Dancing queens

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Cert Running time

Unleash yourself and boogie in the glorious sunshine glow of what’s going to be the smash hit of the summer. This unashamedly feelgood sequel to 2008’s poptastic box office chartbuster is another sequinned celebration of sisterly love and the unbreakable bonds of motherhood.

Once again, the irresistible platinumplated tunes of ABBA set the tone for this flamboyant escapist fantasy, which sees the original cast reunite in a split storyline which flicks between events now and those of 25 years ago.

In the present, Amanda Seyfried is organising her Greek island hotel’s grand opening night and frets about her relationship with Dominic Cooper, while a deliciously lusty Christine Baranski and a lovelorn Julie Walters banter for space alongside Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard.

There’s a much reduced role for Meryl Streep as Seyfried’s vivacious screen mother, Donna. However, the younger version of the character is played in the earlier timeline by Lily James, and the former Downton star treats us to a barnstorming turn worthy of Streep herself.

Bristling with defiance, optimism and enthusiasm, we see how Donna meets a trio of buff and eager suitors who become responsible for the confusion surrounding her daughter’s parentage.

All this turning back time sets up a show-stopping singing turn by the ever fabulous Cher. It’s one of many preposterous crowdpleasing scenes, my favourite of which is set at sea and is best described as Dunkirk with a disco beat.

This brazen and cheerfully loopy sense of fun mingles with heartfelt multi-generational bonding and the pains of summer loving.

Among the barely choreographed mass dance-alongs and ill-advised attempts at singing lurks a finger so firmly on the pulse of its intended audience it was rewarded at the packed-out world premiere with an allsinging and dancing ovation.