Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we continue our investigation here with the 2014 follow-up to 2011's The Muppets as we look at Muppets Most Wanted. This review was originally meant to come at a later date but I had to shuffle the reviews around some due to missing
And well, it's not hard to want to make that comparison. Also, it's the better movie in the regards of these two and I thought about doing a review of it but that was released before Disney bought the rights of The Muppets. So instead, we are looking at Muppets Most Wanted. This movie was okay but it seems like people didn't take to it as much. I'm not sure, I have my issues with it and I'll point them out but it feels like with every project after this, Disney doesn't know what to do with these characters. And we do not speak of the one season sitcom. And now, the hope of return to form for The Muppets rests on a Disney Junior reboot of Muppet Babies.
So yeah.... in many ways, I think this movie was the start of these beloved characters' downfall. With this long winded introduction, let's get the review started.
The Plot
The movie quite literally opens at the end of The Muppets (2011) .Yeah, it's a cute joke and it does fit with The Muppets style and it's obvious that the actors standing in aren't Jason Segel and Amy Adams. And to be honest, Gary and Mary are missed a bit. Not so much because of the characters themselves as they are characters that I could take or leave but rather do to one new Muppet....
Look, I love Walter and thought he was a great addition to the cast in the 2011 movie but here in this movie, he kinda felt like an afterthought and as though the team didn't know how to make him work without Jason Segel. That's a shame because they squandered a character that I am convinced that could have become a new favorite for Muppet fans everywhere. And it's disappointing that this was the last major use of Walter because he was never on the sitcom and now he's been relegated to social media videos. Walter deserves so much better than that. Maybe have a version of him on the Muppet Babies reboot. Just seriously, give the little guy something to do. It isn't right that he's been relegated to Facebook and Twitter. Walter deserves so much more than that and there is some serious untapped potential
So, we go through a montage of The Muppets suggesting different film styles before Dominic Badguy suggests that the The Muppets go on a world tour. Okay, this is perhaps the first big comparison that comes when looking at how this movie is similar to the far superior Great Muppet Caper. Both start with The Muppets acknowledging that they are in a movie. In this film, it comes in the form of We're Doing a Sequel. Which the only thing of note that song has now is that it predicted Toy Story 4. And Caper opens with one of the best Muppet songs of all time with Hey A Movie!
But here is where Caper succeeds and Most Wanted fails. In Caper, the fourth wall is shattered in every scene and you know that it's a "movie". I put that in parentheses because while the story is exciting and fun, there are lines in that film that let you in on the joke that the characters know that they are in a movie. Two such examples.
It's plot exposition. It has to go somewhere.
You! It was you! Kermit was right! You're a phony. You're a phony! Yes, you are! And you know what, you can't even sing! Your voice was dubbed!
Most Wanted does have some moments like this such as when they pointed out that Walter spent all of the last movie getting them back together after Constantine posing as Kermit says he and Fozzie quit The Muppets.
We just did a whole movie where he joined the Muppets.
And it's followed up with a funny line from Rizzo about how other characters like him and Robin were neglected.
Maybe even at the expense of other long-standing, beloved Muppets.
But the movie feels a bit inconsistent in that regard, there are moments sprinkled throughout like this and yes, that's true of Caper as well but even when Caper is telling the story, you get the sense that The Muppets know that they are in a movie. With Most Wanted, while moments like these are appreciated, they don't seem to gel as well with the rest of the movie. The Muppets arrive at their venue for their first show, which Dominic booked not too far from a museum, so that he and Constantine could get what they were after. And this where we get another of my big issues with this movie as the annoyance level of The Muppets is dialed up way too much with their inane demands and Piggy badgering Kermit about getting married. At the suggestion of Dominic, Kermit goes for a walk and this is where the trade off comes as Constantine takes Kermit's place and this is also where that Good Kermit/Evil Kermit meme came from.
Yeah, that meme is kinda weird and I don't get why it became so popular. After placing a mole on Kermit, Kermit is arrested as he's mistaken for the world's number one greatest criminal frog. And thus the plan is set in motion for our villains. Most of The Muppets are convinced by Dominic that Kermit just has a cold but Animal knows the truth. This is another complaint that I had with the movie and I touched upon it during my Muppets villains crossover with Infamous Jak but The Muppets seemed really dumb in this movie.
It almost seemed like in order for Constantine’s plan to work, the film had to make The Muppets appear less smart than they are in some of the other movies. I mean the joke was that Constantine had a thick accent that none of The Muppets could see through. It was funny but it did bug me a bit.
Now to be fair, Jak did address my point.
I agree that I feel that the other main Muppets did seem a little dumbed down. Expect Animal, but that just goes to prove why he is the best Muppet. Though if I remember right, there was a Muppet Show episode where Kermit was replaced by a robot and nobody noticed, so it’s hardly unestablished that the Muppets aren’t the most observant.
I do see where Jak was coming from with that point but I dunno, it just seems like to me that they they overdid the stupidity. Constantine's plan is almost botched in Berlin as he freezes onstage and Scooter has to cover for him. Meanwhile, Constantine and Dominic steal some paintings from a museum. The next Interpol agent, Jean Pierre Napoleon and CIA agent Sam The Eagle meet and team up on this mystery as Jean Pierre believes that his arch enemy, The Lemur is behind all of these crimes. I'll give you two guesses as to that could be. While all of this is going on, we see Kermit had been taken to the gulag and while he tries various attempts to escape but prison guard, Nadya (played wonderfully by Tina Fey) foils every escape as she has seen every prison movie and has a Netflix account. We learn that she wants to keep Kermit as she loves Kermit almost as much as Piggy.
Meanwhile, back on the tour, Constantine and Dominic follow instructions left on the painting and divert the tour to Madrid. To go after what they want, Constantine allows The Muppets to do whatever they want and that turns the show into a three hour mess. Though granted, this does lead to one of my favorite jokes, the indoor running of the bulls.
This does seem to be a mix of puppetry and CGI but I can't tell if you that's the case and even if it is, it seems to blend rather well. While the show was a mess, The Muppets receive mass acclaim for their performances. Walter is rather confused by this as he knew that show was a mess. Sam and Jean Pierre after attending the show deduce that there must be a connection between The Muppets and the stolen paintings. So, they decide to question The Muppets but realize that they are too stupid to have committed the crimes. Meanwhile, the night before Constantine and Dominic broke into the museum and break multiple busts in order to find a key that the stolen painting had led them to.
Once, The Muppets arrive in Dublin, Walter realizes that they had been duped and discovers that Constantine had taken Kermit's place. And tells Fozzie. Okay, I gotta bring up a weird moment here. As this movie has a weird Subway product placement moment with Fozzie eating a Subway sandwich. Granted, it's not as bad as say the Krispy Kreme product placement in Power Rangers (2017), which literally saw Rita Repulsa stop and eat a doughnut during the middle of destroying Angel Grove or that the Zeo Crystal is hidden underneath the Krispy Kreme. (I do like the Power Rangers reboot but you'd think their powers came from the glaze of the doughnuts). I dunno, it just felt like it came out of nowhere and I always find it a little weird seeing Muppets eating.
And the fact that The Muppets did a Subway tie-in commercial for this movie with Jared is kinda squicky in hindsight. Yeah.... let's get back to the review at hand. Constantine attacks our heroes in one of the more weird and frightening moments.
But Animal had known the truth all along and they escape from the train that they were on to go rescue Kermit. During the Dublin performance, Constantine and Dominic steal a locket to help them and to save face, he proposes to Piggy during the Dublin performance and announces that they are to be married at the Tower of London. Fozzie, Walter, and Animal reach the Siberian gulag and decide to rescue Kermit. Kermit uses this as a means to escape as he had been putting a prison talent show. Which easily has my favorite number from the whole movie but then again, I'm a sucker for showtunes. As the prisoners early in the audition process sing I Hope I Get It from A Chorus Line. Something about that just tickled my funny bone. Alas, this section of the film doesn't seem to be online but man, just imagine Danny Trejo singing a Broadway show tune and that should put a smile on your face.
With Kermit in tow, they infiltrate the Tower of London to put a stop to the wedding, while Dominic with the help of Bobby Benson and his Baby Band steal the jewels that they had been after all along. Kermit interrupts the wedding ceremony to reveal Constantine's ruse but the criminal takes Piggy hostage. But he is soon intercepted by Dominic, who as we all figured out is The Lemur plans to double cross the number one criminal. But Constantine had figured this would have happened and thought The Lemur was a stupid name. Nadya soon arrives in London and the two criminals are arrested but she had come to arrest Kermit for escaping but the other Muppets stand up for their leader and say that if she takes them, that they have to take them as well. And well, she does and this leads to some rather bad CGI to end the movie with as it's end with a new take on Together Again from my favorite Muppet movie.
Yeah, that's pretty rough but I do appreciate the payoff of one of the running jokes where there was a prisoner locked up in solitary and it's revealed to be Josh Groban.
Overall, while I have my issues with this movie, it's fun if flawed. It's a shame to think that this was the last good Muppet thing Disney put out. In some ways, it feels like Disney just doesn't know what to do with these characters now. Which is a shame because I'd love to see more Muppet material. Let's move onto characters.
Characters
Main Character
Kermit The Frog performed by Steve Whitmire
Kermit was a lot of fun in this movie and it did go a long way to show that The Muppets need him to lead and that he needs them because he needs their brand of zaniness in his life. You get that sense, when he starts to see the prisoners as The Muppets and realizes that they need a leadership figure.
Supporting Characters
Walter performed by Peter Linz
I said everything I wanted to say about Walter in the plot section. I am beyond bummed that this was the last major use of Walter. He delivered a fine performance but like I said, Walter felt like an afterthought in this movie.
Miss Piggy performed by Eric Jacobson
Miss Piggy was fine but I gotta be honest and say that the running gag with her and Celine Dion was just weird. I did enjoy Piggy in here, even if at points, she felt like a bit much but that's Piggy.
Nadya played Tina Fey
Tina Fey going over the top with her Russian accent and her stalkerish obsession of Kermit was just fantastic and easily, some of the funniest stuff in the movie. Every single time, she was onscreen, I found myself laughing really hard.
Jean Pierre Napoleon & Sam The Eagle played by Ty Burrell and performed by Eric Jacobson
Can we get a mystery movie starring these two? Because they were easily the best characters in the movie as they had such great chemistry and bounced off one another so well, that you couldn't help but chuckle whenever they were onscreen.
Music
We're Doing A Sequel
I do like this song a bit but like I said in the plot section, this song does come across as a less version of Hey A Movie! And Piggy's "viable franchise" line stings just a bit because I don't feel like that's the case anymore with how Disney feels about The Muppets. But yeah, this is a fun song and a fun way to open up the movie and has a great feel to it, even if Bunsen is incorrect about the other films being sequels as the original Muppet movies didn't have any continuity between one another. And I have to wonder how early in production, this song was written because this film was first announced, the title was The Muppets Again.
I'm Number One
This song is just so much fun and Constantine makes for such a great villain as he is just so full of himself and thinks that nothing will ever bring him down and you see that throughout the whole movie with how he always puts down Dominic. It's just so fun and who knew Ricky Gervais could sing because he really knocks it out of the park here.
The Big House
Once again, another excellent number and I just love the juxtaposition of singing about The Big House like it's hotel but it's more of a hell. That is just so fun and Tina Fey really knocks this number out of the park.
I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo In Malibu)
This number is just weird. I enjoy it for it's absurdity but I have no other words to describe it as I have no idea what is going on with this number. Yeah, I get that Constantine is using it as a ruse but wow, this is one of the weirdest numbers from a Muppet movie and that's saying something.
Interrogation Song
Easily, one of my favorite numbers from the movie. The back and forth in this number is just so fun and this number is one that I'm always happy to return to. It's hard to pin down, why I like this song so much but I think the fast paced nature of this song helps to make it so fun and such a blast to listen to.
Something So Right
This is my least favorite song from the movie. It's not bad but it just feels so empty and it's one that as soon as I hear it, it leaves me. It doesn't have much of an impression on me but the Kermit and Piggy children are nightmare fuel and refuse to subject you guys to that.
Together Again (Again)
Not a whole lot that I have to say about this one. It's just another classic Muppet song from my favorite Muppet movie. Though, it feels odd to include a song from Muppets Take Manhattan as this movie borrows more Great Muppet Caper, I thought ending with a song from that movie would have made more sense.
Villains
Dominic Badguy played by Ricky Gervais
The one character that falls a bit flat for me is Dominic. He's not bad and he does take a backseat to Constantine and I know that's the joke but I don't think Ricky Gervais really got a whole lot to do in this role and that's a shame as there were glimmers of a funny performance in there.
Constantine performed by Matt Vogel
I'm a bit mixed on Constantine as he is a fun villain but at times, he almost seemed too threatening for a Muppet movie. Most of the other Muppet villains never seemed to cross that line. It's hard to pin why I have such a problem with that here as I normally like threatening villains but with The Muppets, that feels a bit out of place. Even, my favorite Muppet villain Nicky Holiday didn't feel like much of a threat. BTW, wouldn't it have been a great cameo to see Nicky in the gulag. There were plans to give Nicky a cameo in The Muppets (2011) but Charles Grodin turned it down but how fun would it have been to see him in the gulag. Ah well, still Constantine is fun but he almost at times feels out of place in a Muppet movie, what with blowing places up. I'm pretty sure he is the only Muppet villain that has a body count. Granted, all of those deaths were offscreen but still.
My Final Thoughts
I have my issues with this movie but it is enjoyable. It's not the worst Muppet movie out there nor would I put it amongst some of the better ones. At best, it knows what it is and at worst, it passes the time. Check it out, if you want. Join me next as we look at an episode of one of my favorite underrated Disney cartoons as we look at the Fillmore! episode....
A Wurm In Our Midst
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