Alright, it's time for the introduction of Dorothy's travel companions. While most versions enjoy spending time with each character by themselves, things feel a little rushed this time around, leaving me to wonder what the other 3/5ths of the movie are going to focus on.
First up is Kermit as the Scarecrow. I know we have to have Kermit as this character because Gonzo and Fozzie fit so well with the other two travelers, but Kermit never really strikes me as a Scarecrow. The Scarecrow has to be somewhat of an idiot savant, seemingly dumb, but capable of brilliant insights due to his simple approach to complex ideas. Kermit is already smart. So, he has to be dumbed down a bit at times, which just doesn't work. Link Hogthrob would have been a great Scarecrow, but that ain't happening.
I do like how they incorporate his collar into the costume.
Kermitcrow and Dorothy bond over their dreams of becoming a star and Kermit reminds her to follow her dreams. Thanks for the advice!
Down the road, Gonzo is frozen as the Tin Thing. Unlike the Tin Woodman, the Tin Thing is a robot created by the Wicked Witch to spy on Oz's inhabitants. He knows everything with his computer brain, but wishes he has a heart like when he was a human...er...a whatever. Gonzo fits perfectly for this role because, like the Tin Woodman, he is capable of great, subtle compassion.
Good casting choice and a great design.
Finally, we run into the Cowardly Fozzie Bear-Lion. Fozzie often gets stuck with this role and it works because he is such a weak-willed character, but when his friends are in trouble, he defends them to the end. Also, the Lion wants to be a stand up comedian, but he has stage fright. Of course.
This movie might just work out after all.
With our team assembled, it's time for a song! Unfortunately, it is no "If I Only Had a Brain" or "We're Off to See The Wizard." So, lets move right along.
Next scene!
Our group encounters their first obstacle, a precarious bridge that is guarded by the Kalidah Critics. The Kalidahs are your typical Oz monsters, but now, instead of being physically intimidating, it is a mental attack on our heroes psyche. This scene works very well. It's not perfect, because there is never a point in which the characters are in any real danger, but the fact that the monsters are harsh critics fits with the new theme of achieving one's dreams and over-coming self doubt.
Finally, a valid role for these two!
Of course, the Lion has the hardest time crossing the bridge, but this results in a super sweet moment in which the Tin Thing goes back across the perilous canyon in order to calmly talk his friend through it and support him. It's very genuine and the moment isn't overly broad or played for laughs. It's just Gonzo doing what Gonzo does best.
Across the bridge, the gang makes it to the nightclub Poppyfields, referencing the deadly, sleep-inducing poppy fields from the story. This seems to be the hangout spot for the Electric Mayhem and leftover characters from Muppets Tonight.
Hey, Clifford's got his shades back!
The band plays a hypnotic song called "Nap Time" that causes Dorothy, Toto, and the Lion to fall asleep. Now, as in the original, the flowers don't affect the non-organic Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, although it isn't really explained why the song won't affect them this time.
We went deaf, momentarily?
Nonetheless, the Muppets are too small to carry the sleepers through out of danger, so they must call upon the mousy Munchkins from earlier. So, basically, the mice from the original are combined with the Munchkins. That's clever.
Good job, movie!
Up next, our friends wake up and we make it to the Emerald City!
Frith's final Muppet calendar took the concept of posing puppets in familiar cultural references and made it art. Classic paintings were re-imagined with the Muppet gang and collected in a treasury known as The Kermitage Collection. The attention to detail is quite grand, and each piece proves that a lot of effort went into what ultimately was going to be a brief joke.
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Moi
Piggy as Mona Lisa? Fozzie as Henry VIII? Gonzo as Whistler's Mother? Sure, why not? This is all just for fun anyway.
James Whistler's Arrangement in Gray and Black with Creep (Whistler's Weirdo)
But this collection highlights the bizarre relationship that artists have with the world. When studying art history, scholars tend to look at how art influences and is influenced by the art of its time. As the timeline grows larger, trends develop and evolve, with new styles emerging as outdated techniques become artifacts of their era.
Pablo Picasso's Pig Before a Mirror
So what happens when time continues to march on? Us humans continue to add to our library of creation. Art branches off from other art, resulting in a gigantic pool of variety. Just look at the number of television channels we have and the number of shows each of those channels has produced. We can be watching Downton Abbey one moment and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo a second later. We've become desensitized to the various cultures we are bombarded with every day and that means we have to end up choosing our battles. Are we going to be a Trekkie? A Twi-hard? A Brony?
Rodin's The Smooch
Yet even, through all of these decisions, some art becomes unavoidable. Few may encounter the readings of Christopher Marlowe, but most have experienced Shakespeare in one form or another. The canon that makes up our most "pop" of pop culture is an eclectic mix and it is difficult to determine what will stand the test of time.
Grant Wood's American Gothique
So when Sandro Botticelli sat down to paint The Birth of Venus in the late 15th century, how could he have possibly foreseen the lasting effect of his image? Or that one day, a plush pig would take the spot of the goddess and be flanked by a frog and two heckling old men?
Botticelli's The Birth of You-Know-Who
When an artist creates something, he should not just assume that it will be compared to his contemporaries. The published art is released into the world, and the world has EVERYTHING in it! Yes, it's best to look at the context for the intended interpretations, but sometimes, art just becomes a part of the world, open for mockery and ridicule as well as thoughtful contemplation.
Rembrandt's Arisfroggle Contemplating the Bust of a Twerp
The original works of art were necessary to humanity's cultural growth. The Muppets were as well, albeit, quite differently. Are these parodies any better than the originals? Any worse? Or are they just as essential to the world? Only time will tell.
There are only so many Christmas-related stories, out there. After tackling classics such as A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life, the Muppets decided to scale things back for their next Christmas outing A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, with their version of "Character X Tries to Visit Santa at the North Pole." Okay, so that isn't exactly a specific Christmas tale, but this scenario has been played out in countless television shows and movies. But the Muppets haven't done it yet!
This is our year!
After a mishap at the post office, Gonzo realizes that he has ended up with three letters to Santa Claus that need to be delivered. On of them belongs to Claire, the young girl who lives in the same New York apartment building as the Muppets. Um, since when do the Muppets live in New York? Is this just where they spend their winters, to get away from that freezing LA weather? Is this special confusing the Muppets with Sesame Street? Is this taking place in the alternate timeline created by The Muppets Take Manhattan? Whatever the case, we just have to accept that this is where the Muppets live and they are best friends with this girl we've never met before.
Once all of their options run out, Gonzo, Kermit, and Fozzie decide to travel to the North Pole themselves and hand deliver the letters. Rizzo and Pepe tag along to be snarky and watch them fail because they don't believe in Santa Claus.
Nevertheless, there is an airline that takes them directly to the North Pole and Santa's workshop. But they have just missed Santa, so Gonzo and Fozzie sing a sad song about how they wish they could be Santa Claus. Santa Claus hears their plea and returns to take them in his sleigh. They open the letters, and learn that Claire's Christmas wish was to just have her friends with her for Christmas. They return and everyone has a nice Christmas celebration.
Another Christmas crisis averted!
There is something preventing me from considering this a "Christmas classic," but it has its charms. Compared to It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, there are vast improvements. There aren't many pop culture jokes and references this time, meaning that this special can be enjoyed for many years (as long as the postal service is still around). It is only an hour, so the story moves more swiftly than a movie-length feature. And Paul Williams returns from The Muppet Movie to compose the music!
And play an elf! Oh, Paul Williams!
Sure, the songs aren't quite as memorable as his greater hits (and I really found the finale to be a tonal mess), but the central song "I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus" is worthy of its Emmy nomination. We can always count on Gonzo/Dave Golez to keep the modern Muppets grounded.
And speaking of celebrity cameos, the human characters are subdued and nicely balanced, compared to the last Christmas special. Nathan Lane appears as a security guard named Frank Meany, the closest thing this special has to a villain. But he goes through his whole arc of evil-to-redemption in a single scene, which is pretty funny and doesn't detract from the main plot.
And once again, Bobo is the villain's sidekick. One day, I'll get to you Bobo, don't worry.
Jane Krakowski as Claire's mom is a little bizarre, but she doesn't overplay it like Jenna Maroney would. Whoopi returns as a cab driver, because she just loves working with the Muppets. And even Mayor Bloomberg has a funny cameo, which warrants the whole New York setting.
He has one line and he nails it.
And then there is Richard Griffiths as Santa Claus and Uma Thurman as his assistant Joy. Both are perfect for their parts, exuding Christmas cheer and happiness. Especially Thurman, whom I'm so used to seeing in Tarantino-esque dark roles that I didn't realize how pleasant and fun she could be.
This special needed more Joy.
So, production-wise, this special was wonderful. What hurts it is, unfortunately, the story. Because this is a story that has been told countless times, we needed to see something new. What made it more difficult was the fact that Claire is a completely new character and was given very little personality and history with the Muppets. Oh, she's just a sweet little girl. Great. Why else should we care? Why is Gonzo so gung-ho on this journey? Claire also seems a little too...old to be writing to Santa. She just seems so mature compared to the Muppets, than I don't really by into the importance of this plot.
Had she been this girl from Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, then I would understand.
There is one other big issue with the story: the Muppets should NEVER have met Santa Claus.
The Muppet canon is pretty loose. If all Muppet productions exist in the same universe, then I suppose technically Santa would exist because Elmo met him in Elmo Saves Christmas and Sesame Street has crossed over with the Muppets before. BUT Sesame Street has established itself to be a world where child's fantasy is real. Nursery rhyme characters and other fictional figures can visit the street at anytime. So when Kermit the Frog interviews Santa for a news flash segment, no one thinks twice. But even Sesame Street knew that Santa's existence was a touchy subject for kids and adults, as seen in Christmas Eve on Sesame Street where Big Bird waits for him all night at just maybe has a brief encounter.
The Muppets have an even closer tie with our reality. These are characters that suffer from the same problems we do, even if they get to be a little exaggerated. During Henson's day, Muppet Christmas specials focused on the realistic side of the holiday, with family gatherings and pageants and such. Sure, there could be a wink and a nod that suggests the possibility of Santa's existence as many sitcoms and movies like to do. But a full-on sleigh ride with the man?
Even if he is a charming man.
The minute the Muppets landed at the North Pole that was represented by an actual physical North Pole, I stopped caring about them. These were no longer real characters to me. This was a cartoon. At this point, the whole thing writes itself. Of course, Santa will show up and help them. Of course, they'll realize that the most important gift was being together. There was nothing dramatic riding on the story anymore.
This story is very similar to the Christmas special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too, where Pooh also worries about his friend's mail not getting to Santa. But even though he attempts to travel to the North Ploe, he never makes it, and he certainly doesn't meet Santa (even though he is just as fictional). That story, I consider to be a classic because it's relatable and realistic. No magic involved.
Sure, I expect to suspend my disbelief when it comes to Christmas specials. Yes, things have to work out in the end. But I always thought the Muppets were above these kinds of things. Even as I child, I knew there was a difference in the Muppets and the characters on Sesame Street. Sesame Street was for children, the Muppets were for adults. It may seem like I'm bringing out my inner-Scrooge to harp on such a petty point, but there is a reason I always return to A Muppet Family Christmas every year and not Letters to Santa.
It's the moments like these that say "Muppet Christmas" to me.
The first original Muppet album to be released after the Disney acquisition didn't appear until 2006, over a decade since the last one. A Muppet album was a thing of the past, but combining Disney, the Muppets and Christmas was sure to be a hit! And although the Muppets collaborated with John Denver on a Christmas album before, this would be the first one that they had all to themselves. So let's take a listen to A Green and Red Christmas.
So far, it's meeting all my expectations.
The lead song of the album, "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" doesn't make the best first impression. This is one of three songs covered by the Electric Mayhem and right away, we understand why there hadn't been a Muppets album in such a long time. We can only hear the Muppets, and despite everyone's best efforts, the Muppets just don't sound the same anymore (especially since only Dave Golez remains from the original five). This has been a critique for many fans, and it never really bothered me. I understood that it was necessary and it allowed others to play their favorite characters. And for the most part, having new voices is fine.
But if any characters should have been retired, it's the Electric Mayhem. Apart from Animal, the band only exists to cover songs nowadays. But with all the voice changes, we lose that genuine aspect that the original Electric Mayhem had. These are no longer five guys getting together and having fun with their fake band, these are a cheap imitation. The other two songs on the album, "The Man With the Bag," and "Run, Run Rudolph," don't fare any better. The band has lost their mojo. Judge for yourself in their 2009 live appearance at Rockefeller Center.
The second song on the album is also the first original number, "A Red and Green Christmas." Despite the fact that the title contradicts the title of the album, this is actually a pretty good song. Kermit and Miss Piggy argue over which color is the definitive Christmas hue, with each one listing holiday elements associated with their choice. Of course, by the end, they decide that both are acceptable. It's sweet and inspired. It's what the Muppets should be.
The other original songs on the album are hit or miss. Rowlf's "The Christmas Party Sing-Along" does not warrant Rowlf's resurrection and Fozzie's "North Pole Comedy Club" is unbearable. Good comedy albums get stale after repeated listenings, so who in their right mind would want to listen to bad comedy more than once? More successful are Piggy's "The Christmas Queen," where Piggy must deal with her insulting back-up singers (and probably would have been really funny with an official music video rather than just a well-intentioned fan-video). And "Christmas Smorgasbord" is a nice parlay into the world of the Swedish Chef, even if the song is musically bland.
Things are more consistent with the rest of the covers. Miss Piggy sings "Santa Baby," as she should. Kermit's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," while not as memorable as Rowlf's version (or the Muppet Family Christmas version) is still endearing, and Gonzo and Rizzo have a fun rendition of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," as seen in the Rockefeller Center clip.
Although the other Muppets aren't featured on the album version, it still does the trick.
As it stands, the album isn't essential, but it has enough going for it that it's worth adding a couple of tracks to your holiday playlist. But if you were to purchase it, make sure you get the 2011 re-release that was made to promote The Muppets.
Even if you have to settle for the less charming cover artwork.
There are two additional songs on this version, each rmade after 2006. First up is Gonzo and Fozzie's "I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus" from the 2008 special Letters to Santa (which I be discussing later this month). The money-maker, however is the Muppets and Andrea Bocelli's "Jingle Bells." This song was also featured on Bocelli's 2009 album My Christmas and, as seen in the promotional television special, it is a charming, clever, and funny affair.
This one song is the reason we need a Muppet Christmas album. It brings our favorite characters together in a way that retains their personalities without giving up musical quality and integrity. Bocelli adds a legitimacy to the album that is lacking from a majority of the previous songs. Although celebrity cameos can be hokey, when they work, they work. So, once you're sick of hearing all the other holiday songs this season, give this album a listen.
Walter, Gary, and Mary convince Kermit to try to reunite the gang in order to put on one more celebration. Now the movie kind of takes an odd turn during this section as Walter, Gary, and Mary take a backseat to the rest of the Muppets and their story.
Literally.
Yes, they occasionally pop in with a few words of encouragement, but the next 20 minutes are all about the Muppets. Kermit first tracks down Fozzie in Reno where he is performing at a casino with a Muppet tribute band known as "The Moopets." They catch Fozzie singing a parodic version of "The Rainbow Connection" that alerts customers to the discounts of the casino. This song is just so sad and wrong (like, why isn't the Kermit stand-in singing the song?), that it's perfect.
There's low, and then there's Reno low.
A little aside, here. Here comes the first issue I have with the movie. I hate the Moopets. Yes, they are supposed to be hated within the context of the film, but I hate the idea of the Moopets. If they are a Muppet tribute band, why do they hate the Muppets so much? They are just nasty and rude for no reason, especially towards Fozzie. That would be like a Beatles tribute band constantly belittling their lead singer, Paul McCartney. Ringo, I'd understand. But basically they are mean just to make it easier for Fozzie to leave them. They don't sit well with me.
Dave Grohl as Animal is great, though.
Next stop is Gonzo's Royal Flush. Remember how he was a plumber in the first movie? Well now he is the richest plumber in the world. And he acts like a corporate tool now which...his hard to buy. Having traced Gonzo's history for the last year, I've become pretty familiar with the kind of whatever Gonzo is. And Gonzo would never sell-out, even for a second. Fortunately, Gonzo reveals his daredevil costume at the last second and plummets off his building to join the Muppets.
There's the Gonzo we love.
He also blows up his plumbing business, to prove his priorities. Good.
Finally, the gang picks up Animal at a mental institution where he is undergoing anger management therapy with Kristen Schaal and Jack Black. This scene makes sense in it's premise, but it creates a weird mood for Animal to be in during the whole movie. I'll show you the clip to explain what I mean.
As soon as the Muppets mention drumming, he clearly gets excited and wild, then has to revert back to being "in control." This will become a recurring bit throughout the movie, even though it's clear Animal can go back to "normal" at any time. It would have been stronger to have Animal remain completely calm and unnatural until a crucial point later in the film. Otherwise, we just get awkward Animal fluctuations.
The rest of the Muppets are picked up via montage and we see our other issue. Some, like the Electric Mayhem, are down on their luck, but others, like Scooter or (as we saw earlier) Gonzo are doing very well for themselves. Some of them could even be considered famous for the new roles they have found themselves in. I thought the whole point of the movie is that the Muppets have disappeared from the public consciousness. Clearly, that isn't the case for about half of the gang.
Even though this just furthers my point, Sam the Eagle on Totally-Not-Fox News is perfect.
Compare this to The Muppets Take Manhattan, when the group had to go their separate ways and leave Kermit in New York. The Muppets all found menial jobs and were struggling to stay afloat. Fozzie even went in to hibernation. That's how they should have disappeared here, not just become rich superstars in other fields of work.
However, the one person who would be acceptable to have achieved their dream job is Miss Piggy, and lo-and-behold, she is working as an editor for Vogue Paris. This takes us back to The Great Muppet Caper where Miss Piggy tried to get into modeling. It seems to be a natural evolution of the character, unlike rich Gonzo. Piggy is now highly exclusive and the Muppets have to sneak in to her office by doing...Muppetman.
Okay, this is cheesy and weird, but I'll admit that as a kid, I may have taken my Muppet plush toys and done the exact same thing while playing...
Unfortunately, Piggy refuses to rejoin the Muppets. After her falling out with Kermit following her trick wedding at the end of The Muppets Take Manhattan (wait, so all of these movies are canon with each other now?), she had her heart broken. She is doing well for herself in Paris and will not come back. Finally, a plot point that make sense!
Stupidly, the gang decides to try their luck by using "Miss Poogy" from the Moopets as Piggy's replacement, and they go from television network to television network to pitch their comeback show. I wonder how Walter, Gary, and Mary are doing... Oh well! The Muppets finally arrive at a network called CDE after being turned down by everyone else. They plead with network exec Rashida Jones to give them a chance, and she only reluctantly allows them a two-hour timeslot when the hit game show "Punch Teacher" is pulled at the last minute.
The Muppets are coming to television!
Tomorrow, we return to the Muppet Theater and Walter starts to find his place in the world.
The spaceship lands, the doors open, and a mysterious figure emerges to speak to Gonzo. Once he is sure that it is in fact the correct Gonzo, he heads back into to the ship so that the aliens can perform "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang.
That's right. There's no deep meaningful introduction or even an original song to commemorate the reunion of Gonzo and his species. Just a cover of "Celebration." Sure, it's a fun little romp, but for all of the mystery and suspense that had been building, the performance seems a little out of place. All of a sudden, here are a bunch of Gonzos singing and dancing and the crowd just goes along with it, without questioning anything. Maybe it's supposed to be campy, but it's a little jarring.
It's interesting to see how many variations of Gonzo they can create.
After the song, the Ubergonzo leader presents Gonzo with a helmet and prepares him for his initiation: being fired out of a giant cannon. See? All of Gonzo's crazy stunts weren't so crazy after all. This was just a traditional custom on his home planet! Okay, I get that, and it is keeping in line with the song "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday," where it is revealed that Gonzo likes to recreate the experience of flying in order to feel at home in the sky.
Although Gonzo would probably prefer to do it without the helmet.
But then, to ruin a happy moment, Mr. Buzzkill Singer shows up with his giant laser gun and threatens the aliens to stay so he can do evil stuff. However, his gun fails to work and everybody laughs at him, causing him to have a meltdown. Then, because this movie makes no sense, the Ubergonzo offers to bring Singer back to their planet with them because they find him funny. Um, the guy just tried to kill you and is clearly mentally unstable. Why are we rewarding him?
Maybe he shouldn't be the leader anymore, guys.
As the aliens prepare to depart, Gonzo says his goodbyes and everyone gets all weepy. Gonzo boards the ship and then decides, no, he's going to stay on Earth. That's his true home and the Muppets are his true family! That...is a sweet message but it really came out of left field. The Muppets didn't really do much in the way of bonding with Gonzo over the course of this film. They were rude to him when he expressed his beliefs, they "rescued" him from the bad guy and still made fun of his beliefs, and it wasn't until the very end that Kermit was like "You should believe what you want to believe and I'll support you." This may be your family, Gonzo, but they don't really treat you very well. You should at least consider traveling with the other Gonzos a bit.
In fact, we don't know anything about the other Gonzos! Where do they come from? How did Gonzo end up on Earth? How did they master interplanetary travel? Why is Gonzo so important to them that they would travel across galaxies to bring him back with them? These are questions that could have been answered had Gonzo stayed with them, but I guess we can't have him leave the cast permanently.
Well, at least they got Jeffrey Tambor.
So the ship blasts off, and we end with many unanswered questions, but the most pressing one on Gonzo's mind, as he sits on the roof with his friends, is "Why did they make me build a jacuzzi?"
Womp womp!
Muppets from Space is quite disappointing!
It's not very deep indeed.
This movie is really all over the place. It has some decent scenes and humor throughout, but the story is cliched, the cameos are obnoxious, and the message is confusing. But there is one thing that this movie did wrong above all else. It may be a little controversial, depending on how attached you are to the Muppet canon, but I believe this is the biggest flaw with the film:
Gonzo should have remained an unclassified species.
Did you know that this film original had an alternate ending? It did, and once I tell you that ending, the movie will make a whole lot of sense.
The aliens that came to Earth were not supposed to be Gonzos. They were supposed to be another species entirely. They just happened to be huge fans of Gonzo's stunts from The Muppet Show and wanted the chance to meet him. Gonzo would spend the whole movie thinking his family would come for him and he'd turn out to be dead wrong.
It was a bleaker ending, yes, but it's also bolder and in keeping with the themes set up in the film (not to mention the Muppets' raison d'être). The Muppets are failures. And whenever they get knocked down, they stick together and try again. And through their resilience, they succeed. Gonzo only has one obstacle during the film: his friends' lack of faith in his beliefs. Sure, he gets kidnapped and everything, but that's all pointless in the grand scheme of the movie.
Gonzo is supposed to be the weird one. The oddball in a clan of oddballs. He is supposed to be lonely and strange. He finally has the chance to find his purpose in the universe. Find a place where he belongs. And in this movie...he gets exactly that. The fact that his friends didn't believe them has absolutely no bearing on the plot because once the aliens come, there is no more argument. Yep, Gonzo has a family. Now what?
By changing to the "happier" ending, characters start doing things that don't make sense. Gonzo decides not to join them without any cause. In a story, once you give your main character the happy ending, there has to be a pretty good reason for them to turn it down. Gonzo doesn't join the aliens because in the original script, the aliens weren't his family. One could argue that Gonzo is having a change of heart and deciding to stick with his true family is better in the long run, but the movie doesn't set that up properly. He has very little interactions with his friends during the film. And even when he's reunited with them after the kidnapping, he still has few interactions. They all treat him like an acquaintance or a co-worker, not a family member.
Had the original ending stayed intact, Gonzo could have still learned the lesson that "your family is who you grow up with." Plus, it would have kept the mystery of Gonzo's origin alive. The possibility that he may have been an alien could still be in effect. But now that it's confirmed...it feels less special. When something stays a mystery for so long, it's best to keep it that way, lest it lose it's significance.
Oh, so now Gonzo isn't special. That's what this movie is telling us.
Gonzo is one of my favorite characters, and having him in a starring role was a smart move. He is capable of exploring complex emotions and storylines. He could have handled an ending that didn't tie everything up in a neat little bow.
This movie had many other problems as well, but the issue of the ending change was the one that irked me the most. But, while I've got you here, let's run down the rest of the reasons this movie failed:
1) No original music - There was a definite theme of '60s and '70s funk music, which is strange because it doesn't have anything to do with the Muppets or space for that matter. If they were trying to make this a period piece, it didn't work. This is the first Muppet movie without original songs and it suffers for it.
2) The movie is trying too hard to stay relevant - Most Muppet movies have a timeless quality to them. This one dates itself in 1999 and refuses to budge. The characters use slang that they wouldn't normally say, references are made to modern day pop culture, and it just feels like a late '90s kids movie. It's hard to put that into words, but the editing, directing, and writing make it feel very similar to other movies of the time like Baby Geniuses, Inspector Gadget, and Dudley Do-Right.
3) The cameos... - The Muppet Movie had Bob Hope.
4) It wasted a good premise - And I don't just mean the whole "Gonzo wasn't really an alien" thing. The idea of making a Muppet movie that focused solely on one of the characters. That could have reinvigorated the whole franchise! While I was watching this movie, I kept getting flashes of The Great Muppet Caper, which only kept it's focus on Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, and Piggy. Muppets from Space could have been the start of something great. Each of these characters are deep and complex. They don't need to be regulated to repeating their familiar jokes. After this, we could have had a movie about Fozzie's stand-up career a la The King of Comedy or a Kermit and Piggy romantic comedy or a Spinal-Tap-esque look at the Electric Mayhem. Instead, we have to stuff all the Muppets into a boarding house and act like they're all friends all the time without any personal lives of their own.
5) This movie should have just been Close Encounters of the Third Kind- This movie attempts to parody many shows and movies at once and it results in a muddled affair. In addition to Close Encounters, we get plot points from Men in Black, Independence Day, Alien, E.T., and Star Trek. I say, take out all the other stuff. This movie didn't need a villain. The story of Gonzo trying to reunite with his family is solid enough. It would have allowed for a deeper exploration of Gonzo's character. The tension between the conflicting beliefs of Gonzo and his friends would have been made clearer. And, had the movie kept it's original ending, there would have been a nice distinction between the movie and it's source material to make it a classic in it's own right.
I wanted so badly to enjoy this film. I really did. I enjoyed what dramatic tension there was in the Gonzo story, but it mostly just made me think about what could have been. Dave Golez and Gonzo are great and the perfect choice to lead a Muppet movie. But they didn't deserve this one. During the promotional tour for The Muppets, Kermit mentioned, "with all due respect to Muppets from Space, um, you don't want that to be the last movie you ever do. You want to do a better one."
Indeed Kermit. Indeed.
Gonzo: Forever a Whatever
* * *
On a more positive note, here is the best joke in the entire film.
Kermit enters the living room, muttering to himself: "Hm, I wish I could find my pants."
At the clutches of Dr. Phil van Neuter, Gonzo prepares to have his brains sucked out or scrambled or whatever. Fortunately, he manages to stall the good doctor, allowing Rizzo enough time to sneak in and chew through Gonzo's straps. Oh yeah, Rizzo and the rats escaped somehow. This happens to be the moment that the rest of the Muppets burst in and with Muppets, rats, and neuralyzers altogether, things are bound to be chaotic.
Of course, this is the moment that Singer shows his army general boss that he has captured a real live alien. He draws back the curtain and we get a clever shout-out to Ridley Scott's Alien in the process. Or maybe it was Independence Day. Whatever movie where the alien escapes in the foggy medical bay.
And a doctor is slammed up against the glass.
Now, rather than being rational about it, the army man decides that this is a bunch of nonsense and fires Singer even though CLEARLY AN ALIEN OR SOME CREATURE HAS GOTTEN LOOSE IN THE BUILDING.
The gang catches up with Animal who is now trying to escape the clutches of a love-starved Kathy Griffin. Normally I wouldn't bother with these minute plot points, but for all the action, not a lot of stuff is happening storywise.
At least this plot point is wrapped up.
The Muppets manage to escape using their "Door in a Jar." Well, Pepe escapes through it anyway, since it's only a foot high. But he gets the others out as well.
This was supposed to be the door to 123 Sesame Street, as a shout out to 1999's other Muppet film.
Back on the Electric Mayhem's bus, Gonzo tells Fozzie to drive him to Cape Doom to meet the spaceship. The Muppets still think he's crazy (despite the government kidnapping him for being an alien) but Kermit decides they should support their friend anyway. Piggy alerts the news crew so all the hopeful people hoping to see the alien show up to the beach as well.
Singer, back in his office, laments that he'll never have the proof he needs, but Bobo Rentro tells him that the gang are probably at Cape Doom, and Singer gets out his BFG.
So, now he's going to just kill Gonzo? Is that the plan?
At Cape Cod, everyone is caught up in spaceship fever. Scooter breaks his vow of silence after Richard Hunt's death to hock Gonzo T-Shirts, the rats and Dr. van Neuter roast marshmallows, Bunsen and Beaker get a ride with hippies, and Pacey and Joey from Dawson's Creek are also there because it's 1999. Too bad they couldn't get James Van Der Beek because they wouldn't have to awkwardly mention that they wish Dawson were there just in case the kids in the audience didn't catch the reference.
Some things you just can't make up.
Andie MacDowell finally shows up to fight with Piggy over the coverage of the story and Piggy uses her Mind Mist to steal her job from her. Piggy! Why didn't you just use that earlier during all the chase scenes? So selfish!
And that's the end of that subplot.
Hours pass and the crowd's spirits slowly diminish. Gonzo remains firmly planted at the water's side, but even he begins to lose faith and decides to call the whole operation off. He accepts that he has caused mass hysteria based on his own delusions and decides to go out with some dignity at least.
It's refreshing when the movie has good, poignant scenes like this one.
Kermit tells him he has to keep his faith and as if on cue, a spaceship finally appears. Well, an egg appears. And it sends out a beam of light in order to direct the actual giant spaceship. And the suspense builds...
...and builds...
...and builds...
I can't tell if this moment is epic or just obvious padding.
...and we're out of time for today!
Tomorrow, the ship lands, Gonzo meets whoever or whatever is inside, and we find out if the movie can be redeemed in the closing minutes!
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