It’s confession time. The only Muppets film I’ve actually seen other than their take on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ I was tempted to see this, not for any particular love towards the puppets, but to the universal reviews saying it’s fantastic.
And while it may be not the funniest film I’ve ever seen it certainly is enjoyable.
The film tells the story of Walter, a Muppet, who longs to go to the studios where they used to film the show, and when he gets the opportunity to do so he is overjoyed. Sadly he finds the studios to be in a state of ruin and overhears the plans of a ruthless oil magnate who plans to demolish the studios and drill for oil, exploiting a loophole in the Muppets’ contractual ownership of the building.
Finding Kermit living in a plush Los Angeles home, the film switches to a homage to the Blues Brothers as members of the Muppets are rounded up one-by-one to put on a special telethon to try and save the studios.
Visually the film is a treat with the Muppets looking exactly like they did all those years ago with many of the sets and characters enjoying a fifties look and all the characters are present, even if ones like Rizzo only get walk on parts. The songs mostly fit in with the plot and aren’t shoe-horned in and there are cameos a plenty from celebrities, though many went over my head as I’m not familiar with Selina Gomez, the young lad that comes on with her, and somebody I’ve never seen before from a show called ‘The Big Bang Theory’ that I’ve never watched. I’m assuming more of the celebrities are familiar if you watch American television. Either that or I’m not so familiar with pop culture. Jack Black was excellent in his role, though, for a change.
The film does manage to tackle lots of emotions and is quite touching in parts, especially when you see Fozzie Bear’s after-they-were famous life, and at times it seems much more adult than I remember the Muppet TV series, but it’s also very funny with many laugh outloud moments, but it’s perhaps not as consistently humorous as I would have liked.
The film is, unsurprisingly, built around its song and dance numbers and these are well written and catchy and only occasionally cheesy, but it is the breaking of the fourth wall during and after these that works really well, in particular from the disappointingly brief appearances of Stadtler and Waldorf.
Overall, ‘The Muppets’ is a film well worth seeing. There are some sections involving chickens, rapping, toilet explosions and map sequences that are absolutely hilarious, and several very touching moments. Sure, it steals jokes from ‘Team America World Police’ and a major plot device from the Blues Brothers, and the romance at the heart of the film isn’t particularly convincing – there is no way anybody would be that relaxed about someone spending all their times with puppets during their major anniversary holiday – but it’s great to once more see the Muppets on screen, especially in such a well-written film that doesn’t take itself too seriously, offers some deep-seated laughs and some great songs, successfully mixing the classic Muppets with modern actors, tunes and jokes.
It’s certainly one film I’ll want to watch again for the warmth and humour injected onto the cinema screen.
(8/10)
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