"Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" feels like a hit 10 years after the original movie that cranked up the ABBA jukebox made $609 million worldwide, according to Variety.
The sequel to the 2008 movie, which hits theaters Friday, returns its all-star cast – Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skargard, and Colin Firth. It also adds Academy Award winner Cher, Lily James and Dominic Cooper and the ABBA-sing-a-long.
The 2008 movie was taken from the Broadway smash that lasted more than 13 years and 5,000 performances there and another 16 years in London, according to Playbill.
Variety praised James, who plays the younger version of Streep's character Donna in flashback sequences, particularly when she joins Jessica Keenan and Alexa Davies for their version of "When I Kissed the Teacher."
"Though it's a less-than-great ABBA song, the staging is more dynamic than anything in the first 'Mamma Mia,'" wrote Variety reviewer Owen Gleiberman. "The number has propulsion and flair, which makes you hope that the film will be a sustained lyrical experience — not just a semi-irresistible pastiche but an honest-to-God musical to remember."
While Cher, who plays Sophie's grandmother, appears near the end of the movie, she belts out a memorable performance of one of ABBA's biggest hits, Variety noted.
"If there's any single testament here to the 'Mamma Mia!' aesthetic, it’s the way that Cher's performance of 'Fernando' is hung on a story hook so contrived that it actually contributes to the song's passion," Gleiberman wrote. "The film barely pretends that there's a reason for it to be there. The reason is: We want to see Cher sing 'Fernando.' When she does, my my, how can you resist her?"
"Here We Go Again" has already posted an 81 percent on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, topping the score of 54 percent for the original movie.
Many on social media praised the new film as well.