Muppets Most Wanted

"The Muppets" was one of my favorite films from 2011. It is a good thing that "Muppets Most Wanted" was honest about not being better than its predecessor because I had more fun that way. The best quality about the show was the cameos and the other humor was also pretty good. I have said before that Muppet movies are known for their mediocre stories with amazing characters and while that is the case with this film, it unfortunately has to follow a particularly memorable cinematic experience from two and a half years prior.

The characters are focus in most Muppet films but "The Muppets" was a labor of love while "Muppets Most Wanted" was made to take advantage of the spotlight that the former film required for the Muppets. That is the case with any sequel come to think of it and so I wasn't surprised when this sequel was funny but not as wonderful as its previous installment. A few of the new songs in this film were good but all of the songs in "The Muppets" were exceptional as evidenced by the Oscar win for that year. My favorite song by Bret McKenzie in this film was "We're Doing a Sequel". It reminded me of the start to "The Great Muppet Caper" and "The Muppets Take Manhattan". The opening of the film seems to suggest that "The Muppets" was not a direct sequel of "The Muppet Movie" after all. As per tradition, the fourth wall is broken and the characters reveal that they came back together to make a film about getting back together and in order to introduce Walter. I plan to continue to treat "The Muppets" as directly linked to the original film from 1979. The Piggy and Kermit romantic subplot in this go-around was typical but again not as great as past installments. The special effects are pretty impressive such as during the song "I'm Number One". In a day of seemingly limitless computer technology, the practical effects seen in this movie are very fitting but at the same time difficult to figure out. I am really happy for the scene with Rizzo and Robin. I really missed Rizzo because of his brief role in the last movie. Because I saw "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" last year, I had a suspicion that some of the seemingly unimportant plot points talked about at the start of "Muppets Most Wanted" such as the inventions of Dr. Honeydew would be reprised during the climax. Both films employed those tactics. Many of the scenes in this sequel felt too predictable. I guess the trailer for this movie spoiled too much. While the previous film also had a familiar plot, it was able to keep the audience emotionally invested and out of the loop for the most part. This movie was a little silly for my taste as well. Sure this is a Muppet film but the previous film had more sincere drama to balance to comedy. Speaking of comedy, many of the jokes in "Muppets Most Wanted" got me laughing so I applaud that. One of my favorite gags was the children of Kermit and Miss Piggy during a montage. "The Muppet Christmas Carol" portrayed one possibility and there is also that joke of Yoda being the long-lost offspring but I liked this sight gag in this movie. I will say that I am happy with the ending because of the use of "Together Again". I like that song.

The main three human cast members were not as enjoyable as the short cameos or Jason Segal and Amy Adams. I am starting to dread the day that Dave Goelz (who has been a Muppeteer since the 70's) decides to hang up Gonzo and his other characters for good. As mentioned, the cameos were the best part of "Muppets Most Wanted". I have two favorites but I won't spoil them. The first has to do with the maximum-security prisoner. With my second favorite cameo during the song "Something So Right", I should have seen it coming. I guess no one is too famous for the Muppets. I wish Christoph Waltz had the role of Jean Pierre as was originally planned. At least he had a cameo. I loved that Zach Galifianakis repeated his role as Hobo Joe. It was also great to see Salma Hayek, Tom Hiddleston, Frank Langella, James McAvoy, Chloe Grace Moretz, Usher and Stanley Tucci. I didn't recognize Miranda Richardson when she showed up so I am disappointed at myself. Ray Liotta had a cameo in "Muppets From Space" and he is back as Big Papa. Danny Trejo's role was perfect for him. By the way, the movie filmed at the actual Tower of London.

While this was not my least favorite Muppet movie, I wasn't as entertained as I was back in November of 2011. I know I should avoid comparisons but they are inevitable. I believe that everyone does it to some extent. This film will make you laugh but if you want a decent story, you might be let down if you saw the preview.

3.5 Stars