Mamma Mia! The Movie on Blu-ray Disc Review
By Rachel Cericola
The Film
If you're not a fan of musicals or the band ABBA, you'd probably rather have bamboo shoved under your toenails than endure
Mamma Mia! The Movie. For the rest, you'll find a fun, funky, and often touching story based on the insanely popular stage musical.
Donna (Meryl Streep) is a single mom and owner of a gorgeous Greek island resort. Before her only child Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) walks down the aisle, Donna and her crazy cohorts (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters) are going to turn this mutha out and party like it's 1979 -- complete with a groovy soundtrack and go-go boots for all.
However, the bride-to-be has sent out three of her own invitations, to Donna's former lovers (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard), one of which could be her father. Of course, Donna is not happy to see her past suitors, to say the least. Both she and Sophie are sent into a tizzy, which apparently involves breaking out into ABBA every few minutes.
Surprisingly, the entire all-star cast sings their own songs in this film adaptation. For Pierce Brosnan, this is not a good thing. Still, you have to give it up for the former Bond: belting out "S.O.S." and wearing Spandex does not work on everyone.
Check out Karen Dahlstrom's review of the theatrical release of
Mamma Mia! The Movie.
The Picture
We would put
Mamma Mia! up next to
The Matrix in any demo room. The 2.40:1 transfer was amazing. The entire movie was a constant test, too -- the stunning blue water, the thousands of flowers, the dresses, the glow of the cutie-pie bride. Some of the colors were a little strong, but that seemed intentional. No wonder these people always want to break out into song; this backdrop is phenomenal. I want to live there. Also, how did Streep age so well?
The Sound
The transition from dialogue to musical numbers could have been a bit more seemless. However, the DTS-HD Master 5.1 track had our room rocking throughout the entire movie. While some of the neighbors probably weren't all that appreciative, it added to the excitement and energy -- which was the on-screen equivalent of mixing Red Bull and Pixy Stix.
The Extras
Fans will appreciate the laundry list of extras here. Almost every single one offered yet another opportunity to keep bouncing to the music, whether it was through a look at the film, the musical numbers, or the deleted scenes. However, we also enjoyed the opportunity to test our lungpower with a few tunes (alone, thank goodness -- Pierce Brosnan would make fun of us) via the Sing-Along feature. Also, those with a webcam can record commentary to be played alongside the movie, via a very fun tag-team of BD-Live and picture-in-picture.
Final Thoughts
Despite wanting to punch myself for it, I actually enjoyed
Mamma Mia! With the gorgeous image, the upbeat soundtrack, and the entire cast having such a grand time, you'll find it hard not to pull the stick out of your butt and just go with the flow.
Where to Buy:
Product Details
- Actors: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper
- Director: Phyllida Lloyd
- Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (Spanish, French)
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Region: A
- Number of Discs: 2
- Rating: PG-13
- Studio: Universal Studios
- Blu-ray Disc Release Date: December 16, 2009
- Run Time: 109 minutes
- List Price: $39.98
- Extras:
- Sing-Along
- Deleted Scenes/Outtakes
- "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" Music Video
- Bjorn Ulvaeus Cameo
- Feature Commentary with director Phyllida Lloyd
- The Making of Mamma Mia! The Movie
- Deleted Musical Number: "The Name of the Game"
- Anatomy of a Musical Number: "Lay All Your Love On Me"
- Becoming a Singer
- A Look Inside Mamma Mia! The Movie
- My Movie Commentary (BD-Live)
- My Chat (BD-Live)
- Behind the Hits (U-Control)
- Picture in Picture (U-Control)
- Digital Copy
