I like the Muppets a lot, but on some points this film didn't quite deliver. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't completely the comeback I had hoped for.
What I liked about it is that a lot of the muppets that we know from the films and series are in it, as opposed to some of the older films which I seem to remember were mainly Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and Ms. Piggy. Too bad though that the collective Muppets have so little screen time in this film, or in any case a lot less than it could ideally have been. There were several moments where I thought "just show me Muppets for crying out loud!"
The human companions are a given in any Muppet production, which is fine if they are funny or entertaining to watch, or if they are merely creating the setting for showing us funny Muppet situations, like would so often happen with the many celebrities that visited the Muppet TV-series. Amy Adams is lovely and at times funny, but I have yet to discover the merits of Jason Segel as an actor. He isn't compelling to watch, he really isn't a great actor and he certainly isn't funny. It were especially (but not exclusively) his parts that felt like a drag. If a Muppet, for instance Kermit or in this case Walter, sings a melancholy song it is funny or lovable, but when humans, especially Segal sings it, it just looks kinda ridiculous and besides it feels like it's wasting precious potential Muppet screen time. Even Jack Black's part wasn't seriously funny or properly exploited for the potential Muppet "magic" that I was hoping for.
The story itself was fine, not more than that, and anyway it only serves as a vehicle for showing as much Muppet craziness as possible... which I think was pretty meager in this film. They managed to squeeze in a lot of the famous Muppets, and even a few good jokes, but to me it felt like they left open a lot of opportunities to squeeze in even more.
All in all I'm happy the Muppets are back, especially if this potentially means we could expect more Muppet films in the future, hopefully even better and funnier than this one. I enjoyed this film, but it certainly wasn't great. It's the first Muppet film in years, but that fact alone really isn't enough to earn it more than a 6 out of 10.
What I liked about it is that a lot of the muppets that we know from the films and series are in it, as opposed to some of the older films which I seem to remember were mainly Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and Ms. Piggy. Too bad though that the collective Muppets have so little screen time in this film, or in any case a lot less than it could ideally have been. There were several moments where I thought "just show me Muppets for crying out loud!"
The human companions are a given in any Muppet production, which is fine if they are funny or entertaining to watch, or if they are merely creating the setting for showing us funny Muppet situations, like would so often happen with the many celebrities that visited the Muppet TV-series. Amy Adams is lovely and at times funny, but I have yet to discover the merits of Jason Segel as an actor. He isn't compelling to watch, he really isn't a great actor and he certainly isn't funny. It were especially (but not exclusively) his parts that felt like a drag. If a Muppet, for instance Kermit or in this case Walter, sings a melancholy song it is funny or lovable, but when humans, especially Segal sings it, it just looks kinda ridiculous and besides it feels like it's wasting precious potential Muppet screen time. Even Jack Black's part wasn't seriously funny or properly exploited for the potential Muppet "magic" that I was hoping for.
The story itself was fine, not more than that, and anyway it only serves as a vehicle for showing as much Muppet craziness as possible... which I think was pretty meager in this film. They managed to squeeze in a lot of the famous Muppets, and even a few good jokes, but to me it felt like they left open a lot of opportunities to squeeze in even more.
All in all I'm happy the Muppets are back, especially if this potentially means we could expect more Muppet films in the future, hopefully even better and funnier than this one. I enjoyed this film, but it certainly wasn't great. It's the first Muppet film in years, but that fact alone really isn't enough to earn it more than a 6 out of 10.