• Home
  • Latest Posts
  • Categories
    • Craft
    • Fashion + Beauty
    • Featured
    • Film + TV
    • Gadgetry
    • House + Home
    • Kids
    • Life Dorkage
    • Love + Sex
    • Opinion
You are here: Home / Film + TV / The Muppets – Dork Review

The Muppets – Dork Review

February 15, 2012 By Anna Lowman

The Muppets - Kermit, Jason and Miss Piggy

After years away from the big screen (and indeed the small screen… screens of all size, come to think of it) it’s finally time to play the music, light the lights and meet the Muppets once again. But can these fuzzy little creatures really recapture the magic that made us fall in with love with them first time round? To go all ‘karate-chopping porcine blonde’ on you for a moment: “you’d better believe it, buster!”

Lifelong fan…

To say that I’m a big Muppets fan doesn’t make me particularly unusual — who doesn’t like the Muppets? We all have that double vinyl album tucked away somewhere, we all know what comes after “mahna-mahna” and Twitter went slightly insane when the edited version of A Muppet Christmas Carol was shown this Christmas.

But they do mean a lot to me. I watched The Great Muppet Caper over and over as a kid, and when I was 11 I wrote a piece about myself in which I said I don’t watch much TV (how things change) but that I always made time for Shooting Stars and Muppets Tonight (ok, maybe they don’t change so much…).

So for me, like everyone else, the return of the Muppets is cause for nothing but celebration — they have been on every TV show and adorned every product recently, but I don’t think I’ve heard a single grumble about their ubiquitousness. So the position in which the gang find themselves at the start of the new movie is not really accurate. In the world on screen, the Muppets have gone their separate ways, and their old studios are dilapidated; no-one really remembers who they are, let alone thinks of them as fondly as we do in reality.

Getting the band back together

No-one, that is, except for Walter. He’s a little Muppet with a human older brother Gary (co-writer Jason Segel) who lives in Smalltown and is the Muppets’ biggest fan; his room adorned with memorabilia and Kermit’s face on his watch. When Gary takes his girlfriend Mary to LA for their anniversary, Walter tags along for the ride and overhears oil baron Tex Richman plotting to destroy the Muppet studios. There’s only thing for it — get the Muppets back together for a telethon to raise the $10 million needed to keep the studios out of his evil hands…

Man or Muppet?

It has to be said that the signs for this new Muppet movie were always rather good. Segel is a huge fan himself and by all accounts getting the film made was something of a personal mission. His love, care and attention is evident in every frame. Plus, getting Flight of the Conchords co-creator James Bobin on board as director was a stroke of genius — I quickly realised while watching this film that the elements that felt very Conchords-y were actually also very Muppets-y; particularly the sight gags and great throwaway lines, and the jokes hidden away in the background.

Of course with Bobin came Bret Mackenzie, a Conchord himself and musical supervisor on the film — and it’s the songs that really make it. They’re insanely catchy, very funny and pull out the subtler themes of the movie, from Walter and Gary trying to discover who they really are, to Mary and Miss Piggy feeling sidelined by the various bromances that surround them.

If you care about the Muppets at all, the first act in which we see how they have completely failed to keep in touch (including Kermit and Miss Piggy!) and some even fall on hard times, is surprisingly heart-rending. Segel’s personal interest has ensured, in short, that the film is not just dripping but positively drenched with nostalgia and if there is any criticism to be levelled, it could only really be that the self-referencing might alienate a younger audience.

But then again, there’s still the jokes, the songs and the heart for children to enjoy. Overall The Muppets is that rarest of cinematic beasts, a truly successful family film that has warmth and brains to match the jokes. Properly delightful.

Anna Lowman

Known as AnnaWaits to some, I write about comedy, TV, theatre, music and film. I write for the British Comedy Guide, Exeunt Magazine, and the Guardian.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
Twitter

Please share if you enjoyed this!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Related

Related Posts

  • Jamie Foxx as DjangoDjango Unchained – Dork Review
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Behind the scenes
  • What do the Dork Adore writers want this Christmas?
  • Dark Skies is coming....Danger! Terror! Horror! – Five Horror Movies To Look Out For

Filed Under: Film + TV Tagged With: Amy Adams, Film Reviews, Films, Jason Segel, The Muppets

Hey there, dork

You're a nerd, we're all nerds, let's make something beautiful happen. Sign up for our newsletter. We promise not to use your details inappropriately.

Yes, I need more email!

Welcome to the Dorkside!

About Us
We are a group of geeks with interests that range from crafting to the latest lifehacks. If you can be geeky about something, we're probably covering it! Here are some of our most popular current obsessions:

Doctor Who :: The Walking Dead :: Craft Patterns :: Fifty Shades of Grey :: Apple :: Game of Thrones :: TV Reviews

Recent Comments

  • Lillian on Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls
  • Lillian on Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls
  • Brittney muns on Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls

Recent Posts

  • Gtech AirRam Mk2: Our new favourite battery-powered vacuum cleaner
  • These are my 10 Commandments for Email. What are yours?
  • Are you brave enough for a Personal Barber shaving box?
  • What parenting gadgets are actually worth getting?
  • Doctor Who LEGO is upon us! Get it before it sells out!
  • LEGO Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion review

Most Popular Reads

  • Time Heist: Doctor Who does Ocean’s Eleven
  • This is only going to make my Netflix problem worse
  • Peppa Pig knitting and crochet patterns! Update: And Sewing!
  • Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls

Dork Adore

  • Advertising
  • Dork Adore Writers
  • Contact Dork Adore
  • Discount Codes
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Competition Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writing for Dork Adore
  • Latest Posts

Categories

  • Craft
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Featured
  • Film + TV
  • Gadgetry
  • House + Home
  • Kids
  • Life Dorkage
  • Love + Sex
  • Opinion

Follow Dork Adore On

RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Miramus Ltd © 2014 · All Rights Reserved