Muppets: Most Wanted

The Muppets (2011) was one of the big surprises of the last few years, as it took everyone’s favourite puppets and made over one hundred and sixty five million dollars at the box office, alongside scooping as Oscar for best song.  Therefore, it’s hardly any surprise to see a sequel hit the screens with Jason Segel and Amy Adams dropping out for Ricky Gervais and James Bobin keeping his spot in the directorial chair.

This film literally starts exactly where the last one ended, with the aforementioned Segel and Adams disappearing into the background and the joyolously infectious “We’re Doing a Sequel” kicking us into gear.  It’s a wonderful start to proceedings as the film pokes fun at itself by admitting that sequels are never as good as the original.  From there we see the Muppets go out on a world tour helped by Dominic Badguy (Gervais).  Unfortunately during the course of this tour Kermit is locked in the Russian Gulag with Tina Fey after he is mistaken for his doppelganger, the world evillest frog Constantine, who is actually stealing Kermits place in the Muppets in order to hide his criminal plot, aided by Badguy, to steal the crown jewels.

It’s very much a traditional Muppets caper movie and it is laugh out loud funny the whole way through.  Whether it be Kermit and Tina Fey organising a variety show in the Russian Gulag or Constantine and Gervais discussing their role as no.1 criminal in the world, and henchman to the number one criminal in the world, you can’t help but be swept up by the wonderful world of the Muppets.  Ty Burrell is ridiculous (and in being so hilarious) as French Interpol inspector Jean Pierre Napolean, who teams up with Sam Eagle in hunting Constantine.  His constant playing on French stereotypes is actually funny in the hands of the Muppets, rather than the cringe it might induce in many others films.

In saying that it has to be said that much as they say themselves, this isn’t quite as good as the first.  It lacks the heart given to it by Segel, something that Gervais just isn’t capable of pulling off, as he continues his career of playing variations of David Brent.  While the cameos are also a bit strange.  I took great joy out of most of them, but it has to said that I imagine the likes of Danny Trejo will go well over the heads of the younger audience members.  However, it is easy to forgive all that as you get swept away by gag after gag.  This is the Muppets being the Muppets and if you don’t enjoy that then you are probably suffering in life anyway so there’s not much I can do for you.