Opération Muppets

The Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European heist caper headed by a Kermit the Frog look-alike and his sidekick Number Two.

The last film put the Muppet's back on the the map, director/writer James Bobin and writer Nicholas Stoller corrects Bobin's own previous instalments niggles, gone is the focus on a new Muppet character and less focus on (real) human actors, here there's more Muppets, more songs, comedy and action.

Packed with one-liners gags and with the obligatory cross section of famous cameos including Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Frank Langella and Ray Liotta to name a few there's all you'd expect from a Muppets musical comedy caper. This offering even excels it predecessor and brings the Muppet's even more to life with some CGI (footwork) but without taking away any of the puppet characteristics of the Muppets we've grown to love along side the human leads Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey who are on fine form.

This is another proper big budget outing set in the 'real' world and not cheap TV movie nor is it based on a classic story. Most Wanted is a fine return to form and sits well with the classic Muppet capers. Highly recommended.

The Muppets of 2011 was a surprise, it is one of the rare throwbacks that excellently lives up to the material which brings nostalgia to the old fans and potentially earns new ones from the current generation. That little film gives us faith to their upcoming films, and here it is, the latest sequel that once again delivers the same delight and enthusiasm. This quality is always a welcome, however the storyline doesn't seem to offer anything new or say anything important. But none of it will ever matter in the end, Muppets Most Wanted is quite entertaining because that is what this material is always best at.

This edition tries to be like any blockbuster today by pulling off a bombastic and thrilling tone since it involves criminal schemes and exciting mysteries, but these aren't the most interesting parts the film has. Many can immediately notice it suffers finding fresher ideas for the main plot, but those aren't exactly what we care for. It's really about being loyal to their thing: absurd humor, shining talents, and best of all, singing. The attempt of heightening things up is probably for the film to fit in to this epic sized era of cinema. But the truth is the plot is really not as special as the quirks, the most memorable parts that end up to the storyline are either the Muppets' amusing naivety from Constantine's disguise as Kermit or the two agents' ridiculous arguments about the size of their badges.

While the classic stuff are kept, the only thing that was elevated is the songs. Bret McKenzie gives the same joy of the last movie, the beat goes from groovy to Broadway. Every musical set piece is just wonderfully enjoyable. The craft is nothing to talk about since they're always neat, and the voices too have always been full of life. The celebrity cast seems like they're having a good time: Ricky Gervais is kind of just doing his own thing. Ty Burrell seems to be parodying Inspector Clouseau and it's quite fun, he has a delightful chemistry with his Muppet partner, Sam the Eagle. People might only notice the accent in Tina Fey, but she still made the character likable anyway.

Muppets Most Wanted has the feeling for a TV Special worth or something, because definitely there is hardly anything grand about the film other than the spectacles, but it's really hard to say anything bad to the Muppets since the spirit of the show is still there. Its significance is just too little compared to the last movie since that one had a message why this show is so special. This sequel only exists probably just to fit in, but then again it's still a very fun time at the movies. New and old fans can appreciate every bit of it, because nothing can entertain you like this than the Muppets.

I hate to give the Muppets anything less than a 10, I really do. I'm an enormous Muppets fan, but this movie disappointed on a couple counts.

First, they started using CGI - A lot.

The charm of the Muppets is that... well, they are puppets. That somehow got lost in translation in this movie when some scenes included full bodies of dancing and walking Muppets. In the past movies, Muppets were shown full-bodied only as stop-action; but the CGI thing just takes the fun and mystery out of it.

Another negative is over-saturation of the Muppets. They are everywhere now, from car commercials to my lunch at Subway. Disney is milking the franchise to death, sadly, so the movie doesn't have that special pop.

All that said, the movie starts with a bang. It's a hilarious transition from the last film, though the absence of Jason Segal is quickly noticed. A cameo may have done justice there.

Overall, the movie is fun; though the writing didn't get a lot of laugh- out-loud moments like their other films. The evil Kermit concept was well executed and the human actors were excellent in their roles. A few good songs, but nothing I'd commit to memory to sing on a road trip.

It's worth a watch for every Muppet fan, and overall a strong 7 out of 10.

After being successfully rebooted in 2011 in The Muppets they return in Muppets Most Wanted and end up in London (their spiritual home) as well as other European cities.

The famous again Muppets have a new manager Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais) and they embark on a world tour but the tour is a front as Badguy and his cohort Constantine (A Kermit lookalike who has replaced Kermit) rob historical venues across Europe. Tina Fey is fun as the prison guard in a Russian gulag where the real Kermit has been sent to.

Ty Burrell is Interpol Inspector Napoleon, co investigating with CIA agent Sam the Eagle while at the same time poking fun at French stereotypes.

There are many cameos some are blink and you miss them ranging from James McAvoy, Lady Gaga, Christoph Waltz, Frank Langella, Ray Liotta, Danny Trejo, Salma Hayek and Tom Hiddleston.

The film is fun enough, a solid and enjoyable film with a good musical number (The Gulag Song) near the end of the film. Its not as good as The Muppets and borrows from earlier films such as The Great Muppet Caper. Then again the film acknowledges that sequels are not as good as the original film in its opening number. Jason Segel's absence is felt in this film and it also does feel a little bit flabby here and there.

When The Muppets came out in 2011 people really liked it and therefore a sequel was made. The sequel Muppets Most Wanted was not as successful as it's predecessor. It wasn't as much a financial hit and people didn't dig it as much and it seems like The Muppets are back to the way they were after Muppets From Space. I actually really loved Muppets Most Wanted. At the time I thought it was better than The Muppets and in ways it is. The jokes are smarter. The songs are better and it feels more like a traditional Muppet movie than it's predecessor but this movie is not without it's flaws. The flaws are that Walter has more screen time than Gonzo and even Fozzie. That's just wrong! And the humans need to take a huge backseat to the Muppets. Tina Fey more than Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell. Overall I think this is a great Muppet movie but it's so depressing how underrated it is. I hope this is not the end of The Muppets on the big screen. I'm an aspiring actor and filmmaker, maybe I should be like Jason Segel and try to bring them back if nobody else does. Even then I've always wanted to make a Muppet movie.