Armed with a divine assignment, Gonzo takes the ridable mower and trims a message into the front lawn. The sight of a dazed Gonzo putting around on this tractor to the tune of James Brown's "Get Up Offa That Thing" is terrific. It's clear that they just propped the puppet up and took him for a ride, but it completely sells the moment.
Gonzo, NO!
The next day, Jeffrey Tambor (his character name is K. Edgar Singer, but he's Jeffrey Tambor) checks his satellite photos and notices Gonzo's message back to his race, "I AM HERE." Thinking that there is finally an alien on Earth, he decides he must get his hands on whoever crafted that message.
I think he's supposed to be the villain, but I'm kinda rooting for the guy.
There's a moment in which Rizzo and Pepe take advantage of Gonzo's delusions in order to get him to construct a jacuzzi and he throws a big welcoming party for his incoming family. Unfortunately, no one shows up and Johnny Fiama and Sal cut into the cake too early.
And that takes care of their appearance.
Gonzo turns to Bunsen and Beaker for help contacting the mothership. They fit him in tinfoil and a colander in order to harness the electricity from the lightning strike to make him a receiver. However, this only succeeds in making him a fancy TV antenna. Coincidentally, the Muppet gang is watching a show called UFO Mania which is also looking for proof that alien-life is real. Gonzo tunes in just as they are asking for messages to be sent to their studio address and he misinterprets this as a message from his people telling him where to meet him.
To be fair, Andie MacDowell sounds just like she could be of Gonzo's species.
Gonzo takes the tractor down to the television studio where Miss Piggy happens to also work. I skipped over this part earlier, but she's been telling everyone that she is the host of the news program when she is actually just a lowly assistant. In yet ANOTHER coincidence, Shelley Snipes (MacDowell) cannot come to the studio and Miss Piggy is put on in her place. Also, Rob Schneider is the producer, in case you were wondering.
I'll let you form your own opinions.
Miss Piggy struggles to maintain a professional demeanor and she nearly blows her chance, but Gonzo crashes the set and starts talking about his crazy epiphany. Miss Piggy begins to interview him for the show (because this is how television works) and Gonzo's message to his family is broadcast everywhere.
BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE.
Tambor sees the show and sends his men in black to take Gonzo back to COVNET. Just how long is this show anyway? It's on when Gonzo is working with Muppet Labs, he travels by tractor to get to the studio, Miss Piggy appears to be starting off the program when he gets there, Tambor sees it and then his men get there right when it ends. All of this on live TV.
What the heck have we been watching for the past 3 hours?
Anyway, the men say that they'll reunite Gonzo with his family, but when Piggy tries to follow them for an interview, one of the agents stays behind to participate in a cringe-worthy fight scene. Now, Miss Piggy has fought humans before. The fight scene in The Muppet Movie for instance is great. She takes out multiple guys and it's a good silly brawl. Here, there is martial arts involved and it ends with the secret agent getting kicked in the nuts, complete with sound effect and exaggerated "Ouch" face. (Sorry for the poor quality of the video, but it was written that way.)
I have to do what in my big scene?
Piggy learns that the agent is actually working for the evil government where they have evil plans for Gonzo which...I don't really see what the big deal is at this point. Both Tambor and Gonzo want the same thing, proof that there is alien life out in space. Why is the movie treating this like a bad thing?
It must be bad. She had to tie the guy up and torture him to get him to talk.
Piggy relays the message to the gang, and they decide to break into the COVNET facility and rescue Gonzo. And this is the James Bond "Q" section of the movie where Bunsen gives them the necessary super-gadgets that they'll need for their quest.
Sadly temporary.
Among the items are a rubber duckie that shoots invisible spray, a Mind Mist that can hypnotize anyone, and my personal favorite, the Door in a Jar.
When is a door not a door?
Tomorrow, Gonzo gets experimented on and this action-thriller-heist spectacle gets underway. This movie needs more space scenes with talking fish...
Something always struck a wrong chord with me with "Muppets From Space." All other Muppet films and shows revolved around them being performers, either literally showing them in a production or having them fill roles in famous stories. The "real" world created here that the Muppets reside in just feels kind of unremarkable, kind of off. I dunno, I haven't seen the movie in a long time, I'm interested in reading the rest of this and seeing what you think, especially the big schmaltzy finale. Though I do love "People of Earth! Later!"
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