The Muppets

[King Kamala]

Has anybody else seen this yet? I went with the family to a matinee earlier today and I thought it was easily the best Muppets movie since the first two and maybe even in the discussion for best Muppet movie ever but I'll have to watch it again to definitively make that statement. A few of the current pop culture references are a bit too cutesy

Spoiler

Did we really need Gonzo's chickens to sing "Forget You" and a Selena Gomez cameo?

but everything else is exactly as a Muppet movie should be. Lot of great cameos in this one too. Just a great feel good movie.

Hope it does well and we get sequels but I'm not sure if it really plays to casual fans (which might be a complaint if I wasn't hardcore fan).

 

[Baby Shoes]

I went with some family to see it late last night upon my insistence. I really enjoyed it. A lot of awesomeness with a pretty good crowd making it more fun. The best reaction of the crowd in the theatre was

Spoiler

the reveal of Jim Parsons as human Walter. People went surprisingly nuts for that in the theatre

.

Overall, I had a lot of fun. Think it is a movie kids can enjoy but its really meant for the generation that grew up with the Muppets given a lot of the references and homages. I noticed a ton of Muppets merchandise I had in Walter's bedroom, like the tin Muppet Babies lunchbox.

 

[King Kamala]

I really liked the pictures of Jim Henson popping up occasionally (outside The Muppet Theatre, on Kermit's wall). Thought it was a nice touch.

And the biggest laugh in my theater was for

Spoiler

Kermit's 80s Robot. I personally marked out for Zack Galifianakis' bit part as Hobo Joe.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Both the parts you mentioned were awesome. Especially because they were both used much more than I expected.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Besides The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this is my most anticipated movie of the year. I'm seeing it Saturday with my mom and can't wait. I downloaded the soundtrack over the weekend and listened to it 3 times that day. It's so awesome.

 

[RedJed]

Havent gotten to seeing the new one yet, as I decided to watch some of the early Muppet films beforehand after all these years. Saw the Muppet Movie for the first time in decades today and it might have been the singlemost incredible nostalgic hour and half of my life. Muppet Caper and Manhatten are on the list too before I go to this new one. Maybe Muppets in Space too, which I havent ever seen and figure is a mess.....or am I wrong?

 

[King Kamala]

Muppets in Space is like all of the other Muppet movies from the '90s. They've got their moments of greatness but they also have moments that are way off the mark. I guess Muppets in Space has more than the other two. It's got a really outdated extended Dawson's Creek reference and a nWo/Hollywood Hogan reference that we might tolerate slightly more/less since we're wrestling fans. It's more forgettable than outright terrible but Jeffrey Tambor is kind of fun as the bad guy and there are good gags here and there. Definitely my least favorite of the Muppet theatrical releases but at the same time, better than the TV movies from the '00s.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Even Wizard of Oz where Gonzo talks about his nipples?

 

[King Kamala]

Especially Muppets Wizard of Oz!

That brings to mind, one of my favorite things about this movie, it doesn't really showcase of any of the characters who didn't appear in the first two movies or The Muppets Show. It might just be the old curmudgeon in me but I was glad

Spoiler

Rizzo didn't really appear at all and Pepe only appeared in one brief scene. That was like the only scene that had a Muppet created post 1980 having more than two lines.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Growing up, the only Muppet movies I remember seeing were The Muppet Movie and Muppets Take Manhattan. Other than those two, and The Great Muppet Caper, are the other ones worth checking out (not including the new one, which certainly is worth seeing and I will be seeing it)?

 

[Baby Shoes]

I havent seen the 90s theatricals in a while (Treasure Island, Christmas Carol and Space) but I plan on watching them soon. I mean, Treasure Island has Tim Curry and Christmas Carol has MICHAEL F'N CAINE as Scrooge. They can't be all bad.

I agree with Kamala that the more recent TV movies aren't great but I always have a soft spot for all things Muppets.

Seeing its Christmas season, I really want to see Muppet Family Christmas again.

 

[King Kamala]

The Muppets Christmas Carol is pretty cute. I watch it almost every Christmas. I might actually put it ahead of The Muppets Take Manhattan in terms of favorite Muppets movies. Muppet Treasure Island I loved as a kid but it kind of feels like a sort of fun but second rate kids movie with the Muppets thrown in as a supporting cast. Even as a kid, the Jim Hawkins parts were kind of annoying. That being said, all of the scenes with Blind Pew put me in hysterics.

Billy Bones

Tim Curry is a fun Long John Silver too. Muppets From Space I summed up earlier, far from a great movie but not as bad as its reputation and it definitely has its moments. Which sort of sums up the '90s movies in general.

 

[Mazto]

The pop culture stuff didn't bother me (the "Chicken Song" actually made me laugh hysterically) since random cameos are all apart of the magic anyways. I don't feel that anything was really "era specific" ala the Dawsons Creek/nWo jokes mentioned from In Space it really reminded me a lot of Manhatten, so it should hold up better in the long run,

Spoiler

will a Selena Gomez cameo be any more of a random throwaway than Molly Ringwald on Kermit's rolodex of famous people

and my mom and adult cousin who I talked into seeing it with me instead of me having to deal with Twilight both came out enjoying the movie far more than they thought they would for a "kid movie."

The biggest laughs in my theater were

Spoiler

Jim Parsons in Man or Muppet, and Animal going "In Control"

 

[HSJ]

PUNCH TEACHER

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

You're all doing a great disservice my not putting over the short before the movie, which was amazing and a complete surprise to me. I turned to the people who asked me to go and said "I wish we could see more of this!", because I wasn't quite sure what kind of G-Rated "kids movie" I was getting myself into here. Then I laughed and laughed and laughed... so good, glad I took the chance and went.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Yeah, the short was pretty great. I want all of the reject toys. They were all pretty awesome.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Saw this today and it was beyond amazing. So much nostalgia. I actually teared up a few times during the movie. So much fun, and I plan on seeing it again while it's in the theater. I only have one complaint.

Spoiler

When the lights get cut during the telethon, I was expecting the eye to be seen like they used to do on the old show.

Other than not, no complaints, and this is one of the best movies of the year for sure.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

I thought it was fun, and I think it knew its audience. There were too many pointless cameos.

Am I the only one who hated Walter? He got annoying fast.

 

[bps21]

You're just the worst.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Explain, bps21. I really enjoyed the movie, I just had some small quibbles.

I went with two people, one of them obsessed with The Muppets, and he also hated Water. The songs were great and I loved Cooper's henchmen.

 

[King Kamala]

Walter served his purpose but I'm not exactly clamoring for him to become a major character.

And bob, is this the only Muppet movie you've ever seen? They're all built on an unnecessary amount of pointless cameos.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Walter served his purpose but I'm not exactly clamoring for him to become a major character.

And wnyxmcneal, is this the only Muppet movie you've ever seen? They're all built on an unnecessary amount of pointless cameos.

No, I've seen my fair amount of Muppet movies. I love A Muppet Christmas Carol.

But

Spoiler

Emily Blunt, Zach Galifnakis, Jack Black were all funny. Jim Parsons was tremendous. John Krasinski, Neil Patrick Harris, Selena Gomez didn't do anything. It seemed like Krasinski and NPH camoed because that's what they do.

 

[King Kamala]

Well, I sort of agree with you but I didn't mind it all since The Muppet Movie had a similar amount of useless cameos.

There's also the matter of this movie apparently having a lot of deleted scenes. Billy Crystal and Ricky Gervais were cut out of the movie entirely.

 

[wnyxmcneal]

Also,

Spoiler

Jason Segal, Jack Black and Emily Blunt were all in Gulliver's Travels.

Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin were all in Sunshine Cleaners.

Jim Parsons, Jack Black and Rashida Jones were in The Big Year.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

Spoiler

I really don't know what lyrics were sang or anything during the Jim Parsons bit because nobody stopped laughing hysterically at the very concept of this man appearing in the mirror to sing

 

[Scroby]

I went and saw the movie last night with about 8 other people and I loved every minute of it. Thought it was a fantastic movie and I think it's the most fun I've had watching a movie in a theater in a long time. I would be happy to go see it again.

 

[Gert]

I went and saw the movie last night with about 8 other people and I loved every minute of it. Thought it was a fantastic movie and I think it's the most fun I've had watching a movie in a theater in a long time. I would be happy to go see it again.

Agree. Saw it during the Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago with family. Theater was sold out and had a decent mix of kids and thirtysomethings. I was trying to gauge the reactions of the crowds but I was too enthralled myself when the movie started. It will be interesting to see how much money it makes in the next couple of weeks with all of the good reviews and word-of-mouth.

 

[JingusSucks]

Probably the most I've enjoyed a movie in years. Even my curmudgeonly friend turned to enjoy it after the first ten minutes or so.

 

[Laz]

Saw this Tuesday night with my roommate. Very, very good. I love how it interprets the "nostalgia vs. moving forward" argument and shows that nostalgia is needed now and then.

 

[CBright7831]

Best movie of the year. I walked out the theater with a huge grin on my face. I haven't felt this way about a movie since Toy Story 3.