Muppets from Space

This was my first Muppet film that I saw on the big screen but it breaks a lot of Muppet movie traditions. "Muppets from Space" has no romantic subplot between Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, it is not a musical with original songs and Kermit is not the lead Muppet. Still, the movie is funny and entertaining. I enjoy the references to many science fiction movies and much of the other humorous moments.

Even in the Muppet films that adapt classic novels, Kermit has always been the leading Muppet even though other Muppets may have had more screen time. This film has Gonzo as the leading character. At the same time though, Kermit does maintain his role as the leader of his "family". "Muppets from Space" was inspired by Gonzo's song in "The Muppet Movie" entitled "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday". Being the only Muppet that lacks as much back story that the other characters enjoy, it was time to learn what exactly Gonzo is. I am grateful that his friendship and on screen chemesty with Rizzo the Rat was carried over from the two previous film. They are portrayed as roomates for this film. For the first time in 15 years, the Muppets are playing themselves on screen. As with "The Great Muppet Caper" and "The Muppets Take Manhattan", the characters are placed in a new scenario in the modern world. In the case of this movie, they are simply a bunch of friends sharing a small house. This kind of Muppet movie was new to me as a teenager because I was used to the Disney films in which the Muppets played classic characters from literature. Because the TV show "Muppets Tonight" preceded this movie, new characters were used such Pepe and Clifford. The film does break the fourth wall as is standard for a Muppet movie thanks to Miss Piggy after her fight with Josh Charles. The Muppet tradition of star cameos is maintained and in this film we have Rob Schneider, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, Kathy Griffin, Ray Liotta, Pat Hingle and my favorite: Hulk Hogan. I like the opening musical montage of the Muppets getting up in the morning. It is a fun way to introduce our favorite characters. I like the gags of Fozzie showering and Sam Eagle doing aerobics. This movie contains some of the best jokes of Statler and Waldorf and I really get a kick out of The Electric Mayhem covering the bar mitzvah for Gonzo. As the story gets going, the use of the family photos is good because it illustrates that the Muppets all have family members except for Gonzo. Kermit has Robin, Fozzie has his mom and so on but Gonzo has no one. There are many sci-fi references in the movie to "Star Wars", "Contact", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Star Trek" and "Men in Black". My favorite reference was to "Independence Day" because I could see it coming even before Ed opened the blinds. There are many other funny moments such as when the invisibility spray wears off and Miss Piggy is caught eating. I really love how Fozzie has to read the instructions for the Door in a Jar because of Kermit's reaction. The shot Dr. Bunsen and Beaker alone at the gas station is really funny because Bunsen has all those snacks. Good thing they got a ride with the hippies (director Tim Hill plays Rainbow) Some great lines in the film include "Should we just ask permission from those nice men with the rifles?", "Just a couple of doctors" and "It could be full of chocolate, okay." They are funny because of the vocal performances of Frank Oz, Steve Whitmire and Bill Barretta respectively. The film does employ some drama in that Gonzo may leave his friends forever.

The special effects in "Muppets from Space" are not as impressive as those in the 70's and 80's since the use of green screens became more frequent but the one full body shot of Kermit in the doctor's coat with Fozzie's legs is impressive. The movie was my introduction to Jeffery Tambor but it sadly was the last Muppet film with Frank Oz performing Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam Eagle. The movie ran into competition upon its release and also because of the aforementioned departures from Muppet cinematic norms, the film did not make a profit. Another factor is that Disney did not produce it. As for my viewpoint, I don't ever really expect a great story when it comes to a Muppet movie because I like the characters more. Due to the financial failure of "Muppets from Space", the characters fell out of the limelight. But in 2004, Disney bought the Muppets. Slowly, they experienced a revival leading up to their comeback movie in 2011.

3.5 Stars