Disney attempts to cash in on the Muppet Franchise and reboots it. There are a lot of call back scenes to the Original Muppet Movie and there is a LOT of group singing and dancing. That cover feels pretty accurate in conveying the tone of the movie.
I enjoyed this movie more than some of the other Muppet stuff but this time I felt that it would have been ok if the Muppets had been left in the past. There were some great comedic schticks (the scenes where Jack Black is tied up on stage and is involuntarily having a comedy duo routine with Fozzy was absolutely priceless) but Disney’s fingerprints were all over this and they were very smudgy and jelly’ish fingerprints, not at all unobtrusive or subtle.
Unlike the Muppets Wizard of Oz, I found the interaction between the humans and the Muppets to be quite believable and once again the Muppets were as much stars as the human cast. That’s how it should be.
I’m going to keep on watching the Muppet oeuvre until the end but it is now completely apparent to me that without Jim Henson’s direct hand, the Muppets aren’t quite all that. Henson made the correct decision to end the tv show on a high point and this continuation of the franchise shows the wisdom of his decision. While fans clamor for more Muppets, they should have trusted Henson’s decision. While Disney is a big fat target for my dislike (what they have done to my beloved Star Wars is unconscionable), fans are as much to blame.
I’d only recommend this to hardcore Muppet Completionists.
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
Well that sounds better than the others, but I’m not a Muppet completionist so will leave you to do it for me 🙂
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Yeah, I’m not really sure why Disney thought this would restart the franchise. The Muppets are first and foremost a tv show and they need that format to show them at their best.
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Ditto to what Fraggle said. Not a Muppet completionist so I can take a pass.
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I am glad to fulfill this lonely quest. Disney isn’t going to plunder itself after all 😀
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The Man or Muppet song is good as well.
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I vaguely recall that. Seemed a bit sappy to me. But then, this whole movie was drenched in sappiness.
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Are you a man, or are you a muppet?
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I feel no fingers where they shouldn’t be, so I’m going with the “Man” option.
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I loved it. It was a send-up of every sappy 70s song in a movie.
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Well, I might not be a hardcore Muppet completionist, but you had me at “Jack Black and Fozzie Bear.”
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That one scene alone almost makes the whole movie worth it. I was in stitches…
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Update: Inspired by your review, I checked this movie out of the library and watched it.
The first thing I discovered was that I’d actually seen it before.
Secondly, I really enjoyed it.
I had forgotten the best part: Miss Piggy KIDNAPS Jack Black. As a ninja.
Also, when the band started singing, “We built this city on rock ‘n’ roll,” my parakeet went NUTS. Not sure if he loved the chords, or if he had an experience with this song at a former owner’s.
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Glad it turned out so well for you 🙂
I’m going to be watching the direct sequel, Muppets Most Wanted. I really hope I enjoy it more than this one.
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Ahhh, glad that it wasn’t complete garbage then. The more the franchise is stretched out across time, the more it risks changing its direction and identity to something you’ll hate after all…
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I was looking and I don’t actually have that much left to get through. Thankfully, I can always go back to the original show and get my muppet mojo back 🙂
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Not a big muppets fan, but will definitely check out for Jack Black!
I also run a film review blog, would love it if you checked it out: https://previewedandreviewed.wordpress.com/
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Thank you for stopping by.
If you’re not a muppet fan, I’d recommend watching the original muppet show, as this movie is all based on that.
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