Mamma Mia! The Movie

Sophie (Seyfried) wants nothing more than for her father to walk her down the aisle on her upcoming wedding day. The problem is that Sophie has no idea who her father is. With a little ingenious snooping in her mom Donna's (Streep) old diary, Sophie finds there are three possible fraternal candidates from her mother's distant past. Determined to discover the identity of her father, Sophie sends invitations to all three possible daddies to attend the nuptials. And it's Mamma Mia!, here we go again, when poor Donna is blindsided by not one but three blasts from the past, when all three arrive en mass to the idyllic Greek Island Donna and Sophie call home. Based on the musical book by Catherine Johnson. (Stacey Pendry)

Special features include a commentary track by Director Phyllida Lloyd; A Sing-A-Long feature that displays the scene with lyrics; eight deleted scenes (HD 8:06); six outtakes (HD 1:33); a deleted musical number (HD 3:01); the following featurettes—Birthing Mamma Mia! (HD 4:42), The Filmmaking (HD 9:08), The Cast (HD 10:14), The Anatomy Of A Musical Number: Lay All Your Love On Me (HD 5:42), Becoming A Singer (HD 10:55), and A Look Inside Mamma Mia! (HD 2:40); a music video "Gimme! Gimme!!Gimme!" (HD 3:49); a cameo by Abba founder Björn Ulvaeus (SD 1:35); and the following BD-Live™ Functions: My Commentary allows you to create your own video, audio, or text track to watch with the movie and create sequences of your favorite scenes and downloadable never-before-seen bonus content with My Scenes Sharing. Additionally, there is a User Guide to the interactive and BD-Live functions featured on the disc, U-Control features include a Picture-In-Picture option for behind-the-scenes trivia about the making of the film, Behind The Hits is a graphics-only feature about the film's iconic songs, and there is also a digital copy of the film included.

The 2.40:1 AVC 1080p HD picture quality is superb, with excellent color fidelity and fully saturated hues, though at times the picture appears a bit overly warm in the night scenes with pumped-up hues. Exterior scenes are often stunning. Contrast is excellent, with deep blacks and well-defined shadows. Resolution is outstanding, with excellent texture detail. Fleshtones are rendered naturally and reflect the sun-drenched Greek island setting, though at times overdone. The setting is often photographed beautifully, with dramatic lighting effects that heighten the contrasts. At times, the imagery appears three dimensional. The picture is virtually noise and artifact free, with no visual edge enhancement or other distractions. The picture is totally engaging and a real eye candy treat. (Gary Reber)

As a musical, this is superbly presented, with singing and dialogue well integrated together. The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel sound quality is excellent. The ABBA music drives the story and is beautifully recorded with a prominent wide and deep soundstage and both subtle and aggressive surround presence. The pulsating music score and singing are lively and energized, with a great choral ensemble of singers. The main characters sing their own parts and mostly do a remarkably fine job. And the dance scenes are fabulous, with a dramatic color pallete that is mesmerizing. Occasional directional dialogue actuates the energy. Effects are well recorded and often energized in the surrounds, for a wonderful holosonic® presence. While dialogue is often ADR produced and forward sounding, the overall soundtrack performance is so rich with beautifully recorded music, singing, and atmospheric effects that any minor imperfections are overshadowed. This is a soundtrack that is sure to energize your spirits. And if you like, there is a Sing Along Version, so you can sing to the subtitled lyrics. (Gary Reber)