Last month saw my faith in Horror movies restored with a screening of the scary The Woman In Black. This weekend it was the turn of the comedy, courtesy of an early screening of The Muppets movie, by far the funniest movie I’ve watched in a long time (excluding classic comedies re-watched on DVD, of course).
Anybody that reads my “reviews” – I’d prefer to call them “opinion pieces” but that’s by the by – will know that I keep them spoiler free, sticking to facts and my thoughts on the film. This review will be no different, it will however be shorter then usual. Why? Well, because the only way to really appreciate the movie is to go watch it.
I’ve been a fan of The Muppets for years. Thinking back, The Muppet Show on a saturday evening was compulsory viewing, prior to that Sesame St. Films like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal are still classic viewing today (I’m still hopeful for The Dark Crystal 2). I remember the day Jim Henson passed away, I was at college, studying Graphic Design, when somebody read the news in a paper (long before the internet), it was such an event that the obituary was pinned to a message board as a sign of respect. I also had the privilege of seeing an original Gonzo Muppet when visiting the amazing Jim Henson Creature Shop which was in Camden, London back in 1997. Sadly, like for so many others, The Muppets had become fond memories, popping up from time to time with a new movie outing (last seen in 2005 with The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz), none of which ever really hit the mark.
Well Muppet fans rejoice, The Muppets is a return to the wonder days of the TV show that started it all.
Disney have created a movie that whilst a reboot of sorts, cleverly maintains ties to the past. The plot is very simple Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan (himself a muppet), and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) discover oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to tear down the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the now dilapidated theatre. Walter, Mary and Gary locate Kermit in order to reunite the Muppets, stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theatre.
So the journey/laughs begin. Targeting pure nostalgia, everything you could want from a Muppet movie is here, it’s smart, sentimental, witty, heartfelt, charming, sharp, oddly moving and always funny. There are so many jokes I would love to tell you about but I will refrain, they simply won’t work in a blog post and it would spoil the brilliant writing. You will have to go and watch it.
It’s nice to see the obligatory Muppet Hollywood cameos thrown in for good measure, I’m glad they didn’t over do this though, it would have been easy to get some big A-list stars in, but they have been more restrained and made sure the stars of the show get top billing. Technically the movie looks great, combining the art of puppetry with human interaction has always been a gift that few outside the Henson Group can do as well, in a day of CGI it’s wonderful to see. It occurred to me that now would probably be a good time to mention the skill of the Muppeteers, then it struck me that they are so talented you simply forget that they have a hand – pun intended – in bringing these characters to life. I imagine their relative anonymity means more to them then any acknowledgement as it demonstrates their amazing ability to breath life into a sock.
The Muppets is a throwback to the good old days, introducing the brilliance of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo and the rest of the gang to a whole new generation, whilst igniting the nostalgic passion in the previous one. Jim Henson would be pleased.
The Muppets opens in the UK this Friday (10th Feb)
I thought rather then posting the trailer I’d post a tribute video to Jim Henson, seemed appropriate.
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