Stars The Muppets, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey and a host of guest stars (spot them all!) Directed by James Bobin Yes, it’s a sequel to The Muppets - or as Dr. Honeydew points out in the opening number, it’s the seventh sequel to the original Muppet movie. Taking off right where the last movie left off, The Muppets, having gotten back together, embark on a ‘world tour’ with their show while managed by Dominic Badguy (Ricky Gervais). Dominic is actually working for the world’s number one criminal frog, Constantine - who just happens to look like Kermit the Frog, but with a mole on his cheek. Constantine swaps places with Kermit and no one’s the wiser - they are The Muppets, after all. For one, it is a different movie than before and yet, it’s also more of the same. The same humour, the same characters and the same format, with the self-aware jokes, big production numbers and the ever loving theme of friends and family. Perhaps the jokes not as snarky as before in some cases and the songs may not be as memorable as before - my favourite number being the Interrogation Song - but it all still in the fun of putting on a show be it at the numerous locales around Europe, or in the Gulag run by Tina Fey’s Nadya where Kermit ends up. And I love the double act of Ty Burrell’s Clouseau-like Interpol inspector Jean Pierre Napoleon and Sam the Eagle. While the Muppets are mostly themselves, kudos to Matt Vogel for his portrayal of Constantine, especially in trying to be Kermit. There is a very subtle difference in how the muppets are handled to distinguish Constantine from Kermit (essentially the same muppet). Although, given the nature of the story itself, a lot of the other muppets got sidelined, coming into play only as the plot demanded. As for the stars, they do look like they’re having a ball, especially Ricky Gervais gamely playing second fiddle to Constantine. And then there’re the gulag scenes where we have typical tough guys actors like Danny Trejo and Ray Liotta, also gamely partaking in the muppet madness. It is meant to appeal more to the fans of The Muppet Show and that particular brand of humour more than an average viewer (like Usher playing an usher, or Christoph Waltz doing the waltz). Still, the movie is entertaining as it needs to be and a whole lot of fun for tans of The Muppets themselves. Other viewers might enjoy the proceedings although just how much might be questionable. Rating 3 1/2
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