It’s been over 12 years since the last big screen version of the Muppets franchise. Since hopping out of the swamp in the classic original movie, Kermit had picked up a bit of an identity crisis. By the 90's the Muppets were taking on classic literature and Kermit was dressing up in ridiculous costumes to bring in the kiddies.
And so the Muppets, done in by the ever reducing attention spans of their audience, dwindled into history.
And that is where The Muppets pick up/reboot/resuscitate. Fanned on by childhood nostalgia and the desire to belong, muppetish Walter travels with his brother (Jason Segel) and his brother's girlfriend (Amy Adams) to Hollywood to visit Muppet Studios. Not only do they find the studios in disrepair but they stumble on a diabolical plot to dig the place up for oil. Obviously there is nothing to do but to get the Muppets back together for a massive reunion telethon.
In the hands Segel and the creative team behind 'Flight of the Conchords', The Muppets is a bucketload of meta. And for the most part it works. As a reboot, The Muppets owes more to the original television show and the The Muppet Movie than any of their outings that came after. If it doesn't have the alacrity of the 70s, I guess there wasn't as much a need to so self knowing back then.
The entire cast (actually, most of Hollywood had a cameo) is having a ball. It is all very saccharine and OTT, but always grounded by a sly wink to let you know that it knows what it know. Parents will love that because it lets them enjoy the film guilt free.
Times have changed, and so has Kermit's voice. With Henson gone, Kermit sounds a little lost. So do Miss Piggy and Fozzi, after Frank Oz turned down the project due to disagreements over the character treatments. But at its heart The Muppets is a fun and reverential reintroduction of some well loved icons back into the mainstream. That can't be bad.
★★★
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