'Muppets Most Wanted' movie review: Kermit the Frog, a comic caper -- and a case of deja vu

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on March 21, 2014 at 6:20 AM, updated March 21, 2014 at 3:04 PM

Tracking the trajectory of the Muppets' big-screen career reveals a pretty-hard-to-miss arc. It's roughly the same arc you'd get if you viewed Gonzo the Great in profile.

This is a franchise that was at its height in 1979 with the lovely, lively and laugh-filled original "Muppet Movie." The eagerly awaited sequel would end up being a somewhat less lovely and less lively caper film ("The Great Muppet Caper"), followed by a string of decreasingly clever movies that would eventually to a Gonzo-shaped nose-dive into shrug-worthy material worthy of little more than the direct-to-DVD bin.

Fast-forward to the post-Disney-acquisition of Jim Henson's beloved creations and the subsequent rebooting of the franchise, and it's hard not to feel a bit of déjà vu.

The Muppets' second big-screen life launched with 2011's lovely, lively and laugh-filled "The Muppets," which wisely followed the blueprint set by the 1980 original, incorporating a raft of fun celebrity cameos as well as playfully quirky production numbers. Now, with the arrival of the follow-up "Muppets Most Wanted," it would appear the Muppet masters might be following the blueprint a bit too closely.

This just-amusing-enough second outing is also a somewhat less lovely and less lively caper film. Can the direct-to-DVD bin be far behind?

That's not to say "Muppets Most Wanted" is all stuffing and nonsense. The franchise hasn't declined that much just yet. There are entertaining moments to be had here, for sure.

For starters, songwriter Bret McKenzie -- who won an Oscar for his tune "Man or Muppet" from the 2011 reboot -- is back for more, penning a number of dead-on genre satires that double as concise bits of toe-tapping character development. A personal favorite: the MGM-style musical number "We're Doing a Sequel," in which Kermit and pals acknowledge that follow-ups are rarely as good as the original.

That, it turns out, is downright prophetic. 

McKenzie's songs are smart and silly and fun -- and they are what many non-kindergartners will likely wish the rest of "Muppets Most Wanted" was. Unfortunately, though, "Muppets Most Wanted" is decidedly less clever on the whole. In fact, it comes dangerously close to being "just another" Muppet movie.

Even the story feels like one the Muppets have told before: While they are out on a world tour, their fearless froggy leader -- that would be Kermit the Frog -- is kidnapped by a criminal genius named Constantine, who harbors secret plans for an elaborate jewelry heist.

As it turns out, Kermit is key to that plan, since Constantine is a nearly flipper-for-flipper twin of him, and since the Muppet world tour would take Constantine to venues that are within striking distance of the targets for his brand of amphibious nefariousness. And so just like that, Kermit finds himself locked up in a Russian gulag while Constantine fools all of the other Muppets into thinking he is the real deal.

Naturally, none of the sweet but simple Muppets notice that Kermit has been replaced by an imposter. Neither do they seem to notice that the new "Kermit" speaks with a thinly disguised Russian accent. That is the downside, I suppose, of having a head made of felt, fur and/or feathers.

Director James Bobin, who directed 2011's "The Muppets," also returns for this one, and he's got a strong human cast to assist him. In addition to those aforementioned cameos (Lady Gaga, Zack Galifianakis, Stanley Tucci, Salma Hayek, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christoph Waltz ...), we get supporting performances from Ricky Gervais as Constantine's No. 2; Tina Fey as the iron-fisted commander of a Russian gulag; and Ty Burrell as a very Clouseau-informed detective. 

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Those are three funny people, and they make the most of what they have to work with here. But there are still too many lulls in the film's nearly two-hour running time, and too many opportunities for ordinariness to creep into the mix.

Oh, your pre-schooler will probably enjoy the novelty of seeing a singing, dancing frog alongside a joke-telling, hat-wearing bear and a lovestruck pig. But the Muppets have always been at their best when they remember to include the parents in the fun along with the tadpoles.

Unfortunately, that's one area where "Muppets Most Wanted" is left wanting.


2 stars, out of 5

Snapshot: A family-friendly adventure in which Kermit the Frog -- unbeknownst to his Muppet brethren -- is kidnapped and imprisoned by a nearly identical criminal genius who then assumes his life as head Muppet.

What works: Songwriter Bret McKenzie, who won an Oscar for his work on the 2011 "The Muppets," once more contributes several dead-on genre satires that are turned into clever and toe-tapping production numbers.

What doesn't: The fun is more sporadic than in its 2011 predecessor, with a film that feels dangerously close to being "just another" Muppet movie.

Cast: Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell, Jemaine Clement, with the voices of Eric Jacobson, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Matt Vogel and Bill Barretta. Director: James Bobin. Rating: PG, for some mild action. Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes. Where: Find New Orleans and Baton Rouge showtimes.