Very Cool!!!

Just what I expected

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The Muppets (2011): Dir: James Bobin / Cast: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Jack Black: It has been twelve years since the Muppets was last seen on a movie screen. Now the return specifies the reality that technicalities in films have changed. Now digital and computer effects are a major element of films and here we observe how things have changed since the Muppets last aired. For reasons not explained, Jason Segel plays Gary whose brother Walter is in fact a Muppet. Amy Adams plays his girlfriend of ten years, Mary. She desires a commitment but they end up travelling to Hollywood where a visit to the old Muppet studios is met with the news that a rich tycoon named Tex Richman is set to destroy it so he may drill for oil. This means that Gary, Mary and Walter must contact Kermit the Frog and the other Muppets in order to raise the ten million to save it. While the concept is excellent, the structure reduces the road movie element of the first film to a rush. The climax delivers a fantastic Muppet theme that veteran fans will recognize. Segel and Adams are perfectly fitted for the material particularly during outbursts of musical numbers. Chris Cooper as Richman is a cardboard villain that never really materializes. Rashida Jones makes an appearance as a producer bent on filling a spot. Jack Black makes a hilarious cameo as himself being abducted as part of the Muppets show. Great Miss Piggy intro that references The Devil Wears Prada. The Muppets prove that despite the advance technology, they maintain their sincere cheerful disposition. Score: 7 ½ / 10

I was sorely disappointed by this film, and so far, haven't seen the sequel...Too much time spent on the human characters, and introducing a new Muppet? Sacrilege! It takes far too long to get them all together again, and when they are found, it speeds over all the back-story to focus on the humans again! I understand that they needed to re- establish the gang for a new audience, but it's like taking the legacy apart, and putting it back together again, only not very well...A lot of the humour seemed juvenile and simplistic, not with the subversive, satirical edge that "The Muppet Show" mastered... You were watching adult material presented in a package that kids could also enjoy... Now, with the update, it felt more like it was pitched directly at kid-level...I have similar reservations to those of Frank Oz... and if Frank Oz declines to be involved, then you know there's something amiss!

This film is about the Muppets having to raise ten million dollars in a charity show, in order to save the Kermit's house from being torn down by an investor."The Muppets" is a lot better than I anticipated. It has a simple plot, but it is sweet and engaging because it tells a tale of friendship and love. Walter is a sweet puppet, and most people can relate to his love for his idols because we have been through that stage as well. There is also romantic relationships and friendships among the puppets too. It is a really human film, even though it is acted by puppets! The surprise cameos of Whoopi Goldberg and Selena Gomez are very funny too, their lines are so funny!

In spite of some initial development problems – like the distinguished Muppeteer Frank Oz turning the movie down because of his dissatisfaction with the script – 'The Muppets' managed to be, as of today, the highest grossing Muppet movie of all time. This big financial success may come off as a surprise, considering that this was the first theatrical Muppet movie in 12 years. Although Frank Oz expressed his dissatisfaction with the script, I would say that the simple, but very effective script (written by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller) is the movie's best aspect and maybe the biggest reason why the movie performed so well. From what I gather, the movie's plot is very similar to other Muppet projects, which is a perfect way of not alienating the old fans while reintroducing the characters to new ones.Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) is an everyday Muppet who finds it somewhat hard living in the human world, despite of having a very supportive human brother, Gary (Jason Segel). One day his life changes dramatically – he discovers the classic Muppet show and is amazed by the Muppets performing in it. When Gary and Gary's girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) plan to celebrate their 10th anniversary in Los Angeles, they invite Walter to accompany them and in the meantime visit the Muppet studio. Walter there finds out that an evil oil tycoon, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), wants to buy the studio and raze it to the ground because, apparently, there's oil beneath it. The Muppets' only way of keeping the studio is raising 10 million dollars, and the only way to do so is to put on a show.'The Muppets' has all the charms of previous Muppet projects – the abundance of gags, the musical numbers and the cameos – and all of these elements are perfectly combined in one satisfyingly enjoyable movie. The humor in the movie is very self-referential, sometimes self deprecating, and sometimes even filled with subtle social criticism. No matter the form the humor takes, all the jokes and the gags in the movie, with the exception of a rare few, are fun and entertaining. The musical numbers are colorful, original and could easily warm the heart even of some cold bastard who doesn't like musicals (like me). And of course, there are the celebrity cameos, which were quite unforgettable and delightful.While, just a few moments ago, I hailed the effectiveness and the simplicity of the plot in regards of reintroducing the characters to the news generations of fans, I fear those newer fans (myself included) might have a somewhat harder time enjoying the movie than the old fans, since they lack the nostalgia factor. The main character in the movie, Walter, grew up with The Muppet Show, he idolizes its characters, but those of us who didn't have such an experience growing up could have a harsh time emphasizing with him as the movie's protagonist. By all means, the lack of a stronger protagonist in no way affects the movie's fun value, but occasionally you need something more from a movie than just fun value to be truly amazed.Rating: 7/10 Read more at passpopcorn.com