‘Muppets Most Wanted’ Movie Review

by Sandrine Sahakians · March 21, 2014

After the immense success of The Muppets three years ago, they are back with a brand new movie, Muppets Most Wanted, and while Walter is back, the rest of the cast isn’t.

In Muppets Most Wanted, the Muppets decide to go on a global tour in places such as Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and London. But mayhem follows them there, or more accurately takes them there. Their new manager, Dominic (Ricky Gervais), is soon outed as Constantine’s (the World’s Number One Criminal) Number Two. And to make matters worse, Constantine is a dead ringer for Kermit the Frog.
Soon the Muppets find themselves entangled in the middle of an international crime scheme which leads them to encounter characters such as Nadya (Tina Fey), a feisty prison guard, and Interpol agent Jean Pierre Napoleon (Ty Burrell).

I didn’t really grow up watching The Muppets, and while I knew of them, The 2011 Muppets movie was my introduction to them. I ended up really loving that movie (see my review here) and so was looking forward to the sequel. Unfortunately, Muppets Most Wanted didn’t live up to the first movie. Ironically, the movie starts off with a song making fun of sequels and the fact that they are never as good as the first one… well unfortunately in this case it was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Muppets Most Wanted is missing a bit of the heart the first movie had. It feels more forced and goes a bit overboard with the stunt casting. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy seeing cameos in movies, in fact, The Muppets had some good ones, but in this case it felt a bit much. They had so many of them throughout the movie that it took me out of the story every time because I kept thinking “oh here’s so and so.” Even the main characters felt more like caricatures rather than being fully fledged out. Instead of thinking “there’s Nadya,” I kept thinking “there’s Tina Fey playing a Russian prison guard.”

But that’s not to say that Muppets Most Wanted is bad, because it certainly is not. In fact, it’s fun and entertaining, and families will most certainly enjoy it. There are some really great moments and the Muppets themselves are always a joy to watch. I was also really happy to see Walter back because he was my favorite in The Muppets, along with Beaker and Animal (who are both back as well).

So if you’re looking for more Muppets fun, Muppets Most Wanted will definitely please, especially if you come in with an open mind and no expectations, you’ll have a good time.

Muppets Most Wanted is out in theaters today, March 21st. You can watch the trailer below.