Mamma Mia 2 REVIEW: Endearing characters dance, jive, have the time of their life

So now that being snobby about “un-macho” pop culture is finally out of fashion and the world is in desperate need of pure escapism, we’re back for round two: more ABBA bangers, more gorgeous scenery, and more Pierce Brosnan warbling.

While in real-life it’s been ten years since the first movie, on screen it’s only been five: we left Amanda Seyfried’s Sophie ready to travel the world with Sky (Dominic Cooper), and now – half a decade later – she’s back following in Donna’s (Meryl Streep) footsteps by opening her own island hotel.

The countdown to the big launch is proving particularly stressful, leading her to wonder how exactly her mother managed it all those years ago. Cue a sequel-meets-prequel in which we intercut Sophie’s plight with Donna’s own journey from bright-eyed Oxford graduate to dungaree-wearing hotelier.

A playful Lily James is the younger Donna, tackling the lion’s share of the soundtrack. She does a great job: her voice is decent if unspectacular, but she feels the music from her feet up, and the energy is infectious. It’s this loveable effervescence that should finally put her stuffy Downton Abbey days behind her and send her stratospheric.

Of course the problem with the flashback story is that there are no stakes whatsoever. We’re already aware of what happened – we learned it all in the first movie – and Donna has barely any problems at all as she arrives on a new island and essentially helps herself to a cosy, free little life. The only worry she really has is heartbreak over men she’s known for no more than a couple of days.

But you know what? It doesn’t matter. You won’t come to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again for King Lear levels of intensity – you’ll go for humour, for escapism, and for unbeatable music. And even though the best-known ABBA hits were used up in the 2008 original, there are plenty of gems here: When I Kissed The Teacher is a riot, Angel Eyes is incredible fun, Andante Andante is a surprise highlight, and the Streep/Seyfried rendition of My Love, My Life is just beautiful. The best of the previous showtunes are back too, and without treading old ground.

It’s great to see former Mean Girl Seyfried in a leading role again; and Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are scene-stealers as Donna’s best friends Tanya and Rosie (listen out for Baranski delivering not one but two of the funniest one-liners of the year). Of the men, Josh Dylan as the young Bill (whom Stellan Skarsgard plays as an adult) really shines, while Omid Djalili scores big laughs with his handful of memorable appearances. Racial diversity among the principle cast is disappointingly lacking, but it’s uplifting to see same-sex couples and disabled backing dancers given spots in the ensemble.

Ultimately this 114-minute camp-fest is fun, joyous, and surprisingly cathartic fun – which, given the current state of the world, is more than welcome. While there are lulls in the first half, the second is a non-stop riot: big musical numbers, big laughs and a fabulous eleventh-hour arrival from Cher ramp things up into fifth gear, and it’ll take the most cynical, rock-hard of hearts to not blub like a baby at a particularly devastating sequence near the end.

Snobs be damned: come the all-singing, all-dancing, all-sparkling finale, you’ll be dancing in the aisles.

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is out now.