The Muppets Review

The last time I actually saw The Muppets in an actual cinema was back in 1979, with the first movie that the Jim Henson creations starred in, entitled The Muppet Movie. That was in 1979 and I was 3. Why it’s taken over 30 years for me to catch Kermit and co on the big screen again, is beyond me. But I couldn’t wait to get to see The Muppets. This was a very special cinema outing for yours truly.

Starring Jason Segal, Amy Adams and Chris Cooper The Muppets tells the story of how, The Muppets get back together, come out of obscurity and save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon. Coupled up with a new Muppet, Walter, who happens to be Gary’s brother, you get a movie that will have you laughing, singing and even crying.

Besides the save the theater plot, two subplots are running in parallel, mainly revolving around Walter who wants to be a Muppet and Gary and Mary’s 10 year anniversary, which is playing second fiddle to all things Muppets.

If it were not for Jason Segal, this movie may have never seen the light of day. Disney execs had asked Segal was he interested in working with any franchise they had and, as a huge Muppet fan, he suggested The Muppets, which hadn’t seen an outing on the big screen in quite  a few years. I never thought I’d say this, but thank you Jason Segal.

On a number of occasions, I was taken back to my childhood obsession with my favourite Muppets, namely Kermit, Animal and Rowlf. Memories came flooding back to me and the tears flowed twice as hard. The Muppets reignited some incredibly happy memories that I thought were long since buried. To be honest, I was actually overwhelmed with the joy that this movie brought and how touching and genuine a number of scenes actually were.

From start to finish, The Muppets is full of charm, humour and generally touching moments. The Muppets themselves haven’t lost it, and not once do you ever think they’re being operated by a bunch of humans. Emotions, mannerisms and personality ooze from beginning to end. And while cameos abound here, none compare to Kermit and crew, who never looked and sounded better. It’s simply mesmerising. I sat in a cinema packed with kids and parents and every child was just hypnotised.

The magic of Jim Henson lives on, especially through Kermit and The Muppets. This is an absolute must watch and I can’t recommend it highly enough.