The Muppets

February 9, 2012
By Nick Galasso

Release Date: November 23, 2011

Director: James Bobin

Starring: Jason Segel; Amy Adams; Chris Cooper; Rashida Jones; Jack Black; The Muppets

Production: Walt Disney Pictures, Mandeville Films, Muppets Studio

Runtime: 103 minutes

 

After a string of mediocre films followed by a dozen years of inactivity, The Muppets finally made their return to the big screen. This film is pure nostalgia and it very much captures the feel of the past Jim Henson films. It makes a good effort to reconnect with its older audiences while at the same time attempting to rope in newer generations. The last few times the Muppets hit the big screen, the films were all about either trying to give them backstories or placing the titular characters in classic stories. Yet, the Muppets first came together on The Muppet Show with the simple premise of a bunch of friends just putting on a show, which was also the kind of feel we got through the films made during the days where Henson was running things. This film brings us right back to the Muppets’ roots, being filled with great musical numbers, general appeal in its sight gags and puns, as well as countless celebrity cameos. The film offers us a plain ol’ good time, all the while containing a lot of heart as it brings back the feelings of past Muppet films. It’s a little cuter than the material produced during the Henson-helmed days and while the Henson films still remain superior, this is still a worthy edition to the Muppets canon that offers a fun time for all, as well as an excellent comeback for one of history’s greatest group of entertainers.
 
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