As of writing, The Muppets is the third highest-grossing film of the Muppet franchise when adjusted for inflation. Since its release in late November, its comedy and sentiment have gained approval from critics and audiences, many proclaiming it's up there with the first two Muppet movies and fewer claiming its even better. Hell, some even say it's one of the best films of the year. Does it hold up to the hype? For the most part, yes.
Kermit lives alone in a mansion until he's visited by a trio of Muppet fans: Walter (who's actually a Muppet himself, voiced by Peter Linz), his human brother Gary (Jason Segel), and Gary's fiancé, Mary (Amy Adams). They tell him the run-down Muppet Theater is about to be bought and torn down by oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). The only way to save it is to reunite the gang to put on another show in order to raise enough money to buy the theater back. It won't be easy, however, as the Muppets have been all but forgotten by the public.
The story feels almost like a direct sequel to the first film in the franchise, The Muppet Movie, sharing the themes of following your dreams, making it in the entertainment world, and the importance of friendship. However, whereas the first film was about Kermit and friends trying to break into show business, this one's about them trying to re-enter it, as they've all become virtually unknown after years of inactivity and being split up. As a result, they have a hard time finding a station to broadcast their show and a guest star to draw in viewers (they manage to snag Jack Black, however, in one of the funniest scenes of the movie). While I still think the original film is better, The Muppets comes really close to that level of quality and the two movies compliment each other well.
If I made the film sound like it's all sentiment, never fear, as it contains the same wonderful Muppets-style humor: lots of fourth wall breaking and clever jokes everyone can enjoy. The music numbers are great, in particular the first song, which features excellent choreography. And of course there's the classic 'Rainbow Connection', which had everyone reaching for their tissues.
As good as it is, there are still some problems, mostly minor and nitpicky stuff. The Gary and Mary characters felt a little superfluous, their romantic subplot in particular, but Segel and Adams are both very charming and funny in their roles, so it doesn't detract that much from the plot. Walter is somewhat bland, though this isn't a large detriment either as once Kermit makes his appearance, the story puts more focus on him and the Muppets. The biggest problem I had was the clumsy handling of the ending, but once again, it doesn't take away so much that it kills the entire movie.
If you love the Muppet Show and the old Muppet movies, then you will really enjoy this. While the few flaws it does have keep it from being a great movie, it retains all the humor and heart you could ever want from the Muppets. May they have more feature-length ventures in the future.
Kermit lives alone in a mansion until he's visited by a trio of Muppet fans: Walter (who's actually a Muppet himself, voiced by Peter Linz), his human brother Gary (Jason Segel), and Gary's fiancé, Mary (Amy Adams). They tell him the run-down Muppet Theater is about to be bought and torn down by oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper). The only way to save it is to reunite the gang to put on another show in order to raise enough money to buy the theater back. It won't be easy, however, as the Muppets have been all but forgotten by the public.
The story feels almost like a direct sequel to the first film in the franchise, The Muppet Movie, sharing the themes of following your dreams, making it in the entertainment world, and the importance of friendship. However, whereas the first film was about Kermit and friends trying to break into show business, this one's about them trying to re-enter it, as they've all become virtually unknown after years of inactivity and being split up. As a result, they have a hard time finding a station to broadcast their show and a guest star to draw in viewers (they manage to snag Jack Black, however, in one of the funniest scenes of the movie). While I still think the original film is better, The Muppets comes really close to that level of quality and the two movies compliment each other well.
If I made the film sound like it's all sentiment, never fear, as it contains the same wonderful Muppets-style humor: lots of fourth wall breaking and clever jokes everyone can enjoy. The music numbers are great, in particular the first song, which features excellent choreography. And of course there's the classic 'Rainbow Connection', which had everyone reaching for their tissues.
As good as it is, there are still some problems, mostly minor and nitpicky stuff. The Gary and Mary characters felt a little superfluous, their romantic subplot in particular, but Segel and Adams are both very charming and funny in their roles, so it doesn't detract that much from the plot. Walter is somewhat bland, though this isn't a large detriment either as once Kermit makes his appearance, the story puts more focus on him and the Muppets. The biggest problem I had was the clumsy handling of the ending, but once again, it doesn't take away so much that it kills the entire movie.
If you love the Muppet Show and the old Muppet movies, then you will really enjoy this. While the few flaws it does have keep it from being a great movie, it retains all the humor and heart you could ever want from the Muppets. May they have more feature-length ventures in the future.