing the sassiest Dynamo – Tanya.
- Rosie Meets Rosie - Alexa Davies interviews Julie Walters as the two actresses share their experiences playing Rosie.
• Cast Chats
- Dynamo Chit-Chat - A conversation between the three Young Dynamos reflecting on their favorite song, costumes, scenes to shoot, and funniest moments.
- Dad Chat - The young dads come together to share some of their favorite memories from set.
• High Jinks
• Sophie's Story - Of all the characters, Amanda Seyfried's Sophie has developed the most since the first movie. Here we will chart how Sophie has gone from a vulnerable young girl to a confident young woman following life-changing events.
• Choreographing MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN - Choreographer Anthony Van Laast and his team will reveal some of the secrets behind the highly original dance routines.
• Dancing Queen: Anatomy of a Scene - The most famous piano roll in musical history opens one of ABBA'S biggest hits, "Dancing Queen." The number is the biggest and most complex sequence. Ol Parker will discuss where and how he wanted to use the song in the story.
• Performing for Legends - Here the Young Dynamos will discuss the daunting prospect of stepping into the recording booth at Air Studios to sing ABBA to ABBA.
• Class of '79 - The story of the Young Dads and Dynamos is told against the backdrop of Oxford, Paris and the Greek Islands of 1979, when hairstyles were wackier and the fashions were bolder. This featurette will focus on the Young Dads and Dynamos and their experience bringing these characters to life.
• Deleted Songs and Scenes with Commentary by Director/Screenplay Writer Ol Parker
- Deleted Song Performance - I Wonder
- Deleted Scene - Tahini
• Enhanced Sing-Alongs
- Thank You For The Music
- When I Kissed The Teacher
- Waterloo
- Andante, Andante
- The Name Of The Game
- Mamma Mia
- Dancing Queen
- I've Been Waiting For You
- Fernando
- Super Trouper
• The Story - Producer Judy Craymer reveals how the MAMMA MIA! legacy began, evolved into the first feature film and how she teamed with executive producer/co-story writer Richard Curtis and director/screenplay writer Ol Parker to develop the perfect sequel.
• MAMMA MIA! Reunited - Focusing on the legacy performers and their excitement at reuniting a decade later, the filmmakers discuss the paths they've paved for the characters since we last saw them.
• Playing Donna - This piece centers on Meryl Streep's cameo performance and Lily James' preparation for filling this iconic role.
• Meeting Cher - The Queen of pop reveals her excitement at joining the MAMMA MIA! family as Ruby Sheridan – Sophie's glamorous grandmother. Fellow cast members will share their delight at meeting and watching a legend on set.
• Costumes and The Dynamos - The Young Dynamos have some pretty cool costumes in MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, and of course so does Cher. And who could forget those trademark dungarees? We will join costume designer Michelle Clapton as she highlights some of her favorite outfits from the movie.
• Curtain Call - Who can forget the finale to MAMMA MIA! when the cast danced onto cinema screens in full spandex for one final number? Ol Parker has chosen "Super Trouper" to close his movie and it features all 16 key cast members.
• NBC's TODAY Show Interview with Cher & Judy Craymer
• Feature Commentary with Director/Screenplay Writer Ol Parker
• Feature Commentary with Producer Judy Craymer







Final Score: :4stars:


Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a definite step up from the first film, infusing a dual story line narrative that actually works (most dual time line storytelling doesn’t), and the songs are much better done this time around due to much more competent singers being employed (nothing was worse than Pierce Brosnan nearly having a stroke trying to sing in the first film). It’s cute, fluffy, but never anything other than a decent musical, as Here We Go Again is still not on the same level as other modern musicals like La La Land or even Hairspray. The 4K UHD disc is a solid improvement over the Blu-ray visually, and for once we have a movie with ACTUAL extras on board. I can’t understate this enough, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is practically packed to the gills with extras, which is a super rare thing as most modern releases get a smattering only. I was actually flabberghasted as I dug through them, realizing that there was more than enough to satisfy any collector in that regard. While I’ve never truly been ENTHRALLED with the Mamma Mia! Films, it’s a solid watch for musical lovers and the 4K package is quite appealing. A decent watch is my recommendation.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Andy Garcia, Cher, Christine Baranski, Dominic Cooper, Julie Wallters, Josh Dylan
Directed by: Ol Parker
Written by: Ol Parker, Catherine Johnson, Richard Curtis
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, Spanish Dolby Digital +
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 114 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 23rd, 2018






Recommendation: Decent Watch

 
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tripplej

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Thanks for the review. I am not much of a fan of musicals so never saw the first one. I guess I need to revisit this.
 
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