Your Thoughts: "Muppets Most Wanted" Theatrical Film

[Drtooth]

It was a triumphant plot, when ended on a positive, family-feeling sort of note. MMW opened up mocking that family feeling. There are no fans. No one will come unless we pay them. It is a very different, more cynical tone.

Cough cough... considering the reaction of this film, yeah. They would have to pay people to see this, and there is a lack of fans.

That's a pretty confusing reason to dislike the movie. Again, plot gets in the way. The problem is, yes it is a follow up that takes the ending away. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was some effort on Disney's part to coerce the filmmakers into making this a sequel when it's barely connected if anything, and that bare connection isn't even necessary for the film's storyline. I honestly do not see how them being successful would even have worked in the movie. There would definitely be no need for a villain.

I think there was a lack of interest on the part of Disney in being faithful to the characters. There were hints of this in the press as they tried to distance themselves from Jason's very fan-based perspective.

I love how Disney gets all the blame on this one. If anyone's going to pull the "they're slightly different" complaint, focus it at least on the writers. If anyone recalls the original draft of the first film, Disney pretty much salvaged it from waaaay out of character and way out of franchise moments (the hamfisted references to them being puppets). I also like the person that posted about this film being a cynical cash grab by Disney. Yeah... I'm sure they wouldn't have chosen another franchise to ruin or just make a series of family comedies so bland and inoffensive that they actually are offensive. Another Muppet film sounded like a solid investment after John Carter failed on every level.

Seriously... MFS- half the characters had no personality. Not even out of character... they weren't even characters. And that was under Henson. By the logic of "Fozzie's out of character" he hasn't been in character since the 80's. Maybe slightly in VMX, but sure as heck not MTI or MFS.

Of course it is. It just wasn't funny for me. Or for my entire theater. Dead silence for most of the film. And you could tell they wanted to laugh more. It just wasn't coming.

Just wondering... is it just me, or do people who hate the film feel the need to embellish, or are they just somehow going to a movie theater filled with cynics? Seems pretty funny to me. Really, I thought Yogi Bear was a POS, and the audience was howling.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Just wondering... is it just me, or do people who hate the film feel the need to embellish, or are they just somehow going to a movie theater filled with cynics? Seems pretty funny to me. Really, I thought Yogi Bear was a POS, and the audience was howling.

I'll be honest. What I heard about 5 times in the theater were "polite chuckles" (to reference Featherstone ). They wanted to like it, at least that was my impression.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

I'm surprised people besides me are actually talking about the cinematography and effects. I usually bore people to death when I talk publicly about those subjects.

But yeah, the cinematography was incredible in this film! Juts talk about the puppetry, which was jaw-dropping and amazing (especially the things they did with Constantine). Did anyone notice the lighting was a bit darker in this film than the last one? I'm wondering what kind of approach they were trying to go for in this one, rather than the lighter, bouncier color that most family films had, it was probably to fit the "caper" style of films.

Was anyone paying attention to the score and soundtrack? At times, the score sounded a lot like the one from the last movie, especially when things got sad and emotional (such as after Kermit and Piggy's fight, Kermit's firs night in the gulag etc.) that was kind of what they were aiming for probably becuase it's a direct sequel and it's really meant to take place moments after the last movie.

The editing in this movie was a whole lot better than the last one. The last one took three years to make, but it felt messy. I'm glad that the Tex Richman birthday party backstory was removed, but other than that everything still felt like something was missing, and there were a lot of mistakes. The thing that feels the most weird, is that the story continues during the credits. It says "The End" on the screen, but the story really only wraps up during the credits scene.

Along with that it makes no sense, becuase in MMW, the movie shoot is over right after the fireworks say "The End" and at the end of the "Life's A Happy Song" finale, but we all know that the end is really during the credits, so really this movie is starting at the wrong point, and it should start after Tex Richman gets hit by the bowling ball and gives the theater back.

Also on that note, Fozzie mentions that they got the theater back, but of course that didn't happen becuase really Tex only gives back after LAHS finale. Of course it's just a movie, so we shouldn't take things too seriously.

Did anyone notice the theater says "The El Capitane" on it and not "The Muppet Theater" like in the last one? Nice touch. Really proves that it was just a movie.

 

[Drtooth]

Yeah, theater of cynics that expected too much from their entertainment. My theater was a little more raucous. Though, I'll admit to most of it.

Still, I just want to know. If things were different and we got, let's say, Muppet Tom Sawyer where none of the Muppet characters played that role and were on the sidelines or shoehorned into scenes... a movie that rips all the satire out of the original work, replaces everything with MWO level pop culture joke duds and F-lister cameos who are barely there for the small pay check... Would we have wanted that, or even have gotten excited for it? That's pretty much what we'd wind up getting. Or if you actually believe they were looking into the "Cheapest Movie." I don't see that one being good, no matter who wrote it.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah, theater of cynics that expected too much from their entertainment.

Um, yeah, trust me, my neighborhood doesn't have that many cynics. That would be nice actually, lol. They were just your average working class people. I don't mean that in a mean way. I'm just saying there was no agenda to be found.

Still, I just want to know. If things were different and we got, let's say, Muppet Tom Sawyer where none of the Muppet characters played that role and were on the sidelines or shoehorned into scenes...

Most the characters were pretty much on the sidelines or shoehorned in this film. It just felt like I was staring at one large group photo most of the time.

We aren't going to agree. For the Muppets' sake I hope this helps keep them in the spotlight. I personally will never see this film again.

 

[Drtooth]

Um, yeah, trust me, my neighborhood doesn't have that many cynics. That would be nice actually, lol. They were just your average working class people. I don't mean that in a mean way. I'm just saying there was no agenda to be found.

And they probably went to see some horrible thing like The Nut Job and ate it up. That's how it goes, isn't it?

Most the characters were pretty much on the sidelines or shoehorned in this film. It just felt like I was staring at one large group photo most of the time.

Which answers my question. Doesn't matter is a group of fans who actually care about the characters or just a bunch of guys hired in last minute before the movie license expires.

 

[CensoredAlso]

And they probably went to see some horrible thing like The Nut Job and ate it up. That's how it goes, isn't it?

Yes and I think I understand why. The Nut Job knows exactly what it wants to be. It wants to be stupid, true, but at least it knows. And there are obvious jokes that will provoke a knee jerk reaction from the easily amused. Muppets 2011 and MMW keep being afraid to commit to anything. They don't have the satirical snark of the original films, nor are they willing to sell out too much to stupid humor. They're just uneasily in the middle and people aren't sure how to react.

 

[Drtooth]

Yes and I think I understand why. The Nut Job knows exactly what it wants to be. It wants to be stupid, true, but at least it knows. And there are obvious jokes that will provoke a knee jerk reaction from the easily amused. Muppets 2011 and MMW keep being afraid to commit to anything. They don't have the satirical snark of the original films, nor are they willing to sell out too much to stupid humor. They're just uneasily in the middle and people aren't sure how to react.

And that's why I hate movie audiences and reviewers.

If a film's a complete, righteous piece of excrement, but it doesn't aspire to anything, it's more successful than something that tries and fails. Heck, the crappy film is gold. It's like a kid who barely attends school coasting gets a slightly better grade than the student that tries his hardest but still doesn't seem to quite get there no matter how much help he asks for. TM11 and MMW don't have the original satirical snark? NONE of the ones made after them did. Why is it an issue now? The humor was worse before TM11. All I'm saying.

It's not easy to take up the writing duties for an already established set of characters. Most throw out the concept and give us something generic and offensive to fans of the originals. They don't try, and we wind up with crappy live action cartoon remakes that mostly bomb, but somehow, some inexplicably manage to get the audience that's too young to care about the characters. Underdog= Talking dog. Let's just throw together a talking dog movie. No effort. Bad film. This case? Fans of the original think they put in what Muppet fans would like in a film, have a good understanding of what doesn't make the films that didn't work not work... fail on some imperceptible nuance and have their own humor in there.... just as bad.

Sometimes I'm glad I never actually got to work on anything.

 

[CensoredAlso]

And that's why I hate movie audiences and reviewers.

Just curious, do you think I'm the type to laugh at a movie like Nut Job? Because I didn't laugh much at MMW either, at least at none of the scenes that didn't involve Kermit or the human cameos.

 

[CensoredAlso]

TM11 and MMW don't have the original satirical snark? NONE of the ones made after them did. Why is it an issue now? The humor was worse before TM11. All I'm saying.

Well that's what I'm saying. They don't have the stupid humor of the '90s films, nor the snark of original films. They're in the middle and it's an awkward place to be.