The Muppets just finished up but the lights and the cameras are still there. After a moment of confusion, the Muppets discover that a sequel has been ordered and a song and dance number kicks off Muppets Most Wanted. This sequel has the Muppets going on a world tour, with the aid of their new tour manager Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais). However, things aren’t as simple as that and soon the Muppets find themselves embroiled in an international criminal scheme concocted by the world’s most dangerous frog, Constantine. This global adventure finds various Muppets facing Nadya (Tina Fey) at Russian Gulag, the deductive skills of Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell), and of course a host of celebrity cameos.
Picture and Sound:
The audio and video for Muppets Most Wanted were satisfactory. Throughout the film, there was green screen technology that was used.. sometimes to better effect than others. Clearly there wasn’t the largest special effects budget, but this isn’t a huge surprise with the Muppets. There were no real complaints about the sound. The highlights of the sound mixing definitely happened during the songs.
Music:
The music for Muppets Most Wanted was really quite enjoyable. Bret McKenzie returned to create some memorable songs for the movie and the soundtrack is quite enjoyable to downright hilarious. The songs are a musical journey through different styles of songs and hearing them. Some standouts are We’re Doing a Sequel, I’ll Get You What You Want, the Interrogation Song, and Something So Right. The use of Together Again was also a pleasant addition to the soundtrack that will be appreciated by Muppet fans. The score was written by Christophe Beck. There are some pretty moments in it but it doesn’t rise to the level of Beck’s soundtrack to the Paperman short.
Bonus Features:
The bonus features for Muppets Most Wanted were fairly scarce. Here is what was included:
- Frog-E-Oke: “I’m Number One”
- “The Unnecessarily Extended Cut” (12 minutes of new content)
- “The Statler and Waldorf Cut”
- “The Longer, Longest Blooper Reel in Muppets History”
- “I’ll Get You What You Want” Music Video Performed byBret McKenzie
- “Rizzo’s Biggest Fan”
The most entertaining was easily The Unnecessarily Extended Cut but this was viewed by watching the entire film. It would have been nice to just have a deleted scenes option. The bonus features really did feel like they were thrown together as an after thought and were a bit of a disappointment for me as a Muppet fan.
Final Thoughts:
Muppets Most Wanted is an enjoyable film. While most will agree that it didn’t hit the mark like The Muppets did, it still is an enjoyable and family friendly movie that is easy to endorse. It is entertaining with humorous moments, enjoyable music, and then of course there are the Muppets themselves. There is something endearing about watching them go off on all of these adventures. The cameos and guest stars that join the Muppets are well placed and are good additions to the movie, some of them to hilarious effect. I do give this a hat tip but it isn’t a hearty one. I’ve struggled reviewing this movie because I made the mistake of watching the original Muppet Movie. There is a spark and something magical that happened in that original movie. While there are moments of that magic in this film, it just doesn’t have the same energy. It is a recreation of something that was once brilliant. I love The Beatles and I imagine that this is much like seeing the best cover band today. While it is still very enjoyable and amazing, it isn’t the same as seeing the original lads from Liverpool. Despite all of this, I did find myself really enjoying this. It’s worth adding to the collection but it will probably leave you wanting more… so… time for another sequel?
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