Rating of
2.5/4
Muppets Less Wanted
Unknown - wrote on 03/24/14
The Muppets continue their brand in true fashion. Being a lifelong fan of this group of talking socks, I've seen many of their ups and downs. I wouldn't consider this latest film and 'up' or a 'down'. It sits right in the middle as just another outing. There's some disappointment in that statement considering how much I loved the previous film. That said, it's still enjoyable. The comedy is spot on (for the most part) and the musical numbers are fun. The story and characters feel like they are going through the motions and, therefor, lacking emotion. Once the initial swap of the frogs happens, the movie becomes uneven when switching back and forth between the heists and the prison. The humor is all over the place. It kept me laughing throughout, but it didn't help in establishing a tone. There'd be random out-of-place jokes mixed in with wacky physical moments, genre parody, and self parody. Sometimes all in the same scene. They throw everything at you and not all hits the bullseye. Oddly, the best jokes in the movie involve self parody. This goes as far as to tell the audience that the film's plot is meaningless and even opens with the statement that sequels are never as good as the first. Although a very funny observation, it does give the feeling as if they'd shot themselves in the foot here. I may not have found this sequel worthwhile, but I still enjoyed my time with it. I'd recommend this only to Muppet fans, or families just wanting something to watch.
