Review
The world’s biggest Muppet fan, Walter, joins his brother (Segel) and his fiancee (Adams) on a trip to the Muppet Studios in Los Angeles, where he inadvertently hears dastardly Tex Richman (Cooper) explain his plan to knock it down and drill for the oil which is inexplicably buried beneath. The trio embark on a quest to reunite the long-disbanded Muppets in an attempt to stop Richman from getting his way.
Not the deepest or most cerebral of plots, but that’s rather the point. This isn’t a thriller. There are no huge plot twists. It will not keep you guessing all the way to the end. This is The Muppets, doing what they do best: Full-on slapstick silliness, one-liners and set-pieces that are funny, witty and still manage to pull on the heartstrings occasionally. All the old favourites return, alongside an impressive number of celebrity cameos, in best Muppet Show tradition.
It’s obvious from the outset that nothing about this movie is to be taken seriously: sweet moments and poignant songs are wonderfully balanced against artfully knowing nods, razor-sharp one-liners and almost gleefully insane moments.
If we must pick holes, we could say that, in an effort to ensure each Muppet gets their moment in the spotlight, there’s not a lot of chance for any one Muppet to shine (Miss Piggy, for example, deserved a lot more time centre stage, as we’re sure she’d agree). Walter’s dilemma, choosing between humanity and Muppethood, is drawn out unnecessarily as (considering his size and evident fuzziness) we all know exactly where he’ll end up. There are some plot holes, if one cares to look for them.
Here’s the thing, though: It doesn’t matter. It’s The Muppets. It’s a silly, funny utterly delightful piece of light-hearted cinema that manages to dust off the best bits of the Henson legacy and give them a thoroughly modern edge that you’re never quite expecting.
We won’t give anything away, but this will quite likely be one of the best films you’ll see all year.
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