At least the poster looks good... |
I’ve seen a number of Muppets films and never have I been
more disappointed with such a memorable group of characters then I was with
this film.
It must be admitted that the movie did yield some excellent
gags, but the key issue with the film’s humour was its attempt to entertain an
older audience. Cameos from Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Neil Patrick Harris
and The Office star John Krasinski
all hinted at this but the real nose-clipper was the nature of the hilarity. It
simply tried too hard. The film’s ‘campy’ theme wore out its welcome after the
first few allusions and when the actors (particularly Jason Segal) broke the
fourth wall it seemed lazy and predictable. Irritatingly, the disappointing screenplay
failed to even bring humour to the Muppets themselves. True, there were more
enjoyable moments with them than anyone else on screen, but the original charm
and deviancy of the Muppets had been lost amidst a sea of reminiscence by the filmmakers.
There wasn’t a huge focus on plot, cinematography or dialogue, only the
characters.
The musical elements of the film disappointed me also.
Although I usually enjoy musicals, the songs in this picture really just felt unnecessary
and clichéd. Disney managed to spit out at least ten songs a film almost every
year from 1937 till now and every one of them is unique and original. But with The Muppets Movie, there was an
emotional song, a profound ballad, a cheery opening number, and a heart-warming
finale: the usual bunch.
As mentioned, the lack of charm in the film was not only disappointing,
but a direct result of the movie being for
kids. Studios don’t take risks any more with children’s movies because it
doesn’t always yield the best financial performance. It’s sad really, how so
much of broad cinema these days is mostly just based around numbers and
statistics. Instead of art, that is.
The Bottom Line: Overall
a disappointing endeavour, boasting mostly mediocrity and near-misses.
Although sometimes funny and beguiling, Miss Piggy just doesn’t bring home the
bacon this time.
- Mr Critter
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