My two cents worth, which I've already said other places:
I adored IAVMMV--it brought a lot of heart back to my my favorite felted friends. I think it is one of Dave's most brilliant performances of Gonzo--you need to watch the rehearsal scene and the final reunion scene for his super ad-libbing and reactions to what's going on around him. Also, Kermit was likeable in this one without being a pushover or spineless. IMHO, this is the movie where we first saw Steve do what he wanted to do with Kermit instead of trying to channel Jim's Kermit. Before, I thought he was a bit too much of a pushover for Piggy (like in MTI), which is saying something because I'm a huge frog/pig shipper. Kermit in this show held his own and was quietly heroic. Also, his scenes with Fozzie are just grand--full of the friendship and exasperation that we expect from them. Fozzie's desperate desire to be the hero and his despair at being responsible--even unwittingly--was heartbreaking to watch. When Kermit finds him afterwards...pardon me, I need to get a tissue. It also features our first look at a more grown-up Scooter--personality-wise, at least. I have not idea what people don't like about this movie, except for the ones who don't like It's A Wonderful Life. And the Muppets are far from the first and will be far from the last to remake "It's A Wonderful Life," which is about as maudlin a Christmas movie as you'll ever get. (D'Snowthy--I usually like to hear what you have to say, but I don't think it's fair to blame this script on a fanfic author--retelling or parodying IAWL is standard Christmas fair, as is retelling or parodying A Christmas Carol.)
Muppets Wizard of Oz just didn't hold together well. Brandi was whiny and not at all full of girlish goodness. It's a good thing the muppets are naturally sweet and helpful, because she had no charm to draw them in. This Dorothy didn't want to go home to her loving family--she wanted to be rich and famous. Ho hum. The match-ups to the characters were just not good. Of all the muppets who could have played a character looking for a brain, they pick Kermit? Really? And they just flat out didn't know what to do with the characters once they'd matched them up. It was a bad mix of smarmy jokes and Hanna-Barbara-esque action sequences that did little to move the action along. The best parts were when the muppets were allowed to be, well, themselves--when Janice griped about still having the same ol' run-down EM van, when the rats appeared in droves, when Johnny is sucking up to whoever's paying the bills--all good. Piggy's wardrobe--all good. Piggy's role--well.... And while I do like Jeffrey Tambor, a little of him goes a long way. I found him funny in MFS--I found him grating in MWoO.
Speaking of MFS--This movie reminded me a lot of the original TMS, and here's why. There were funny parts and dumb parts and some that were supposed to be one and turned out to be another. As a variety show, it wasn't bad. As a movie who needed to sustain a plot? Not so great. There were funny moments, but the movie's pace was all herky-jerky, and they just didn't know how to end the durn thing. It was like they had this cool idea, "Hey! What if Gonzo thinks he's an alien?" They got the ship up in the air but then couldn't land it. And while it was lamer than lame, it wasn't even the Dawson Creek's kids fault. Plus, the aliens looked like The Electric Mayhem in drag.
Things worth salvaging from this train wreck: The Brick House dance sequence. The Muppet Boarding House (not believable, but fun). Piggy's wardrobe. Kermit scraping paint on his vacation. Gonzo on a lawnmover--okay, that was pretty brilliant. The triad of Gonzo, Rizzo and Pepe--a superb carryover. Cheese doodle? (Need I say more?) Piggy whupping up on the agent and her smackdown with her boss. Muppet Labs in the basement? (And they SLEEP in that house?) The Rats in the lab. (I'm pretty much into the rats, now--they're all good.) The penguins in the bathroom. So...some stuff, but not most stuff, and not story stuff. If D'Snowthy thinks IAVMMC was written by a disturbed fan, they apparently saved money on this film by not having a writer. And what a shame, too, because Gonzo could have Soooo carried a film....
KSY: And the moral of the story is...it's okay to hurt and even kill people if you're worried about peer pressure! Yay! No...wait.... Pardon me while I go retch....
Not shy about my opinion, but interested in others' as well.