Muppets Most Wanted (James Bobin)

[Henry Gale]

http://www.toughpigs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Muppets-Most-Wanted-poster-UK.jpg?9d7bd4

IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2281587/)

[Henry Gale]

I think I liked this even more than the last one, which surprised me since I'm not sure I heard anyone else say that going in.

It doesn't have that emotional wallop of (justified) nostalgia-tugging the 2011 movie did, but it just feels more energetically together and effortlessly funny and charming, instantly finding the right tone and not needing to juggle different storytelling threads aimed at audiences of different ages and degrees of familiarity with the characters via the prominence of the Walter & Jason Segel frame story. Which I guess was my biggest issue with that movie in retrospect, just how much time we spend on stuff that didn't even feature the Muppets (beyond Walter) themselves, and how long it actually took to get the whole gang on screen together.

Here, they open on the previous "The End" hear the director yelling cut on the set, the extras and body doubles for Segel and Adams clearing out, and the Muppets realize they cameras are still rolling because they're in a sequel, joyously scrambling to figure out what the plot should be (even if they point out the sequel's always never quite as good), and everything feels back to its normal spirit, old times made new.

And as much as I love the fact that Bret McKenzie got an Oscar for his work on the last one, I think he does stronger, more melodically memorable, funnier and more generally refined work here. Tina Fey's "The Big House" number and the movie's version of this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4g4oV8lK4s (YouTube embed spoilered) also come across as a stronger one-two punch than any songs I recall last time around.

It's perfectly self-aware, brazenly goofy, possibly unknowingly heartwarming in spots, as well as just as weirdly dark and surreal every so often, and most importantly just as beautifully unpretentiously familiar as it should be. I kind of wish Disney would keep green-lighting these no matter how they perform financially, because the world can never have enough Muppet movies, especially when they're this solid. (Also, the Monsters University short that precedes it is kinda great, and something I'm surprised they didn't market more as being paired with this, since it received a delighted gasp from the entire audience when it revealed itself.)

[Bosco B Thug]

Good. Preferable in many ways to the first, even if it still suffers in many of the same ways. This film largely benefits from its bringing in better, more expert comedy talent, carrying the picture but, importantly, in equal weight with the Muppets.

In less curmudgeonly terms, I thought this was very charming and very funny. Kermit came off very well, Constantine garnered the laughs, and the script is expertly engineered to satisfy our desire for narrative and modern effects with our desire for the more old-fashioned displays of performance and vaudeville charisma. Gervais and Burrell are class acts. Fey is also fine, if noticeably less experienced. In less less curmudgeonly terms, yaaAAayY much better and legitimate fun!

[Rowland]

I enjoyed this, but it definitely begins to flag in the final act, and there are too many cameos stealing the spotlight from the Muppets. I agree with Bosco that Gervais and Burrell earn the focus devoted to them, and that Fey is okay.

[Henry Gale]

I thought the cameos felt more quietly deployed this time around, and very much in line with the way the older movies brought people in.

Like the majority of them are either guests in the touring Muppet act, walk-on parts ("Sign here, please!" - James McAvoy, "Extra, extra!" - Chloe Moretz), featured musical number guests, or stuck in the gulag with Kermit and Fey (and I actually burst out laughing when she refers to Danny Trejo as Danny Trejo), nothing memorably distracting or simply included for the sake of them.

I will say that there was at least a couple of Disney/Nickelodeon tween types that acted as the "I have no idea who you are and why you are here." / "Oh, this must be a contest winner" but of course just became "I officially feel old" when their cameos received just about the only noticeably audible reactions from the kids in the audience. It reminded me of when my young cousins saw the 2011 Muppets, and their one point of discussion afterwards was "Wow! Can you believe Selena Gomez was in it?!"

Christoph Waltz doing the Waltz with Sweetums is a memorable standout of the sparse bunch. I only remembered after seeing him that he was originally supposed to be one of the leads here, and I assumed that meant Gervais' role, but reading now it seems like he was originally set to play Burrell's character but scheduling conflicts arose. (And I actually believe that reason for once because he still made an appearance why would you willingly turn down a lead in a Muppets movie?!) I liked Burrell, but that plotline could have been so different and potentially so much more remarkable.

[MarcusBrody]

I think I liked this even more than the last one, which surprised me since I'm not sure I heard anyone else say that going in.
I agree with you. I thought the Walter/Jason Siegel/Amy Adams story line took up too much of the movie and didn't leave me with enough time with the Muppets I know and love. Even with all the cameos, this movie felt a lot more Muppet focused and I enjoyed that. Overall, I agree with your entire review.

[Bosco B Thug]

Christoph Waltz doing the Waltz with Sweetums is a memorable standout of the sparse bunch. I only remembered after seeing him that he was originally supposed to be one of the leads here, and I assumed that meant Gervais' role, but reading now it seems like he was originally set to play Burrell's character but scheduling conflicts arose. (And I actually believe that reason for once because he still made an appearance why would you willingly turn down a lead in a Muppets movie?!) I liked Burrell, but that plotline could have been so different and potentially so much more remarkable. Hmm, far be it from me to side with the MVP (Waltz) instead of the underdog (Burrell), but you're right, it would've been interesting to see the movie with Waltz. The character would be an actual continental instead of a Frenchman send-up.

[Gizmo]

Found this to be pretty meh. I decided it leaned toward the nay side because I'm indifferent to seeing it again.

[TGM]

Yeah, this was way better than The Muppets.