Mamma Mia

I just watched a DVD of the film Mamma Mia and was quite disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. I was unimpressed with the cinematography and lighting, I don't know if they were trying to make it look like it was set on a stage (as it was an adaption of the hit stage musical) but that is what it looked like a lot of the time. Quite a few times I thought the camera angles were off, especially in the cutaway shots, when the camera often seemed to be either missing the action completely or it was obscured by extras!
Initially the songs didn't happen at all naturally, in fact most of them didn't. We don't, in this century, seem to have the knack of musical films as they did back in the good old days (1930's to the 1960's). And they certainly shouldn't have let Pierce Brosnan sing (sorry Pierce), it didn't sound good.
I did shed a little tear at one point during the film, and it wasn't because of Pierce's singing. It was when Meryl Streep was singing "Winner Takes It All." I'm still not sure exactly why then!
Even so, because it was the music of ABBA, it was worth watching, though it really does not compare well to the stage version. ABBA songs in a movie will, however, always be a reminder of Muriel's Wedding and nothing else can ever compare to their use in that film.