*****SPOILERS!!!*******
Well, I finally went to see The Muppets today. When news of
this movie came out was I was very worried, but then all the praise and
critical acclaim started to pour in and I figured the movie would be fantastic.
I was wrong.
Am I the only person in the world who didn’t think this
movie was great? Now don’t get me wrong, it was good. Better than Muppets in
Space, that’s for sure. However, for everything I liked about the movie there
was something else I hated. So, I thought I would run through a list of those
things. By the way, I wasn’t kidding about there being spoilers here. If you’ve
seen the movie, or don’t care, keep on reading.
What I didn’t like:
The first ten minutes. First of all, the scenes at the start
of Walter and Gary were just weird. I understand in this world Muppets are
accepted along with humans, but how can a human person and a Muppet be
brothers? I kept waiting for someone to say Walter was adopted. Their
relationship was weird, even having two beds closer together than Bert and
Ernie. If these were two humans it would be been odd, making one a Muppet didn’t
help. Then, we get a wonderful music number which was great, if the movie was
The Music Man. What was this scene doing here anyway?
The Romance Sub-Plot. Gotta say, I couldn’t have cared less
if Gary and Mary hooked up. That song Mary has about being by herself, I mean
who cares really? The worst thing was that they had to shoehorn that into the
ending. It’s a MUPPET movie, who cares if these two hook up? They could have
kept this story the exact same if they lost the romantic crap, and maybe given
another Muppet something to do. I would have rather seen the whole Muppet gang
singing together.
Where are the Muppets? Follow me on this. Yeah, I know Kermit
and Piggy got a lot of screen time but where was everyone else? Gonzo practically
disappeared by the end, Rizzo wasn’t even in it, even Pepe who I hate deserved
more than the quick cameo he got. What about Robin? We got teased with Muppet Show references, but
none of them appeared. Why not a quick Pigs in Space moment, or a classic music
number like the show had? The one they did was ruined because they had Jack
Black kidnapped and tied up (what was the point of that? Would it have really
spoiled the movie to have a celebrity host happy to be there?) They did let
Gary and Mary blend into the background a lot, but not enough for me.
The Villain. Talk about a cartoon character. Someone else
pointed out that we never get any motivation for why he hates the Muppets so
much, which would have been nice. In the original movie Doc Hopper’s
motivations are crystal clear. You also felt true dread from him, he wasn’t
fooling around. Did anyone really care about the villain in this movie? And his
song was SO ANNOYINGLY BAD! The evil Muppets were underdeveloped, and what is
with that stupid bear that pops in every movie?
A few more notes. The 4th wall jokes were
annoying, how can we take the movie seriously if they are not? Jack Black was in it way too much and was
annoying, the payoff with Animal was disappointing, and a lot of the songs didn’t
work. I didn’t like how they used the montage to speed through reuniting the
Muppets, I want to see that not Amy Adams dancing down the street!
Ok, let’s change the tune. Although I do have one more
comment but I will save it for a moment.
Things I liked :
Walter. I hated Gary, but Walter was a very good character.
Why did we need Gary and Mary? Oops, sorry. Walter’s story really struck a chord
with me, I know what it feels like to have no idea who you are or where you
belong. It was nice to see him to realize what he was, and find a family dynamic
he could belong and be a part of. I was worried about this character, but he
totally worked.
Kermit and Piggy. These are the only two Muppets who didn’t
get shafted. I loved how they explored their relationship the way they did.
Kermit is always shy about his feelings, and it was about time it came up in a
movie. Why can’t Kermit tell Piggy how he really feels? Just very well done.
And the scene where Piggy sees Kermit again after so many years brought a smile
to my face.
The Nostalgia. The song Kermit sings in his house “Pictures
in my Head” was so beautiful, it really was. It was a great scene. The old
pictures, the mayhem band bus, and then later they recreate the opening to The
Muppet Show. It was just great, and brought back some good memories. It was
also nice of them to acknowledge that time has passed the Muppets have faded,
unlike some reboots they didn’t ignore their history just to get a fresh start
(like Star Trek and DC Comics did).
The Rainbow Connection. What can I say? This was the best
scene, ever. The song alone is enough to make one a little misty, but the way
they did it here was so great. If I buy the DVD someday, it will be for this
scene.
The celebrity cameos were ok. Jim Parson’s appearance was,
odd, but it worked too. I didn’t care for that song when it started but it grew
on me by the time it was finished. But because of Walter’s story, I didn’t care
about Gary’s. I think they made a big mistake making the two characters brothers;
friends would have been more believable.
Finally, if you watched Doug’s review you know he talked
about the cop out ending. Without giving it a way, I have to say I totally
agree with him. The reason I agree with him is because of how they did it,
almost like an afterthought. Instead of having a big scene and a satisfying
climax, it is squeezed into the closing credits. Oh, but they made sure to show
that Gary and Mary got engaged. Thanks goodness, I was so interested in them!
Basically, the movie wasn’t bad but Jason Segal and
Amy
Adams kind of spoiled it for me. I want to see the Muppets, not them. I
won't say I was disappointed because there were some great moments, but
it sure wasn't perfect. I’m gonna
say something which will shock some, but it’s true. Given a choice, I
would
rather see A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. It has essentially the
same
plot, and it treats The Muppet Show with more respect I think.
One last thing, I enjoyed the Toy Story short even if the
ending was a bit rushed. Still, it was cute. One last thing I really loved
about this movie, it wasn’t in 3-D!! Thank heavens!
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