At the end of 2011, The Muppets returned to the big screen after a 12 year hiatus, and their comeback was greeted with critical acclaim, their biggest box office haul to date, and they even walked away with an Oscar! Now they’re back again (again), and things kick off at the exact moment the last movie ended, with a clever song about how sequels are never as good as the original. And try as they might, and at points they do come incredibly close, the lyrics to their song prove to be prophetic.
Kermit and his gang are approached by Dominic Badguy (pronounced Badgie, played by Gervais), who wants to be their new agent and take them on an around the world tour. What the gang don’t realise is that Badguy is the world’s second best thief, working in cahoots with Constantine, the world’s first best thief, and also a Kermit-doppelgänger. When Kermit gets mistaken for Constantine, he gets thrown into a Russian gulag, under the iron maiden fist of Tina Fey. Meanwhile, faux-Kermit and Badguy use the world tour as a cover for some elaborate heists.
First time around, we had the love story of Jason Siegel and Amy Adams, as well as new muppet Walter, to pin the heart of the story to. There is no such heart this time round, with focus shifting constantly between all the main players, as well as Ty Burrell and his Muppet Partner trying to track down Badguy and Constantine, and without any one person to root for, things can often feel a little haphazard-y.
However, Most Wanted is still just as funny as the original, if not more so. While the songs aren’t as catchy or ingenious as they were first time round, there is still a killer sight gag or one-liner to be found every few minutes, and The Muppet gang are still as loveable and demented as they’ve ever been.
Fans of The Muppets won’t be disappointed by Most Wanted, even if it does fall slightly short of their recent comeback. Still though, between the sight of Miss Piggy porking it around Dublin and the staggeringly impressive celebrity cameo guest-list, there’s more than enough here to forgive its shortcomings.
