**TL;DR Mamma Mia 2 is better than the first as it is more fun and has a better storyline**. Mamma Mia 2 provides more context than the first film, there are many flashbacks of Donna when she was young (played by Lily James) showing her adventures travelling Europe and settling down in Greece. The second film expands on the love story of Donna and Sam, it also provides context as to why their relationship failed when they were younger. This provides so much more clarity and excitement regarding their love story which is definitely better than what we see in the first film. The second movie, in general, just feels slightly more fun and energetic. More cast are added to the film which includes Lily James and Cher. The audience get to see Cher singing some of ABBA’s best songs which is brilliant. The costumes are also better than the first. Lily James wears such fun clothes, such as the famous denim flared jeans. We also get to see more of the beautiful Greek landscape, as well as other locations across Europe which makes the film more visually intriguing. Many of the main songs from the first film such as ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Mamma Mia’ are also included in the second film. Yet, we are also introduced to other great ABBA songs such as ‘Knowing me, Knowing you’ and ‘Andante, Andante’. There is more variation of songs in the second one whilst also keeping the most popular ones. The second Mamma Mia is better as it is a more sparkling, spectacular and funny viewing. WORKS CITED: Oswald Anjelica, ‘The ‘Mamma Mia!’ sequel is better than the original – despite Meryl Streep’s absence’ (17 July 2018), https://www.insider.com/mamma-mia-here-we-go-again-movie-review-2018-7

I believe the first Mamma Mia film is better than the second. As someone who finds it incredibly difficult to concentrate on a film (I usually google the plot beforehand so I don't have to,) I found that the first film kept my attention. Whilst I do think the second film is good in its own right, the first film for me had a little more sparkle. Although sometimes Pierce Brosnan's singing was a tad questionable, even that had charm to it. The film left me with more of a smile than the second film. Maybe it was the fact that Amanda Seyfried's character decided the norm of marriage was not what she wanted at that time. Or that old love was rekindled again, there was something I did like more.

**TL; DR Mamma Mia 2! Here We Go Again is essentially enjoyable but struggles to maintain the energy of the original** Mamma Mia 2 has some great qualities. The song 'Fernando' was conspicuous by its absence in the original- it's undeniably a bop and a real highlight of the sequel. That being said... The first film was surprisingly divisive; receiving mixed reviews from both audiences and critics.(1) It was new, though. It was the first film adaption of the well-known musical. Perhaps a lot to live up to? It mightn’t have been good, but it was definitely fun. The sequel was also fun; but fell afoul of the trap that most sequels do- it just couldn’t really fill the shoes of the original. That’s not a comment on how enjoyable the film is. It’s fun; it’s funky- all the things you would expect from an ABBA inspired musical. But it’s been done before, and the memory of the original looms large in pop culture. More importantly though, it looms large over Mamma Mia 2! Here We Go Again. It has the feel of bonus content, from back in the ye olde days when DVDs with bonus content weren’t struggling to compete with streaming services. Can you still get bonus content with digital downloads? It’s a mystery. Anyway. It really does feel like additional content spread quite thinly over 114 minutes- it isn’t bad, but there just isn’t quite enough to carry it. 1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795421/reviews

Sequels never live up to the expectations of the original movie. The original Mamma Mia movie is by far the better movie and this remains the case for majority of movie franchises. For me personally, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again did not convey the same overall feeling that the first movie did and instead seemed more of a tacky attempt at dragging the storyline out. Missing key characters and instead introducing irrelevant characters such as that of Cher, I can’t help but think the rumoured third movie will only butcher the title even further.

**TL;DR- Mamma Mia 2 is much more enjoyable than the first film; with the fun storyline, the exciting time-hopping, scenery, and great characters, it is something that can be watched over and over again. However, after watching it once, I would not want to watch the first Mamma Mia again as I found it quite lacklustre.** Because we know nothing about Donna's summer affairs in the first Mamma Mia, the film is quite confusing and generally feels like we're missing out on a large chunk of the story (although, this is the point and the reason why they made a sequel). The film stays on the Greek island of Kalokairi, following the story of Sophie getting ready for her wedding with the help of her mother, Donna. Although there is some pretty scenery, enjoyable dance scenes, etc., the general atmosphere of the film does seem very drawn-out; it feels like they just spend the whole time on the island fretting about the wedding and Sophie's three dads. Also, Donna seems to be the only character in the film who isn't one-dimensional (Sophie and Sky for example are generally boring characters). On the other hand, in Mamma Mia 2, the story is a lot more dynamic, flitting between Oxford, Paris, and eventually Kalokairi, back and forth in time, with a constant change in scenery, mood, etc. As well as this, the film spends a good amount of time on each character, so that they all have a bit of a backstory and a personality. If someone asked you- who's your favourite character in the first Mamma Mia? Unless you liked Donna or Sophie the best, you may be a little stumped- the three dads are all quite flat, and it's easy to confuse one with another, Sophie's friends seem to only exist to aid Sophie's character arc (or lack thereof), and Sky seems barely present in the story. Whereas, it's hard to choose just one favourite character in the sequel (though Tanya and Rosie are quite iconic) as they are all so fleshed out and dynamic, played by brilliant actors and given their own quirks and flaws. While it's true that Mamma Mia 2 may have a few plot holes (like Donna's mother back from the dead as Cher), I just found the second film a lot more fun and engaging, and a generally more easy-to-watch film than the first.

**TL;DR: Mamma Mia 2’s plot is based heavily upon the plot of the first film, but simultaneously gets it wrong** The whole premise of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is to fill in the ‘dot-dot-dots’ of the first film, which I personally believe would have been better left as ‘dot-dot-dots’. We begin Mamma Mia 2 knowing exactly what will happen, because the essential plot of the second film has already been given in the first, during Amanda Seyfried’s rendition of Honey Honey. This takes away much of the intrigue and suspense in watching the film. However, at the same time, the viewer is infuriated because the plot of Mamma Mia 2 _simultaneously_ manages to go _against_ the plot of the first film: in Mamma Mia!, Donna meets Sam, then Bill, then Harry; in Mamma Mia 2, Donna meets Harry, then Sam, then Bill. This significant change in the order of events invalidates the testimony given in Donna’s diary, which for a cult-fan of the film (as many Mamma Mia 2 viewers will be) is aggravating and reduces the film’s overall enjoyability. This change in order is not only logically problematic, but anti-feminist. The director and writer, Ol Parker, explains that he changed the order of events [“to give (Donna) slightly different reasons for each of the men,[…] Young Harry is comedy and a slight pathos and also charming. Young Sam is a love story. Young Bill is to help her feel better from having a broken heart”]( https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/features/mamma-mia-2-plot-holes-mistakes/). This approach, which aims to justify Donna’s promiscuity, seems like an outdated and misogynistic policing of female sexuality.