Review of 'The Muppets'

Have to admit it, I was always a fan of The Muppets. I grew up with them and it is great to see them back on the big screen. Ok, only the first Muppet Movie was anything I really remember but still…

Walter (played obviously by a muppet) is a big Muppet fan so when his brother Gary (Jason Segal) and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) go on a trip to Hollywood Walter is invited along for a dream visit to the Muppet Theatre which, to his disappointment, is abandoned and verging on being demolished by an “evil” developer. They track down Kermit who they manage to convince to try to get the Muppets together in a last-stitch effort to save the theatre.

The first dance number and song was a bit jarring but after putting aside the doubt I managed to get more into the show. The saccharine levels are kept at a fairly reasonable level throughout but the fun is throughout. It was really enjoyable even at an adult level beyond the obvious pitch to kids (those in the audience appeared to enjoy it). The laughter by everyone in the audience picked up quite a bit towards the finale where the Muppet telethon is being staged (Jack Black's appearance as the “reluctant” host was particularly amusing). The Muppets are all still fun and amusing. Very enjoyable.

As an aside: The only real disappointment I had was to see that the original (Jim Henson) puppeteers that made the Muppets a labour of love are not involved in this new invention of the Muppets. It appears as though the big business that is Disney has their hold on the franchise. But, it could be in worse hands…The spirit of the Muppets lives on.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2012-02-25

Directed by: James Bobin

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Year: 2011

Length: 109 minutes

Genre: Musical

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4651824/