Muppets Most Wanted

When I reviewed "The Muppets" (2011) upon its release, I was ecstatic about it. I loved the story, the songs, and everything the Muppets themselves did in the movie.

Most people who saw "The Muppets" who were not Muppet fans before seeing it enjoyed the film. Muppet fans themselves, in addition to loving the movie, could sense the heart and passion the filmmakers put into every aspect, and felt no doubt everyone involved in making "The Muppets" were Muppet fans themselves.

"Muppets Most Wanted" is the 8th Muppet movie, but the first one that is technically a sequel because it acknowledges the events that took place in its immediate predecessor. Many of those involved in "The Muppets" return in this sequel, including director and co-writer James Bobin, co-writer Nicholas Stoller, songwriter (and Oscar-winner) Bret McKenzie, and all the Muppets including newcomer Walter . . . but something was missing.

As I watched the film, I could see all the Muppets were there, and it seemed like they were trying to perform "The Muppet Show" as well as they did in their previous film. There was a coherent story about a criminal mastermind who happened to look identical to Kermit the Frog, and exploits this coincidence to help him escape from prison.

I wanted this movie to make me laugh. I want to tell everyone that the Muppets are cool and funny again like I did back when I saw "The Muppets" . . . but I can't.

The problem may have had to do with the story, or at least the motivations of antagonist and Kermit-lookalike Constantine. With his partner in crime Dominic Badguy (pronounced BA-jee, & played by Ricky Gervais), he uses the Muppets' world tour as a front to rob European museums of their precious diamonds.

"The Great Muppet Caper" had a similar plot, but that movie was more clever because virtually all the Muppets in that movie parodied how overdone such a plot was. This movie doesn't even want to acknowledge the banality of that hackneyed plot line, or even consider why any modern audience would care about a jewel heist.

Also, whereas the songs were a major strength in "The Muppets", the song "We're Doing A Sequel" is the only one worth remembering. It's a promising, tongue-in-cheek song that acknowledges the stigma and symptoms of sequelitis, only to allow the whole film to fall victim to its own diagnosis.

Many of the other songs are surprisingly mundane, considering McKenzie wrote far more brilliant songs for "The Muppets". For example, the song "I'll Get What You Want (Cockatoo In Malibu)" has lyrics that include "I can give you anything you want/Give you anything you need/I'll make your dreams come true/Give you anything you want".

You're waiting for a funny line, but McKenzie, for the first time in his songwriting career, never delivers one. Considering the hilarious, genre-bashing songs he made famous with Flight Of The Conchords, it feels as if he didn't even try.

Last but not least, everything "The Muppets" did right with celebrity cameos, "Muppets Most Wanted" did wrong. You see Christoph Waltz dancing the waltz, Salma Hayek getting on and off stage, Danny Trejo in prison, and Celine Dion just singing.

You don't see Gonzo doing a crazy stunt (you only hear him talking about it), Fozzie Bear telling a joke, or most of the Muppets doing what they do best. Even Lew Zealand forgets to throw a fish.

Of the human stars who actually have relevant roles, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell actually look like they're having fun. Ricky Gervais is surprisingly dull, being both unfunny enough to stand alongside the Muppets, and not menacing enough to be a villain.

The Muppets are the stars of this movie, not the humans. Somewhere in the making of this movie, the filmmakers left their love of the Muppets, and their desire to make them intriguing characters, by the door, and it shows by what you don't see the Muppets do.

"Muppets Most Wanted" has some laughs, but they are more like light chuckles with no feelings of joy or poignancy. The Muppets have already proved they can make a comeback, but this is not the movie that proves their staying power.

"Muppets Most Wanted" is by no means a terrible movie, but I hope the Muppets prove their worth in their next movie. I hope there is a next movie.

One last note: The Walt Disney Company has not yet released "The Muppet Show" Seasons 4 & 5 on DVD in addition to many other long-unavailable Muppet TV specials (e.g. "A Muppet Family Christmas" (1987)), yet has purchased Marvel Comics and the Star Wars franchise. Maybe the problem lies with Disney not caring enough about the Muppets.

'The Muppets: Most Wanted (2014)' picks up right after the muppets finish filming 'The Muppets (2011)'. This meta self-awareness continues throughout the piece, though to varying degrees, and is especially evident in the opening musical number in which the characters sing about doing a sequel. The first film must be based on a 'true story', though, because its events (the muppets getting back together, Walter being introduced) are directly referenced as having happened to the muppets even though the opening makes it explicit that the film itself is the reason for the muppet's reunion and subsequent success (which kicks in prior to their picture even being edited, since this starts as soon as they shoot the last shot and wrap up production). Confused? Well, the flick doesn't want you to think about it. It steams ahead with almost reckless abandon, unconcerned with most of its throwaway humour, which leads to a 'just go with it' vibe and prevents any semblance of self-seriousness. It's a distinct yet mostly successful approach that fits with the inherent silliness of the age-old 'puppets and people' concept. The flick is enjoyable enough for what it is, filled with a host colourful core characters and a slew of throwaway yet inoffensive celebrity cameos. There are plenty of lively musical numbers and the piece is relatively funny on occasion (though never side-splitting, by any means). A lot of the comedy is based around ever-so-slightly xenophobic stereotypes, but this feels more lazy than malicious. Therefore, it isn't particularly bothersome, even though it does make a lot of the movie seem somewhat old-fashioned. The most successful aspects of the feature are its villains, a dastardly doppelgänger and an in-the-closet furry. Their evil plan is as predictable as you'd expect, but the picture doesn't make a point of focusing on its plot and just uses it as a catalyst for its somewhat creaky comedy and its catchy song-and-dance routines (the latter of which includes an excellent 80s pop-ballad parody). Ultimately, this is a well-executed and generally enjoyable affair. There isn't anything particularly wrong with it, but it's only ever so engaging or, even, entertaining. It's good enough for a bit of throwaway fun, though. To be fair, it never pretends to be anything more than that. 6/10.

Having read a few strangely critical reviews, I felt compelled to add my own for balance. I am not going to compare this to this Muppet movie or that. I already see too many people doing that.

Having grown up with the original Muppet Show and seeing every movie and many TV specials, I have seen this bunch put together movies and shows with varying success.

The return to the big screen a few years ago was very welcome, and very well done. With this movie, I think they topped that and quite a few others! To me, as a lifelong fan, this easily ranks near the top of the best Muppet movies made.

Once I heard the opening number to the movie, I knew I was in for a treat. Every song in this movie was pure Muppet. Jim Henson always had a way of celebrating the best we all have to offer with a twinkle in his eye and a joke or two along the way. That spirit lives on in this movie. Whether it's doo wop, cheesy 70s music, or just a fun musical number, they cover a lot of ground.

The plot, as you may already be aware, involves some creative switcharoo, which is played off very well. This leads to a number of interesting scenes on both sides.

The movie is paced very well, and does a good job of switching back and forth between story lines. Just as you become reinvested in one, you're switched back to the other. You will most likely see your favorite Muppet at some point, although only a handful have significant parts. I always enjoy the familiar faces in the background scenes.

The human/Muppet ratio was back where it should be. Any proper Muppet movie should always star the muppets, with humans being "around". This delivered that perfectly, but also picked the perfect co-stars. Ty Burrell is fantastic, and his time with Sam the Eagle is wonderful, and something I had been looking forward to. Of course Tina Fey is great as well. She's Tina Fey!

There is a lot of well done will they or won't they at the end. You'll have to see for yourself if they do or if they don't!

And finally, while the matinée I went to wasn't hugely attended, there were a number of kids in the audience, and they all seemed to like the movie very much, even clapping at the end.

I personally enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I laughed A LOT. It's fun. It's silly. It's somewhat absurd at times, and that's what the Muppets are all about. And of course, they remind you how great it is to stick together with your friends and family. And any movie that can get the seal of approval from kids that includes clapping must be doing something right!

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.

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.