When I saw this in February, I'm not going to lie; I became very obsessed with all things 'Muppets'. I went out and bought The Muppet Show on DVD to relive all the Muppety Mayhem and even found myself watching the unseasonal Muppet's Christmas Carol mid-March. Thats the beauty of this film; it relies on the nostalgia from those who grew up on the Muppet Show, whilst also being a great introduction to the cast for those unfamiliar with the license.
The songs are amazing; Man or a Muppet being by far the best and well deserving of its Oscar nod. Other fantastic songs include 'Life's A Happy Song', 'Pictures in My Head' (a song that I'm not afraid to admit got me all teary) and a both a parody version and a spruced up take on 'Rainbow Connection'
Jason Segal and James Bobin have found the perfect balance between the felt cast and its human cast - the relationship between Segal and 'brother' Walter is both comic and incredibly touching. As a villain Chris Cooper is top notch, and his rap song is hilarious - if only too short. It is a pity that the full version was cut from the film, but luckily that is an extra on the Blu-Ray. The problem with cutting the song is that in it the character provides a real explanation for his hatred of The Muppets, and without it, his intentions are rather shallow and somewhat confusing.
Another stroke of genius within the film is to remind us all of how 'useless' the Muppets actually are, and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. The cabaret style of The Muppets drew humour from just how bad it is - see Gonzo the Great's failed daredevil antics, Fozzy's awful jokes, the incredibly underrated Wayne and Wanda (who share one of the funniest moments in the film), and, of course, Statler and Waldorf. The Muppets are just as useless as ever - perhaps worse (!) making for some hilarious moments.
The film focuses a lot on celebrity cameos - naturally given the guest star format on the TV show - though sometimes it seems to celebrity driven. Some cameos are utterly fantastic - Jim Parsons, Emily Blunt and Dave Grohl - whereas some just feel like favours to the cast - Neil Patrick Harris (seen for one brief, and in my opinion wasted, moment) and John Krasinski. Of the lot, the most 'celebrity' involvement stems from Jack Black, who excels in his role of 'hostage/critic'. It says a lot about the film and the celebrities involved that others were left out of the film and on the cutting room floor - Ricky Gervais among them.
Perhaps one slight negative aspect of the film is that because it is so celebrity driven, and tries to find a balance between human and Muppet casts, some of the best Muppet characters are left with little to no moments to shine - Sam, Beaker, Rowlf and Statler and Waldorf are the most apparent victims. As a result, the actual 'Muppet Show' portion of the film features very few acts - which is a shame as I'm sure I'm not the only person who was looking forward to a big screen version of 'Pigs in Space' or 'Veterinarians Hospital'
Overall, I would say that The Muppets qualifies for one of the films of the year. It is truly exceptional, and hopefully the start of a long, successful run for The Muppets.
Extras are good quality, but the highlights include a Blooper Reel, the full 'Tex Richman' rap, some hilarious deleted scenes and the incredible Parody Trailers
The songs are amazing; Man or a Muppet being by far the best and well deserving of its Oscar nod. Other fantastic songs include 'Life's A Happy Song', 'Pictures in My Head' (a song that I'm not afraid to admit got me all teary) and a both a parody version and a spruced up take on 'Rainbow Connection'
Jason Segal and James Bobin have found the perfect balance between the felt cast and its human cast - the relationship between Segal and 'brother' Walter is both comic and incredibly touching. As a villain Chris Cooper is top notch, and his rap song is hilarious - if only too short. It is a pity that the full version was cut from the film, but luckily that is an extra on the Blu-Ray. The problem with cutting the song is that in it the character provides a real explanation for his hatred of The Muppets, and without it, his intentions are rather shallow and somewhat confusing.
Another stroke of genius within the film is to remind us all of how 'useless' the Muppets actually are, and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible. The cabaret style of The Muppets drew humour from just how bad it is - see Gonzo the Great's failed daredevil antics, Fozzy's awful jokes, the incredibly underrated Wayne and Wanda (who share one of the funniest moments in the film), and, of course, Statler and Waldorf. The Muppets are just as useless as ever - perhaps worse (!) making for some hilarious moments.
The film focuses a lot on celebrity cameos - naturally given the guest star format on the TV show - though sometimes it seems to celebrity driven. Some cameos are utterly fantastic - Jim Parsons, Emily Blunt and Dave Grohl - whereas some just feel like favours to the cast - Neil Patrick Harris (seen for one brief, and in my opinion wasted, moment) and John Krasinski. Of the lot, the most 'celebrity' involvement stems from Jack Black, who excels in his role of 'hostage/critic'. It says a lot about the film and the celebrities involved that others were left out of the film and on the cutting room floor - Ricky Gervais among them.
Perhaps one slight negative aspect of the film is that because it is so celebrity driven, and tries to find a balance between human and Muppet casts, some of the best Muppet characters are left with little to no moments to shine - Sam, Beaker, Rowlf and Statler and Waldorf are the most apparent victims. As a result, the actual 'Muppet Show' portion of the film features very few acts - which is a shame as I'm sure I'm not the only person who was looking forward to a big screen version of 'Pigs in Space' or 'Veterinarians Hospital'
Overall, I would say that The Muppets qualifies for one of the films of the year. It is truly exceptional, and hopefully the start of a long, successful run for The Muppets.
Extras are good quality, but the highlights include a Blooper Reel, the full 'Tex Richman' rap, some hilarious deleted scenes and the incredible Parody Trailers
whisper:
I must see that film xD believe it or not I haven't seen it yet, and my sister adores the muppets so I'm rather surprised she didn't see it and made me come along xD Guess I'll have to fix that! Also, thank you very much for the comment in my set.
killjoy_gee:
Yes do fix it. It was so much fun. You're very welcome, thank YOU for a great set and thank you for the comment