The Muppets (2011)

We'll Always Be Relevant

The nineteen eighties seem to refuse to die. As much as we make fun of this fact, it's for the better, there were a lot of things that came out of the eighties that appeal to all ages, and always were. The Jim Henson company proves this with the fuzzy little pals called the Muppets. The Muppet Show is still very popular due to DVD sales, and the movies are quite familiar with everyone too. However, I myself did not grow up on the show, and I only saw the later movies in the series, and not that many of them either. So I did not go into this film with the nostalgia goggles most of the audience were wearing. To me this is a good thing. What makes a movie good is determined from the actual film itself, and if it's an adaptation or a sequel, that also means the film must stand on it's own, you can still enjoy it if you haven't seen the original.

And the film is enjoyable, plain and simple. I had no clue this film would be a musical until the first song started, something I would have guessed if I had seen more muppet films. The score itself is really good, those with the soundtrack will play it over and over again. Some favorites reappear, such as Rainbow Connection, which even someone like me who hasn't seen the other films is familiar with, and it got me very excited, it's the kind of song you can't hate. And like I said, all the songs seem to be this, both the original songs written for the films as well as the covers of existing songs.

And the characters, well, they're the muppets. Miss Piggy is just as Miss Piggy as ever, Kermit is just as Kermit as ever, and Fozzy is just as Fozzy as ever. They are all unique in their own way, and they are all wonderful and lovable characters. I am also happy to see attention given to Rowlfe, a character most have forgotten. I only know Rowlfe because of the show How Stuff Works found on Itunes. Rowlfe was Henson's personal favorite, so it makes me happy they give him respect in this film. Sure, he's not a main character, but he's given lines, and a very funny scene to himself, it's just a great gesture to the man who brought us these characters in the first place.

The humans get as much screen time as the muppets, and they are fun as well. Jason Segel is great, the celebrity cameos are funny, but the villains is a bit hit and miss. First off, the evil oil tycoon doesn't work so well for me, there are better villains to be had in a film, and for me it felt like the film was just reminding us that it's for children. Speaking of which, I can't say I agree with the MPAA. It's PG, but I'd argue for a G on this. In the eighties, the time period this movie is reminding us of, it would have gotten a G. The MPAA is too harsh these days, and this for me is a mild example. I can almost see the reasoning, because of the more adult jokes, but at the same time a G film should still be able to get away with that. G means General Audiences, not Children, so G should still let a good amount of things slip.

Does the film have flaws? Most films do, so it's not really a bad thing that this one does in the form of a little more than a pet peeve. If you're a hardcore muppet fan, you've been with them since the beginning, this film is great, it's perfect, everything you could have ever wanted. If not, it's still very good, but in my opinion, there's something off about that. A film should try to be great for everybody, no matter how young or old, and as stated before, without having to have seen the original beforehand if it's a remake, sequel, or adaptation. And it's a sequel to the films, and the TV series. It would have been a better film if it tried to be great for everyone, instead of just the old school fans. I called Winnie the Pooh (2011) a great film for me, but it's only a really good film if you're not a huge Winnie the Pooh fan, and this is the same situation, but still different. Winnie the Pooh (2011) was self contained, but this film was huge, and seemed to be talking to everyone, saying something like the muppets is better than anything currently on TV. And for it too only be a great film for the old school/hardcore fans just feels a little off.

But don't let that over shadow that I said this film is really good, it is very much worth checking out. It'd just be nice if everyone could recognize every single muppet, I swear even most of the hardcore fans will not be able to name every single muppet in this movie. The take thats to the modern day get a little old fast too. Kermit's attempt at a speech at how children are smarter than we give them credit is great, and he is right. The evil "Moopets" being darker and edgier to comment on how entertainment for everyone is like that now, is just a little too far. There are still a lot of show and movies for everyone out there, and the film doesn't give them credit. I agree that something needs to be done about the norm, as they can be pretty bad, it'd still be nice to hear the film give credit to the other shows, at points it can make it feel like the film is saying only The Muppet Show is worth watching. Not intentional, but for me it almost felt like that.

As said, very good film. It's a solid 3.5, nothing more or less. It's worth the rental if you miss it in the cheap seats or whatever is close by, but only the hardcore fans will watch it several times. Still, it's fun, it's a great callback to good family films instead of pandering to children films, and characters that will make you smile.