The Muppets

[LotsoA113]

Here's the thing though: Like the Simpsons Movie, The Muppets is a genuinley good film. Both use beloved characters to create a fantastic piece of cinema. Plus, if critics were always awash with nostalgia, then how come they didn't go gaga other beloved franchises returns like Scream, The Hangover and The Three Musketeers? They too featured characters from classic flicks, yet critics AND audiences were disconcerning enough to know that, while it was nice to see Ghostface again, the film itself just ain't good! With The Muppets, critics are giving rave to see someone treat the franchise with the respect it deserves. NOT because "oh! it's great to see those muppets again!"

Could you be postivie EricJ? Sheesh, ever since I've joined this great site you seem to let your personal opinions guide everything. It's starting to get a trite irritating. How abotu seeing the film before continuing your bashing? Just a suggestion.

[ShyViolet]

They've dipped to 97% on RT: still a great score. (92 for audience members)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_muppets/

The critics are quite aware of how the film could have gone awry; if anything, as Lotso says, the critics are HARD to please:

Leonard Maltin's view:

On my way to see this movie I kept saying to myself, “I hope they didn’t louse it up!” The Muppets mean too much to me to let Jason Segel, or anybody, for that matter, diminish them. The minute the picture started, I heaved a sigh of relief and broke out in a smile. This is a joyful movie, the kind the Muppets (and their many fans) deserve.

[ShyViolet]

Opening from season 1: (with captions) Notice how the titles changed:







(parts 2 of 5)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EK-4KEK ... re=related

[Bill1978]

97%? then clearly EricJ is correct and this move sucks and totally destroys the legacy of The Muppets. Thank goodness I listened to him and didn't save my money. Might as well waste my cash on Breaking Dawn.

[Ben]

Once again, Eric's rant got so muddled it didn't make sense.

Bitter, much?

[ShyViolet]

The Muppets and British humor:

http://screenrant.com/muppets-interview ... hc-140897/

[Ben]

Thanks Vi!

[ShyViolet]

No problem Ben!

[Daniel]

Release date for Blu is March 28, 2012. A Movie Collection has also been announced.

[Ben]

Yes! Even with Oz, yes!

Here's hoping we get the true uncut Muppet Movie (all previous US editions have been missing various random shots that add up to a few minutes runtime).

[Randall]

Just saw the movie. Not quite an absolute home run, but a solid double stretched into a triple. It did nothing to sully the brand. (It's miles ahead of Muppets From Space, and much closer to the first three films, though certainly not as awesome as Christmas Carol.) The "Muppets angrily left Kermit" description is NOT true (more along the lines of friends drifting apart), and the fart shoes barely make a dent in the proceedings. I would have liked more cameos, but the ones we got were funny (esp. one the audience got a bang out of). I do look forward to the next one, where we can skip the "getting back together" business, though.

I went to the 2:30 show, which was full of young families, and barely an empty seat. Good to see.

Spoiler:

The "last number" was a disappointment, esp. after the great Rainbow Connection number--- except that Animal's moment felt too small. Those banjo twangs, however, get me every time. The other songs were generally solid, too. Too bad they didn't make better use out of NPH, though he got a good line in--- which I agreed with!

[Randall]

Say, Ben--- I have a Muppets movie pitch. Up for a collaboration?

[EricJ]

Disney's been almost literally THROWING free promotional tickets at us (or, at the more zombified and less discerning fans who think they "haven't seen them in years", whether or not they own the movies on disk) at the usual VOD-download outlets, with any rental of the Past Six Real Movies.

I've had it in mind to watch Muppet Christmas Carol--the other good one with Paul Williams songs --over the post-Thanksgiving "Launching of the Christmas specials" weekend, so I may silence naysayers by downloading the deal and going to the new movie in the happy knowledge I'm stiffing Jason on the price of a ticket. (I've got two movies left on my local plex's gift card, one's Hugo and one's Tintin, and I know who didn't have a prayer of competing with those.)
Smug-Boy owes us fans for a lot MORE than the $10 price of a ticket (that doesn't even cover what he owes us for that "Final parody trailer"), but it's a start.

[Dacey]

Eric, the movie's 98% "fresh" over at RT. That makes it the best reviewed movie of the year. Might be time to stop pretending that everyone "hated it," that Jason Segal is "slapping the fans in the face," or whatever the heck it is that you've been doing for the last several weeks.

And why even bother seeing the movie? At this point it's obvious that you're determined to hate it regardless of how it is, just so you can post "See? I told you so" comments on here and act like you're so much smarter than we all are.

[Ben]

And we, like, know you're really not, yeah?

Seriously, shut the heck up man! The movie's a hit. Jason pulled it off. People like it. Yes, personally I don't feel I've "seen" the Muppets since the mid-1990s, at least the real Muppets.

But to hear the good words about the movie and people like Rand's opinions just fills me with the kind of warm fuzzy feeling that's been missing of late.

Disney (and other studios) give out promo tickets all the time, but you're in danger of losing what small credibility you do have here if you're going to try and suggest this is the only reason people are going to see The Muppets.

The problem you face now is that you've set yourself up as the anti-Muppets guy. You can't he seen to enjoy this movie egen if - and I suspect you will - you try and pick it all apart and still end up begrudgingly enjoying it.

So you can't be seen to be paying to see it. Okay, we get that. We won't tell, honest! You can justify all you like about using promos to see it for "free" (even though, of course, that ticket HAS been paid for from a subsidized promo budget somewhere), but it's ironic that you'll use the very means to see it that you accuse is providing the audiences in the first place, haha.

But...it's okay, Eric. It's okay. You can play the music. You can light the lights. You can come in from the cold and been seen to enjoy The Muppets movie tonight. We won't hold it against you. It doesn't have to be a problem anymore. We won't pity you, we'll be happy for you (and maybe, just maybe, you'll be happier too).

So go and see the movie (paid or for free, you're still topping up the admissions, which is all a good thing) or be a grouch and wait for it for free on TV. But, ultimately, there's not going to be much you can do to quash the groundswell of opinion that some new guys have actually come in, put their own egos aside, and returned the Muppets to where they need to be, something that the old guard couldn't do.

You have to face the fact that, even whatever you think, Disney has pulled this off. They seem to have made a Muppet movie that makes the characters relevant again and stays true to the '76-81 spirit. Don't get all Dusterian on us as he did with Tangled. Deal with the ultimately right decision to bring in new, genuine, people and move on. Or, at least, stop trolling us here.

Go see The Muppets...then tell us, honestly, what you think.



RAND: yeah, sure. I have a Muppets pitch too, though for various reasons I think its time may have passed. But it could work in about three-five years' time. Like to hear yours, though...email me so that your people can talk to my people and then we can do lunch!