Will Gompertz reviews Mamma Mia: We're going back ★★★ ☆☆

The well-dressed woman who introduced the film was friendly but firm: "Anyone who does not like spandex, glitter or abba," she said, "should go away".

Nobody did it.

The mood of the public has become even more excitable.

This was the world premiere of Mamma Mia! Here we go again and the cinema was filled with faithful kitsch entertainment for whom Spandex, Sequins and Abba are the Holy Trinity.

His advice is, however, valid. If light, evasive, tacky and tacky summer movies are not your bag, this review is probably not for you. If, however, you are one of the millions of people who loved the 2008 Mamma Mia movie! and I want to know if the rest is good, so keep reading.

It starts like my old moped Suzuki 50cc, that is to say badly. We are back on the idyllic Greek island of Kalokairi where Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) sends once more invitations to her "dads" asking them to join her for a celebration.

She then sings a sad version of Thank You For The Music, which is wetter than Skegness in February, before having a transatlantic phone call with her partner Sky (Dominic Cooper).

I had a more pleasant hospital appointment.

But then, while I was reaching my jacket, salvation appeared in the presence of the marvelous Lily James, singing, dancing, tying the stage and turning on the screen.

If Meryl Streep possessed the 2008 version of the middle-aged beatnik Donna who had settled on a Greek island, then Lily James made this sequel / suite hers as young Donna recently graduated and in love who goes through men faster than Donald Trump hires special advisers.

The plot is very similar to the original both in terms of quality (it's as shaky as the Donna shack does) and scenario. This time, her goal is not Donna's present, but her past.

We meet the three young people with whom she sleeps quickly, which constitutes the dramatic base of the two films: any of them could be the father of her daughter Sophie

Hugh Skinner does what he always does and plays, which in this case is the young Harry.

Josh Dylan (who can hold a note) is the young Bill, and Jeremy Irvine composes the trio as a young Sam. All three play their part, that is, letting Lily James do it. and bring the film to life.

On the way, she is helped by her besties, Tanya and Rosie; Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies played twenty-one years, and later, in a very good comeback, the brilliant Julie Walters and the vampire Christine Baranski

Thus, the film moves towards its inevitable conclusion: a grand finale on the island where everyone gathers for an end of well-being.

The risk here is to add a pinch too much saccharin, which even leaves the most inflamed camp comedy consumers feeling a little sick.

The film avoids this by introducing a new character: the diva of Sophie's grandmother, played in a cameo perfectly pitched by Cher.

When she explodes in a complete rendition of Fernando, the audience spontaneously applauds, then can no longer hold back and throws into a group singing.

This is a brand of clever management of the producers of their hit musical franchise: they know how to hit all the right notes, from the parody of oneself to the casting of stars.

The fineness of their operation is reflected in direction, which is just about the money, the money, the money.

It moves between the backstory and the present day with neat and seamless changes that are as seamless as some of the 70's fashion outfits that plaster wears to launch the wonderful back catalog. ; Abba.

There is a period of about two – thirds of the time when the film begins to drift as Pierce Brosnan 's voice did it in the original (he pbades the rally in a brief exit this time).

The task of finding a motivation for the myriad of characters to present at the party leads to some hammer plot devices, which feel forced even into a genre where swift conspiracy devices are the norm.

But Dear makes her grand entrance, Meryl comes back – and the audience left happy forever.

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