Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has renovated her mother’s hotel on the Greek island of Kalokairi and whilst she prepares for the grand re-opening party we see flashbacks to her mother Donna’s (Lilly James) time on the island when she was her age.

Let’s start with a confession. I’ve never seen Mamma Mia and never had any intention of watching it or it’s sequel. When it came out a decade ago I was 27, had no children and was not remotely interested in a jukebox musical featuring actors who couldn’t sing, performing songs by a band I never liked particularly. I would like to say that I went to see this film because my mindset had changed and being a father had made me interested in a tale of family. That isn’t true either. I went because of my addiction to sitting in a dark room watching film on a large screen and the significant lack of other available options. What I can say is that I was completely bowled over with how infectiously fun this film is. It was initially a slow burner for me as I didn’t recognise the opening 2 or 3 songs but with the introduction of Lily James and the charm that she brings I was won over. So much so that by the final number I was grinning ear to ear.

Unable to compare to the original (something I may watch now) I can only talk about the merits of this film and there are many. The fact that this is the Godfather Part 2 of jukebox musical sequels gives it a fantastic cinematic technique of being able to cut between Sophie and Donna at the same age experiencing similar emotions. There is also an early number that cuts across the Atlantic to give Sophie and her boyfriend Sky (Dominic Cooper) a duet which features some great edits to bring them together. The humour feels particularly knowing, especially with the scenes involving Donna’s 3 dads. Colin Firth gets to engage in some dad dancing and Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård do some very light singing.

It’s showstopper though is its new cast members. The actors playing the young versions of all the characters are all fantastic but Lilly James is the stand out of the entire film. Her fun and enthusiasm really shines through and makes every scene she is in a joy. And at the end we get Cher join the party and perform Fernando.

Are there negatives? Absolutely. There are some truly awful, clunky lines. Andy Garcia seems to get the majority of those but seems to carry it well. And I’m pretty confident that everyone that thinks like the 27 year old me won’t be open to its charms, something that will result in you focussing on the bonkers storyline that has to somehow shoehorn songs into a story. But if you just give it a chance I think you will be surprised, I certainly was!

Stay in your seats all the way to the very end for one last joke as well.