Why so much hype?

People are voting emotionally.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996) was directed by Brian Henson. It's based (obviously) on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Tim Curry plays Long John Silver, and does a good--and serious--job of it. Kermit the Frog plays Captain Smollett, and he too does a good--and serious--job of it.The film doesn't work too well. Unlike The Rocky Horror Picture Show--also starring Tim Curry--it never became a cult classic, and it never became a children's favorite either. Incidentally, although it's supposed to just be good fun, it's relatively violent, and I think it would frighten younger kids.I know this film was produced 20 years ago, but there are actually parts about the religion of the inhabitants of the island that are stereotyped and not funny. (OK--they are spoofing the religions of Oceania, and Treasure Island is in the Caribbean. Still, I don't think they'd put those scenes into the movie today.)Believe it or not, what saves the film is the fact that Treasure Island is one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. The Muppets don't really graft onto it well. There's Muppet mayhem, and then director Henson remembers that he needs to move the plot forward, so things happen, and then there's more Muppet mayhem. I loved the Muppets, and I still do. However, Treasure Island just isn't their place.One problem is that the film doesn't work well on the small screen. There are many "big production numbers" (as Kermit would say), and there are so many Muppet figures on the screen that they just look like a moving mass. Maybe, on the large screen, it would work better. P.S. We found Muppet Treasure Island on a home-made VHS cassette in a cabinet we rarely use. It's apparently been sitting there for 20 years, waiting for us to watch it. Now, of course, we'd buy it on DVD. But that was 1996, and DVD's had just been invented a year earlier.

Anyone with brains knows that Hollywood has never made an honest movie in its life . . . . and muppet creator Jim Henson's handy relation, Brian, keeps the b.s. of Hollywood alive by occupying Jim's position as muppet movie director just because he's related.Typically claustrophobic muppet mess which seems to lack a script -- or at least a coherent one. Brian Henson's choppy direction remains a sore spot accompanied by the usual patented muppet movie noise and confusion. Tim Curry expectedly overacts as 'Long John Silver' and he looks adequately embarrassed while he does it.Jim Henson was a genius who was responsible for the rise of the muppet empire, but that empire should finally fall by disappearing from American movie theaters for good.

Hold on tight...I'm gonna say something that will no doubt shock many of you. I don't particularly like "Treasure Island". I think it's a bit silly and there have been way too many versions. So, I wasn't exactly excited when my daughter suggested we see the film. Fortunately, this Muppet version offers enough to make it worth seeing--unlike the typical version of this classic (but dull) tale.The plot is very similar to the original story but with (fortunately) many Muppet touches. When the film sticks to the original plot and (especially) the original style of language, the film lags a bit. But, when silly stuff is tossed in, the audience's interest is piqued and the film becomes quite clever. A few of the very funny touches are the rats you see throughout the movie, the Swedish Chef's cameo and the truly nutty but wonderful 'Cabin Fever' song! It doesn't always work, I will admit, such as perhaps one song too many and some painful singing by the child playing young Jim Hawkins. Nothing against the kid--I am sure he's a swell person, but here he is a but underwhelming--and this would be true of many child actors given such prominence in a film.Overall, though I was predisposed to dislike this one, I didn't. There was enough for this curmudgeon to like and it's actually one of the better Muppet films. Surprise, surprise.

What do I mean by that? I mean that this movie is SPECTACULAR. I mean, we've got pirates, Muppets, swordfights, comedy, musicals, and Tim Curry, who steals every single scene he's in.It's more or less the same story we've heard before: Jim Hawkins finds a map to the treasure of Captain Flynt and manages to get himself a ship, captain and crew to go look for it. He befriends Tim Curry a.k.a. Long John Silver and after a bout of Cabin Fever explodes into the craziest song ever put on film, they find the island, Long John is torn over his bond with Jim, yadda yadda you know how it goes.But you don't. What makes this my favorite rendition of Treasure Island is the Muppets. Gonzo and Rizzo play co-cabin boys alongside Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkings, whose singing voice can be a tad annoying at times but helps show how much he needs to treat that Disney Princess Syndrome he suffers from."Disney Princess Syndrome" - a common disorder among physically weak Disney leads, the only known treatment for which is a sword fight. Symptoms include: 1) Tendency to burst into song about wanting more. 2) Effeminate demeanor. 3) Developing Stockholm Syndrome towards overly charismatic villains. 4) Tendency to get kidnapped and/or locked up.Don't worry, he'd cured by the end of it.The celebrity guests are kept to a bare minimum like with the Muppet Christmas Carol, Billy Connolly and Jennifer Saunders getting bit roles in the beginning as Billy Bones and Ms. Bluberidge at the inn. Tim Curry steals the show as Long John Silver, his performance confirming long-time fans of his that he is, indeed, actually a Muppet. How else could one explain how his obnoxious and over-the-top personality blends so well with the other Muppet characters in the film?Viewer beware: you might not be able to watch another Muppet movie after seeing this one. It is the apex of everything glorious about the Muppets, and continues to be my absolute favorite film of all time.And, hey, at LEAST it's better than that recent rendition of rank and rancidness known as Muppets Most Wanted.