The Muppets (2011)

"If you're going to see The Muppets you've got to seem them in the theater." "Yeah, you don't want to let 'em into your home!" - Statler and Waldorf.

For the last two months of attending films an ad has preceded each movie. Instead of the obligatory "please don't spoil the movie by adding your own soundtrack" narration a cute, lively, spontaneous Muppet skit was shown where Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy were trying to attend a peaceful movie with the remainder of the Muppet characters making loud and disruptive noises. At the end, the quote above was said by Statler and Waldorf, and it will forever sum up my thoughts on the film.

To effectively experience the rambunctious Muppets, you should see their liveliness in the theater. It seems a screen as big as a theater's can't contain their actions. But I'm sure that once The Muppets hits DVD and Blu-Ray many parents will be forced to watch the film again and again on replay. It's a better choice than Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Zookeeper for sure.

The Muppets is an extremely self-aware revival to a franchise that will never die. Jason Segal, who also worked on the screenplay of the film, clearly is a super-fan of the movies and the Television series and wanted to give the series a much needed return to the big screen. He doesn't try to parody the formula or rework it in any way, but instead glide along with it in hopes of achieving the best film possible. He doesn't put his usual goofball spin on his character he's done in the past.

Set in Smalltown, USA, Gary (Segal) lives with his Muppet-brother Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) and is dating the lovely and adorable Mary (Adams). Walter has grown up with Gary for years, and is one of the biggest Muppet fans of all time (which leads me to believe he is reflecting Segal's personal love for The Muppets). Upon going to The Muppet Theater, Walter overhears Statler, Waldorf, and Tex Richman (Cooper) discussing plans to sell the theater to Tex. But Tex is secretly planning to tear down the theater and drill for oil underneath it.

So the only plausible situation in Walter's head is to talk to Kermit the Frog who appears in a glowing light at the nic of time and convince him to reunite the old Muppet crew to put on a Telethon. Then they're off getting back every character in creative and inventive ways.

In the time of gimmicky and useless 3D madness leaching onto every children's films, here is a movie that doesn't believe it should subject itself to dimming its colors and its actions just to garner in a higher revenue. The Muppets are such an eclectic and effervescent bunch that the 2D world can handle them perfectly fine.

There are a few things that I noticed here and there. The main one is definitely the voices. If you're a Muppet fan, you may be disappointed to notice that voices like Kermit the Frog aren't on par with the voices from the series and the previous films. Still, it doesn't take long before you forget that fact. Also, the lack of cameos astounds me. There are quite a few, but the ones "edited for time constraints" like Danny Trejo, Mila Kunis, Ricky Gervais, George Clooney, Lady Gaga sounded fun and enlightening, but also limitless in possibilities. Of course we do get pleasant cameos like Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, and Alan Arkin, but it feels like that for once the cameo portion wasn't focused on a lot like in previous Muppet films.

I also have to say I was a little disappointed that popular Muppet characters like Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, after all these years, still gets brought to the foreground leaving many secondary characters in search of a time to shine. One character that needed a musical number was the Swedish Chef, personally one of my favorite Muppets next to Statler and Waldorf. The Chef needed at least one musical number, but the film just incorporates him very vaguely and rarely. Along with other Muppet characters like Gonzo and Fozzie Bear.

There is still plenty here for amusement, and The Muppet character never cease to put a smile on your face whether you're old or young. Although targeted to families, I'm not sure many kids would "get" the references, but immediately dive into the bright colors in this unique world. I don't think the film really cares if you get the joke or not. I think the idea is just happy to be back on the screen one more time.

Starring: Jason Segal, Amy Adams, Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis, and Alan Arkin. Directed by: James Bobin.