Muppets Most Wanted

There have been a lot of Muppets movies over the years, but when The Muppets hit theaters in 2011; it was supposed to signify a reboot that would separate it from the crazy chapters that marginalized the characters. I’m looking at you Muppets from Space and Muppet Treasure Island. That new focus worked under the watchful eye of its writer and star, Jason Segel. But here we are a few years later without him and the sequel, Muppets Most Wanted has to try and follow that up. The result is a different, but positive experience from the last film.

The plot has the Muppets on a world tour while unknowingly becoming involved in a European jewel heist. The heist is pulled off by their tour manager (Ricky Gervais) and a criminal mastermind who has switched places with Kermit. In addition to this primary storyline, there are two others that split the screen time. Kermit is locked in a Russian prison under the watchful eye of Tina Fey’s prison guard character. Also, Ty Burrell plays an Interpol agent teamed up with Sam Eagle, a CIA Agent, to figure out the crimes playing out across the continent. Each storyline has its funny moments, but with the different arcs playing out, a number of our favorite Muppets don’t get the screen time fans are used to. There’s not nearly enough Gonzo in my opinion.

There is a feeling of cheesiness that the poor Muppet movies of the past also had, but it never reaches the point that would make the film unlikeable to adults watching. After all, since the Muppets have been around so long, the film should be an experience for all ages. The songs are witty and there are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled throughout, so the film should be considered a success. After all, Gervais’ character is named Dominic Badguy, (pronounced Bad-jee) so that should speak to the fun tone on display here. But with fragmented story-telling and very little character development from 95 percent of the cast, Muppets most Wanted could have done a bit better.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.