The Muppets (Blu-ray)

It's been over a decade since the Muppets last graced the big screen, yet Kermit, Fozzie and the gang are still remembered with fond reverence by grown up fans of The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie or any of their other filmic outings.
It's not the grown ups, however, that this film needs to impress if it's to be considered a success. Will under 10s look at the Muppets and see just a bunch of lame, low tech puppets? Rising to the challenge is Jason Segel. The man who shoehorned a puppet musical into the climactic scene of Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Segel's well documented Muppet mania was the catalyst that got this movie into production, seven years after Disney acquired the rights from The Jim Henson Company. He co wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller and co stars as Gary, an ordinary guy from Smalltown who takes his fiancee Mary (Amy Adams, adorable) and younger brother Walter (a 3ft chap who happens to be made out of orange felt) on an exciting trip to The Muppet Studios in Hollywood.
When Walter discovers his heroes have disbanded and an evil billionaire named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is planning to take over the Muppets Theatre, he realises the only way to save them is to get the old gang back together and put on a fundraiser.
This swings into motion a textbook on with the show musical comedy, celebrating the virtues of teamwork, being kind to each other and impromptu song and dance numbers the kind of thing the Muppets do best.
This update's great strength is that it marries classic Muppet antics with the most Muppety aspects of modern culture. You couldn't find two more apt human sidekicks than duo Segel and Adams, while bringing Flight Of The Conchords' Bret McKenzie in to write the songs is an inspired choice.
Perhaps there are one too many hip celebrity cameos (Dave Grohl, Zak Galifianakis, Kirsten Schaal, Leslie Feist). But those who accuse the movie of pandering too much to thirtysomething nostalgia hounds forget that the Muppets always were about bad puns, fourth wall breaking gags and broaching the silly sophisticated divide between adult and kid humour.
In an age when the R rated comedy has become mainstream, that's rare enough to be refreshing. To the ones who never watched the show as kids and had the lunch box, watch, wellies may just wonder what all the fuss about, but to the BIG kid in us the Muppets are just plain, loveable and nice.
This movie is the sunniest, happiest film in the world and if the under 10 in your life can't appreciate that, it might be time to put them up for adoption.

It's been over a decade since the Muppets last graced the big screen, yet Kermit, Fozzie and the gang are still remembered with fond reverence by grown up fans of The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie or any of their other filmic outings.
It's not the grown ups, however, that this film needs to impress if it's to be considered a success. Will under 10s look at the Muppets and see just a bunch of lame, low tech puppets? Rising to the challenge is Jason Segel. The man who shoehorned a puppet musical into the climactic scene of Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
Segel's well documented Muppet mania was the catalyst that got this movie into production, seven years after Disney acquired the rights from The Jim Henson Company. He co wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller and co stars as Gary, an ordinary guy from Smalltown who takes his fiancee Mary (Amy Adams, adorable) and younger brother Walter (a 3ft chap who happens to be made out of orange felt) on an exciting trip to The Muppet Studios in Hollywood.
When Walter discovers his heroes have disbanded and an evil billionaire named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is planning to take over the Muppets Theatre, he realises the only way to save them is to get the old gang back together and put on a fundraiser.
This swings into motion a textbook on with the show musical comedy, celebrating the virtues of teamwork, being kind to each other and impromptu song and dance numbers the kind of thing the Muppets do best.
This update's great strength is that it marries classic Muppet antics with the most Muppety aspects of modern culture. You couldn't find two more apt human sidekicks than duo Segel and Adams, while bringing Flight Of The Conchords' Bret McKenzie in to write the songs is an inspired choice.
Perhaps there are one too many hip celebrity cameos (Dave Grohl, Zak Galifianakis, Kirsten Schaal, Leslie Feist). But those who accuse the movie of pandering too much to thirtysomething nostalgia hounds forget that the Muppets always were about bad puns, fourth wall breaking gags and broaching the silly sophisticated divide between adult and kid humour.
In an age when the R rated comedy has become mainstream, that's rare enough to be refreshing. To the ones who never watched the show as kids and had the lunch box, watch, wellies may just wonder what all the fuss about, but to the BIG kid in us the Muppets are just plain, loveable and nice.
This movie is the sunniest, happiest film in the world and if the under 10 in your life can't appreciate that, it might be time to put them up for adoption.

I used to love The Muppets as a kid; watched it every week it was on.

Gonzo was always my favorite, along with Waldorf and Statler in the balcony. I don't think I've seen any episodes of The Muppet Show since they were originally aired, so they have only lived in my happy memories of childhood days...

But I bought The Muppets Blu-ray for my good lady and we watched it the other day. Whilst Kermit, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and the rest maintained their charm I thought the "human actors" were, to be honest, pretty dire. And I found the songs and productions pretty cringe-worthy too...

I wish now I hadn't watched it - and that The Muppets had stayed happily in my memories...they were great in the '70s and that, I'm afraid, is where they should have stayed.

Thought this would be brill as I loved the Muppets as a kid!
This has quite a lot of Musical scenes and every single song is so Cringeworthy and the Story is seriously boring and pathetic!
First time in my life I have rated a Movie 1 Star!
Very Very Awful!!!

I love the Muppets. Always have. Always will. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it really breathed new life into the franchise. Can't wait for the next one.