10 Movie Sequels That Were Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be

The first Mamma Mia! is a film that works in spite of itself. It is raggedy, poorly-staged and executed film that manages to still be endearing thanks to its great cast, can-do attitude, and stellar songs to work with from ABBA's catalog.

So when the news came that ten years later, Universal would be releasing a sequel, it felt like a recipe for disaster. The first film had used almost all of ABBA's biggest hit songs already, the narrative seemed to be going for the often imitated but rarely successful The Godfather Part II structure, and it had the nearly-impossible task of finding a young actor capable of filling Meryl Streep's twenty-one-time-Oscar-nominated shoes.

And yet, somehow, it all worked out.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is an infinitely better film than the first. Whereas the first film often felt as if it was just working off of a barebones plot to hang songs off of, Here We Go Again is a genuinely well-structured narrative that earns each and every song. While the first film's musical numbers often felt directionless and as if they were just shot for coverage, the second film's are shot with distinct clarity and purpose.

Perhaps most brilliantly of all, Lily James anchors the film as the young Meryl Streep and somehow bests Streep at her own game. She gets more to sink her teeth into as the character, delivers consistently stunning musical numbers, and is genuinely wonderful in the role.