Review: Muppets Most Wanted

Spoiler Alert: It's good.

Vague Spoilers Ahead

As Kermit says at the beginning of the movie, sequels are "the Hollywood way."  And, while I usually like the sequels to most films - sometimes more than the movie that made me like the characters in the first place - live action family comedies - which is exactly the group that this film falls into - have always been a bit of a warning area begging you to stay away.  Are We There Yet? was a fairly good movie, at least for its time, but Are We Done Yet? proved completely unnecessary.  And need we not mention the Home Alone sequels where the families were changed completely.  These types of movies - unlike, say, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, which were created after much thought in order to ensure a good movie - are usually made only to capitalize on the first movie, with little attention put into actually making the product.

However, this sequel avoids that deep, dark hole completely.  While not as good as the first, in my opinion (though some critics have claimed otherwise), this movie does come close to matching its predecessor.

First of all, the plot is simple and predictable, though passable.  While, in typical Muppet style, nothing particularly makes sense if you add everything together (funny moments that break the fourth wall balanced with what seems to be "real" reactions from the characters make you try and figure out if the movie is admitting it is a film or if it is trying to make you believe that what is happening in front of you is an actual event), all of the stories - from the main ones to the subplots - are all interesting.

However, there are a few plots that don't get enough screentime and could have been done better.  For example, the Russian prison guard is revealed to be a huge Kermit the Frog fan, but she still treats Kermit harshly, with no sympathy.  Also, aside from a single moment in the film, there is really no reason why Sam and the Interpol Agent become friends. 

The music in this movie is - dare I say - a step up from the last film.  While I have never been one for musicals, that was not a problem here.  The songs found in this movie are so witty, catchy, and hilarious; there is no choosing a favorite.  There were three songs that really stuck out for me, though.  First, there was the clever opening number about sequels (which is a great jab at Disney itself).  Then, there was an interrogation song in the middle of the film, with conveys plot points and is very, very funny.  And, finally, Miss. Piggy sings Celene Dion's classic Titanic song My Heart Will Go On - although, I may add, she gets cut off far too early.  These songs all go by so quickly, you are bound to miss the little jokes planted in them the first time around.  However, these little details make for some of the funniest, wittiest jokes in the movie.

 
The new characters in this movie are worthy of praise.  While not as exciting as the other two new characters, Ricky Gervais takes the fairly simple role that he was given and turns it into a very enjoyable one, making us believe the ridiculous concept that he is number two to a puppet.

Ty Burrell's Interpol Officer is played perfectly.  Any scene with him in it instantly becomes even better, so much so that, at times, I wanted the other characters to go away so I could see some more of the witty banter between him and Sam, who makes a perfect partner for him.  If there is a third Muppets movie, he HAS TO be in it.  His performance is so good, I demand a spinoff movie.

Not to be outdone, though, Tina Fey's Russian prison guard is also great.  Her accent is perfect and her attitude is great for the part.

That being said, all of the characters above, along with some of the Muppets, get far too little screentime.  While this movie definitely is an improvement over the last when it comes to the amount of lines certain smaller characters have, I feel that all of the characters should have more time to shine.  Despite the movie's run time of close to two hours - something of a shocking fact, given that other movies of this type are the usually the bare minimum that movies released in the theater can be (ninety minutes long) - I feel it could be longer since many of the characters deserve the chance to be fleshed out.  Of particular note is Walter, who was the main character of the last movie.  In the second film, however, he takes a back seat.  While he does help move the plot along (he's pretty much the smartest muppet in the group), he doesn't get a lot of lines or screentime.

Speaking of Walter, Jason Segel and Amy Adams are sorely missed in this movie.  While there is a a brief cameo by them - albeit, with stand-ins, who are only seen from the back - their characters were very important to the first film and were really quite funny.  The movie manages with out them perfectly, but there was always a feeling that something was missing - and it wasn't an oil tycoon.

The jokes in this film are top-notch.  There are some silly ones for young kids, but there also some really smart jokes for the older audience.  The vocabulary in some of the songs is also was funny, considering this is a movie made for kids.  Miss. Piggy saying "viable" is not something you would expect, but, nope, it's here.

The locations that the film uses are pretty great.  Many of the scenes are shot in the city it's supposed to take place in and the varying places that we see are all pretty good.  However, more could have been done with these places; sets seem to fly by, without much looking around. 

A great part about the film is that they realize it's not just younger kids who are watching.  Along with the witty jokes, the film also has bombs and guns.  In this way, it's not just some movie for little kids.

In a movie where there is a British actor, two Americans speaking in two different accents, and several different countries, it is possible that things could get a bit stereotypical.  Most Wanted avoids this completely, meaning no one will ever be offended.

The cameos in this movie are also pretty great.  There's a nice bunch of celebrities from present day and those adults will remember from their childhoods.  Some of them seem a bit contrived (like in-house Disney stars), but they are all, in the end, pretty neat.

The film makes various pop culture references.  Now, this is a both great and a bit horrible.  All of these are pretty hilarious and some are those smart jokes I mentioned before - a few take background knowledge to really understand.  However, this also dates the movie.  Along with some of the celebrity cameos (some of those people may, bless their hearts, not be very famous years down the road), some of these references won't make sense in, say, a decade.  Additionally, Toy Story 4, which, to be clear, hasn't been announced (it may never happen), is mentioned in the aforementioned sequel song.  Now, what if Pixar actually does make a fourth Toy Story?  Then, that joke loses all credibility and (in a small away) affects the movie.

Finally, the Monsters University short in front of the film is also great.  While it's a little too short for my liking, it is very funny and put together well.  I can only hope that Pixar continues making shorts (and possibly more movies?) with Mike and Sulley in the future.

Muppets Most Wanted manages to be exactly the movie a Muppets movie should be.  It will be at the top of my list of top movies at the end of this year, I guarantee it.

As Billybob would say, Waddle On!
- Chillin43