The new Mamma Mia! movie has been described by critics as both “consistently funny” and the “cinematic equivalent of a B-side”.
The film comes 10 years after the first feelgood movie, featuring Abba hits, was a surprise box office hit.
Directed by Ol Parker, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, sees Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth reprise their roles.
Cher also makes an appearance this time, and there is a starring role for Lily James.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Leslie Felperin wrote that the new movie is the “cinematic equivalent of a B-side”.
The “sequel is – predictably – made with more money, wit and craft and yet remains faintly disappointing,” she said.
She adds: “The movie’s biggest failing is that so much of its soundtrack, the very engine that propels it, is made up of … lesser-known tunes from the back catalogue of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus.”
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman says that featuring Abba’s “less high-profile gems” puts the movie in a “more reflective, downbeat mood” but he adds: “That’s not a bad thing.”
Grab your girls and head to paradise! #MammaMia2 is in theaters this Friday! Get tickets: https://t.co/fIHMel70du pic.twitter.com/S7ViTLdNjr
— Mamma Mia (@mammamiamovie) July 15, 2018
The Daily Telegraph’s Robbie Collin awarded the film four stars and wrote: “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again lacks the shock value of the original.
“But, as before, the music is a hoot.”
And he wrote: “Here We Go Again is consistently funny, always amiably at its own expense.”
The Press Association’s Damon Smith wrote that the movie “doesn’t quite achieve the same intoxicating sense of nostalgia-drenched delirium”.
He adds that “fragmented chronology hampers dramatic momentum but audiences who loved the first film won’t care”.
The Daily Mail’s Jan Moir praised ex-Downton Abbey actress James in the film, saying: “If Mamma Mia doesn’t make an absolutely huge star out of her, I will eat my glitterball earrings.”
And she adds: “Elsewhere the bigger budget gives the film the firm smack of Hollywood pizzazz and a polish that was lacking in the rather ramshackle first Mamma Mia!”
And the Daily Mirror’s Chris Hunneysett said that the film “sticks to the successful formula of much-loved stars backed by an attractive young cast, a gorgeous location and the best pop tunes on the planet.”
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is released in UK cinemas on July 20.