Anyone born in North America after the second war, with access to a television, must have some childhood recollection of the Muppets. Whether it be through early appearances on Ed Sullivan, growing up with Sesame Street, or even those stupid Muppet Babies, we all have a fond connection with Jim Henson.
I love the Muppets, and for the most part, I think the movies are great. Their corny humor and their catchy songs are fun for children and adults. I was particularly impressed with the fact that their last two films were based on classic novels. Their adaptations were not necessarily faithful, yet they were better than some of the Hollywood versions I have seen. I was hopeful that this would become a continuing theme. For that reason I was disappointed when I saw the trailer for Muppets in Space (?).
In this film, Gonzo has a yearning for one of his own kind, (whatever that is). Somewhere near the beginning he finds out that he comes from outer space and that his species is coming back to meet with him. Kermit thinks poor Gonzo is cracked. Miss Piggy is conveniantly hosting a talk show about UFO's and suddenly jumps on the bandwagon.
As you can imagine, hijinks ensue. The Muppets must rescue Gonzo when he is kidnapped by some evil government types. Miss Piggy gets into yet another karate match, this time with an expert in black belt. All the Muppet stuff we have come to know and love is there. I was most entertained by Rizzo the Rat. The more I see of him the more I learn to like him. This time he is imprisoned in a test lab where they test -- uh oh -- RATS! The scene is probably the funniest bit in the film.
I was confused by the soundtrack. It was an eclectic mix of old R&B tunes which seemed somewhat 'adult' for a Muppet movie, but none the less, I went with it.
All in all this is not one of the better Muppet Movies. It lacks the heart of the original, and it lacks the depth of the last two. I saw this one on video and I'm glad of that. In fact I think this might have served better as a straight to video flick. I would have been more disappointed if I spent $8.
