Let's get the obvious out of the way: Meryl Streep is in this movie for five minutes. She may be front and center in the promotional poster, and she may get the "and" in the credits, but she makes her entrance during the very last scene of the movie. The premise of this prequel/sequel is that her character has died, and her daughter is struggling to run the hotel by herself. I know; no one told me that, either. This one's a drama, folks.

I thought this movie was going to be terrible, a silly excuse to prance around and sing more ABBA songs, alongside a thin plot that was described in five minutes during the original and didn't need more detail. But it's so much better than the first one! Not constrained by the ill-fitting songs of the original Broadway musical that stuck numbers into scenes with no connection to furthering the story, this movie actually puts songs in when they matter. There are a few overlaps of songs that were used in the first movie, but the vast majority of the songs are new (to the movie, not to ABBA fans); and many of them have a more somber tone that fit the story. "One of Us" is sung by Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper when they break up at the start of the movie. "I Wonder" (a great number that you'll only find in the deleted scenes) is sung by Lily James as she heads off to have a European adventure after graduation.

The best part of the movie, and the reason it's infinitely better than the first one, is the respect the "younger cast" gives to the "older cast". While part of the plot is a sequel, five years after the first movie ended, with Amanda Seyfried planning a grand re-opening of the hotel with one of her dads, Pierce Brosnan, by her side, the main plot is a prequel, chronicling her mother's journey to Greece and her encounter with three young men. In this extensive flashback, everyone was given a younger counterpart, and everyone did extensive research. Lily James projects all of Meryl Streep's mannerisms from the first movie, Jeremy Irvine perfects Pierce Brosnan's accent, Hugh Skinner matches Colin Firth's hesitation and speech patterns, Josh Dylan is just as carefree and fun as Stellan Skarsgard, Alexa Davies puts in shoulder rolls and wacky movements to channel Julie Walters, and Jessica Keenan Wynn seems like someone put Christine Baranski in a time machine. It's wonderful to see the younger cast and the older cast in alternating scenes, and, just like the original, you can feel how much fun everyone had while filming.

While it's rude to pick out one member among the cast as the highlight, Lily James is such an adorable, likable sweetheart, she deserves an extra mention. It's no small task to make everyone in the audience forget they came to the theaters to see Meryl Streep, and yet to continually remind everyone that you're playing her younger counterpart. No offense to Miss Streep, but no one will miss her in this movie. With a bright, fresh, new actress on the screen who embodies the free spirit of a time period that passed before she was born, it's just not possible to think anything's missing from the leading lady of the film. She's delightful, beautiful, sunny, frisky, and full of life. You might even puzzle as to where you've seen her before, since she's so transformed from the famed cinder girl, Churchill's secretary, and, most notably, the flapper cousin to the Granthams.

There's so much attention to detail in this movie, and as someone who knows the first Mamma Mia like the back of my hand, I was able to appreciate all of it. Writer-director Ol Parker obviously loved the original and studied it, including references to every clue dropped in the script, from adding in a twin to making sure Hugh Skinner wore a Johnny Rocket t-shirt. Just don't pay attention to the order of the relationships written in the diary from the first movie. This one makes so much more sense, so just go with it. With fun, flashy colors, costumes, and on-location filming, every song and scene is enchanting.

Keep in mind it's a drama. I may be an easy target, since I bawl my way through the first Mamma Mia every time Meryl Streep sings "Slipping Through My Fingers," but I cried twice as hard during this movie. There are a couple of songs that connect mother and daughter, and, depending on your level of sappiness, you'll need between one and fifty Kleenexes to get through them. In my opinion, it's a great compliment to the film if the audience cries. I wouldn't have cried so much if Lily James was unlikable or if the story wasn't interesting.

Trust me, even if you think it's going to be silly, you've love it far more than you thought possible. From songs that declare children the love of a parent's life, to big '70s hair, to finding home where you least expect it, to seeing everyone reunited ten years later with jokes and winks to go around, this is a movie you'll want to watch over and over again. If you thought the end credits of the first movie were fun, you'll love the credits in these, as the older and younger people dance together and savor adorable curtain calls. I know what I'm getting for Christmas-that, and a box of Kleenex.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Amanda Seyfried lies down on her bed during "One of Us" the camera spins around in a circle, and it will make you sick. There's another circle during "Waterloo" right after it shows the chorus woman in a wheelchair. A third spin is in the closing credits during a group shot. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again fails to bring anything new to the table. It is made purely based on the success of the first film. Hollywood tend to do that a lot. When a film becomes successful, they make a 2nd film out of it, which lacks pretty much everything. First of all, if you want to go to see this film because Meryl Streep is in, don't bother, because she has a scene of 5 minutes in the end. She just sings two songs and that's pretty much it. She is in the front row of the film poster, she is the main image of the final trailer, because production company uses her image to attract audience. These kinds of tricks can be seen a lot, while advertising substandard quality films. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again has one purpose, and that is to make more money by using the fame of the first film. I failed to understand why they even bothered making a sequel when everything was wrapped beautifully in the first film. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is written and directed by Ol Parker. I said written, but I really don't know what he has exactly written, because in the means of story there is nothing.

The people in this film are like from a different planet. They live in a parallel universe or something. There is no one ugly in the film. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is all about beautiful people, their artificially created problems, fake tears, sadness and meaningless joy. They are all very successful, their secret bonds don't have a resource. We don't know why those characters love each other so much, but they do. The film takes place five years after the previous events. Donna is dead. Sophie (Amada Seyfried) takes over the hotel and builds it from zero. While they prepare for the grand opening, we go back to 1979, where everything starts for Donna. She is claimed to be a free soul and an independent woman, but someone must tell the writer of this character that having one night stands with handsome men on your way to Greek Island is not independence. Young Donna (Lily James) is presented to be a very different girl, but when you watch her behaviors, she is pretty much superficial. She falls in love with a man, gets depressed after he leaves, and in the very same day, she has sex with a different guy because she is very sad. Sophie and her problems regarding the hotel in the present day are told in parallel with Donna's youth and her story, how she met Sam (Pierce Brosnan),Harry (Colin Firth) and Bill, (Stellan Skargard) how she moved to the island of Kalokairi and how she built the hotel.

Young Donna's friends Tanya and Rosie, as well as her lovers, Harry, Bill and Sam, are played by actors and actresses who have nothing to do with the actual characters. They all look very different. The story takes place in a Greek island but the film was shot in Croatia and Shepperton Studios in Surrey England. Set up of the sequel is pretty much similar with the first film. There is a song for every situation. The story was created based on the situations in those songs, and there is a song for every character, problem and situation. That's the reason why I said there is no story. It is time for a sad song, a sad situation is created. It is time for a joyful song, and something happy happens. There are very few scenes that can be compared with real life situations. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a complete waste of money and time. I had a good taste in my mouth after the first film, but now that is all gone thanks to this useless film that was made just because of financial matters.

The strongest point of the film is its songs. It is satisfying in the means of music. You get to hear songs mostly from ABBA, as usual, and Arrival. After all, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is also a musical, but even so, some songs are really bad for my taste. When I Kissed the Teacher from Arrival is one, for an example. Just to be able to sing this song, they created a graduation scene. This is what I meant when I said, circumstances are created based on the songs in the film. I have never seen such a thing in my life. I haven't seen an acting performance worth mentioning. This film was released on July 16, 2018 in Hammersmith Apollo and on July 20, 2018 in the United Kingdom and United States. It has 114 minutes of runtime and made with a budget of $75 Million. With a forced story and meaningless characters, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a film that I will never watch again. Having actors and actresses in the film just because they look beautiful shouldn't be a criteria while choosing your characters. This sequel is so hopeless that even the presence of Andy Garcia and Cher couldn't save it.

This is the first movie I have seen, whose title not only tells you exactly what you will see, but serves as my opinion of it.

This review offers about fifty characters more than this movie deserves.