Jim Henson is probably the most widely recognized puppeteer in recent memory. He’s the initiator of franchises like Sesame Street and The Muppets which has led to countless episodes featuring all kinds of celebrities and characters. Even without him, the concepts have lived on extending further and further into the next generation. Of course this would not have happened if it weren’t for Henson’s creative spirit and fortitude. Despite the success of The Muppet Show and The Muppet Movie (1979), not everything was on the up and up. Specifically, this movie did not perform financially as well as the other film. Surprisingly, there seemed to be a number of parts to this feature that didn’t exactly land as well as the first movie. It’s also hard to say why this is the case.
Especially when the person heading the execution is the creator himself, Jim Henson. The story is about Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo looking to make a movie where they investigate a mystery of a stolen jewel. Along the way, they run into their usual cast of goofy side characters as well as a few familiar faces. The person who owns the jewel is Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg) and her brother Nicky Holiday (Charles Grodin). The thing is, it’s made very clear from the start that this is to be a movie so all characters know their role…sort of. The script was written by Jerry Juhl, who worked on the first film and show, along with Tom Patchett, Jay Tarses and Jack Rose who were writers to various comedian shows. The unfortunate thing is, a story doesn’t feel like it exists here.
The plot is explained at the beginning but then after that the engagement just seems to end. Unlike the first movie where it was about how Kermit found his way to Hollywood meeting all the characters fans came to love and know. Which was good origin story of sorts. There’s no indication if this movie is a continuation of the first or if it’s just some offshoot of a story. That’s also because it comes down to the movie’s tone feeling too meta. The Muppet series was known for breaking the fourth wall with its audience, but here it’s done to the point where it’s hard to tell if the characters are actually in any danger. This also tends to make the comedic scenes less funny because the audience isn’t as invested as they should be.
The acting from all muppet formers is still good though. Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, Steve Whitmire and the rest all perform flawlessly with their roles. Among the main cast there’s also the random appearances of cameos of a young John Cleese, Robert Morley, Peter Ustinov and Jack Warden. As for the main live action cast, Charles Grodin and Diana Rigg are not that interesting. They can act, but their characters are quite dull compared to the rest of individuals, despite them taking more importance. Diana Rigg has had multiple credits but this is probably her most mainstream credit. Charles Grodin on the other hand has a role in King Kong (1976) and would later play a role Beethoven (1992) and Beethoven’s 2nd (1993). The visuals are on the plus side though. Firstly, the special and practical effects are all handled nicely. What was depicted in the first movie, is done here as well competently.
The next step in was shown where the crew films the puppets under water which obviously sounds quite challenging. Shooting behind the camera was Oswald Morris, the same guy who has credits to Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and The Wiz (1978). This was actually his second to last film credit but it still holds up. The shots capture the right things and conceals the effects for complete realism. Lastly the music was a sad misstep too. Instead of Paul Williams or Kenny Ascher, the team had Joe Raposo step in, which is actually not a bad choice. But for whatever reason, Raposo’s compositions just didn’t hook right. Having worked with Henson for many years it would seem like the proper pick. There is an album to hear all this and instrumental score sounds fine, but the songs don’t quite make it.
It is strange how steep the entertainment factor drops on the second movie. The camerawork, acting and effects all remain up there but the music, comedy and most importantly story seems to miss the mark.
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