The Muppets Blu-ray Review
As a longtime fan of THE MUPPETS, I giddily anticipated the film’s Blu-ray release. To sustain my excitement during the months between the theater release to Blu-ray distribution I enjoyed all of the video clips and postings on their Facebook page, cheered when Bret McKenzie won the Academy Award for Original Song until finally the day came when I had THE MUPPETS movie in hand.
In THE MUPPETS we meet overly cheerful brothers, Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) and Gary (Jason Segel) from Smalltown, USA. When Gary and his girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams), decide to take a trip to Los Angeles to celebrate their anniversary, Gary invites Walter to go along to visit Muppet Studios, home of Walter’s lifelong hero, Kermit the Frog. While at Muppet Studios, Walter overhears oil tycoon and film villain, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), share his evil plans to destroy the Muppet Theater and steal the name “Muppets” all so he can drill for oil below the theater. Together with the help of Mary and Gary, Walter tracks down Kermit the Frog and warns him of Richman’s agenda.
In a race against time, fun hijinks ensue as they hunt down the rest of the Muppet gang to help save the studio. All of your favorite characters are back and the jokes are better than ever. Some of the chuckles are for my generation or older as many of the kids who see this will not understand them (see: 80’s Robot), while other laugh out loud moments are timeless. A heartfelt thank you to creative team of Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller and the loving care they gave the Muppets when creating the script for this film. They stayed true to the core of the Muppets yet made them relevant with the celebrity cameos and musical numbers.
Kicking off with a big lavish musical number “Life is a Happy Song”, you cannot help but smile, nod your head, and sing along to the catchy tune. A surprise musical moment was when Chris Cooper’s Tex Richman busts out a killer rap (is there anything this man cannot do?!). This scene gets better and better with each viewing (the extended version of this tune is even better). I could go on and on, raving about every song and dance number but will hold myself back and only mention the Oscar winning “Man or Muppet”. What a phenomenal musical sequence! The surprise of seeing Gary’s Muppet doppelganger and Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons as human Walter had me in stitches. From start to “Mah Na Mah Na” finish one cannot deny the pure genius and careful consideration that went into the music for this film.
The entire cast, humans and Muppets alike, were brilliant. The chemistry between Segel and Adams couldn’t have been better and I loved Chris Cooper’s villain and his ‘maniacal laugh’. Director James Bobin from Flight of the Conchords or Da Ali G Show fame was an excellent choice for this picture. Each directorial decision made this picture better (minus the edit of Tex Richman’s rap; the long version should have made the cut). To sum it up: this film is a must watch, must own, must rewatch.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1080HD 1.78:1 Widescreen) The video highlights all the colorful characters, costumes and set design. Exactly what you expect from a high quality Blu-ray.
Audio: (7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio): The audio on this was perfect for the multiple musical numbers!
Audio Commentary: Writers Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller are joined by director James Bobin for THE MUPPETS commentary. This is might be my all time favorite commentary, ever. The trio provide hilarious anecdotes and insights into the making of this fantastic picture. I laughed out loud more than once.
Scratching the Surface: A Hasty Examination of the Making of THE MUPPETS (15:56): The whole Muppet gang and actors dive into the making of in this featurette.
The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (in Muppet History) (8:33): I love it when actors laugh midway through lines during blooper reels. Usually I find blooper reels to be boring nonsense, but this one was actually entertaining.
A Little Screen Test on the way to the Read Through (3:19): As the title suggests, Kermit, Jason, Gonzo and the rest of the gang are filmed en route to a read through.
Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song (2:38): In this extended Tex Richman song, Chris Cooper’s awesome rap adds insight into the tycoon’s Muppet hatred. Chris Cooper is brilliant. Why the full version was not in THE MUPPETS movie is beyond me.
Deleted Scenes (10:01): Eight deleted moments that were all funny, probably cut for time.
Spoof Trailers (9:00): Seven spoof trailers for THE MUPPETS that were all equally hilarious. I think the GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO and ultimate spoof trailer are tied for my favorite out of the seven.
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