Review of Muppets Most Wanted (2014) by Jon T — 28 Sep 2014
I have to admit that at first I found MUPPETS MOST WANTED to be a lesser but still enjoyable sequel to 2011's THE MUPPETS, but after viewing it again with the extended cut I realized I was only getting half of the picture.
This is meant to be more of a "Muppet fans" type of movie, and on that level it succeeds as being goofy, silly entertainment. The opening number which includes sly digs at "sequelitis" is a classic, and there are various other bits that will leave you on the floor.
The plot is sort of a retread of 1981's GREAT MUPPET CAPER but with a different context. This time, the Muppets become inadvertently involved in international crime when they go on a world tour. Enter Constantine, the "world's most dangerous frog", who gets poor Kermit sent to prison and takes his place, using the Muppets' performances as a cover for his thievery.
Naturally, it's up to Fozzie, Walter, and Animal to save the day. The film's other winning bits come from Tina Fey as a lovestruck prison ward, and Ty Burrell as a French accented police inspector (straight out of PINK PANTHER).
Furthermore, with an intentionally phony Russian accent and a hidden set of nasty-looking metal teeth, the snarling Constantine is a splendidly conniving villain, bearing a dead-on resemblance to Kermit only in appearance.
The final act is a riot as well. I'm not sure where MUPPETS MOST WANTED falls in the spectrum of the MUPPET movies, but as far as I'm concerned, it's above the lame MUPPETS FROM SPACE and certainly very entertaining.
Too bad it wasn't so successful at the box office; it deserved to do better. Perhaps the extended cut would have done the trick?
This review of Muppets Most Wanted (2014) was written by Jon T on 28 Sep 2014.
Muppets Most Wanted has generally received positive reviews.
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