It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights, it's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.
After 12 long years the Muppets return to the big screen. Jason Segel has brought back Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the gang to the delight of long-time Muppet fans and hopefully to a new generation as well.
The story follows Gary (Jason Segel) and his ‘brother’ Walter (new addition to the Muppet family) who just happens to be the biggest Muppet fan of all time. After Walter, Gary and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) discover that evil oil tycoon Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to bowl the old Muppet studio and drill for oil, they set about re-uniting the, no longer famous, Muppets for a telethon to save the studio.
The film is full of fun cameos, including Zach Galifianakis, Whoopi Goldberg, David Grohl and many more. But perhaps the best one is Emily Blunt as Miss Piggy’s assistant at French Vogue, reincarnating her Devil Wears Prada role.
Musically the Muppets can still deliver, I nearly got tears in my eyes when Kermit started singing Rainbow Connection. Kiwis especially will enjoy ‘Life’s a Happy Song’ and ‘Man or Muppet’ composed by Flight of the Conchord’s Bret McKenzie (these songs have been getting some well deserved Oscar buzz).
Overall, I’d say The Muppets will be slightly more enjoyable to those of us who have known and loved them since our youth (it was SO good to see my personal favourites the Swedish Chef and grumpy old men Statler and Waldorf) but it’s still brilliant family entertainment, and I’m sure it will produce a new generation of Muppet fans.
4 Stars
Olivia Duncan