Film Review: The Muppets

             So a week before The Muppets was released nationwide I was privy to a private screening at a secret location. It was an event a nerdy website called Den of Geek ran. (It's worth checking out because they get the scoops on a lot of British cinema stuff). I have been to one of these 'private' screenings before for a film called 'Sucker Punch,' thank god those tickets were free because that was the worst film I have ever seen at the cinema.

But I went to this screening of The Muppets and I fucking loved it and here's why. Firstly we haven't had a Muppet outing since the dreadful 'Muppets From Space,' I don't know why I hate that movie, I just do. But before that we had two amazing films, 'Muppet Treasure Island' and Muppet Christmas Carol.' The Muppets is effectively a reboot, a wiping of the slate clean if you will, if comic book heroes can do it why can't lovable felt puppets do it?

At the start of the film we meet Walter clearly a Muppet from his felt texture and his inability to grow during a short montage about his early childhood years with brother Gary (Jason Segal). It's not explained how these two are brothers, just accepted. As plot lines go it's  basic "bad guy wants to destroy the studio for money, gang must reform and save it,"  but this is just a mask for the reunion. As the band start reforming with Kermit the first to return I started to realize just how many of the muppets I knew by name and face. There was Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Rizzo the Rat, Gonzo, Animal, Beaker and Pepe The King Prawn are just a few to name. This sets the film of to a great pace and gives it a direction which was what was lacking in Muppets From Space due to the back drop of 'space' they were given. Give the Muppets a small set and you leave them nothing else to do but just be weird at each other like blowing themselves up or inventing 'fart shoes.'

Credit where credit is due, Jason Segal and co-writer Nicholas Stoller have hit the nail on the head with this film. They could have made unlimited jokes about Gary and Walters questionable relationship as brothers, but they don't, instead focusing on the bigger picture like with cast members bursting into song every 10 minutes. (most of the songs were written by Bret McKenzie who did Flight of the Concords) The musical numbers in the film are worth a mention. With the big numbers which involve the entirety of "Smalltown" called 'Life's A Happy Song' which includes everyone from the postman to the butcher to the local tramp dancing in synchronization on the only set of crossroads in Smalltown, to the small numbers like 'Party of One' which is Amy Adam's ballad of how she is slowly loosing her boyfriend. The other notable musical number is The Muppets Barbershop quartet's rendition of Nirvanas' 'Smells Like Teen-spirit' with Breaker mee-mooing his way through a classic.

So with Segal, Stoller and James Bobin (he also did Flight of the Concords) The Muppets are back to what they do best and that is putting on a show and being useless. Fozzie Bear isn't funny, Gonzo can't get any of his stunts right and Kermit seems to be singing with a ping-pong ball stuck half way down his throat. The Muppets don't know there acts are rubbish, but it's the naivety and belief in themselves we salute them for.

There are plenty of celebrity cameos to go with this film just like The Muppet Show of old. But The Muppet Show used to grab big name stars such as Bob Hope. But the film couldn't grab many A-listers and 'settled' for a lot of recognisable faces (some celebrity kids in there apparently I had know idea who they were). Emily Blunt is probably the best cameo doing a secretary throw back to when she was in The Devil Wears Prada, she would be the funniest. The film builds this ever growing expectation that someone huge is going to turn up.......................................They never do. But the Muppets doesn't rest on big name Hollywood stars to save the film, they do this completely by themselves. Jason Segal, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper do really well acting next to puppets but they are background in this film and it's The Muppets that really stand out.

So parts of the film loose there way and others parts don't hit credible punch lines. But as kids films go this is one based for adults. The jokes are subtle and in your face at the same time. It seems to me that this film really has recaptured the heart and imagineation of what The Muppets set out to bring all those years ago and that is to create "laughter, which is the third best thing in the world, after children and ice cream," Kermit The Frog, 2011.