I was very wary of the new Muppets film, but when it came out, I was completely won over. Jason Segal proved that he really understood the characters and the world and helped created a movie that appealed to Muppet Fans new and old alike.
From my original review of the film:
Segel and crew did an amazing job replicating the feel of the old Muppets at the same time making it feel relevant. The entire movie is adorable and sacharine sweet and puts a smile on your face the whole damn time. In fact, the opening song (Life’s a Happy Song) puts that smile on your face and you never lose it through the whole movie.
It’s just that perfect.
And did I mention the music is fantastic? New songs were written by Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame and you can tell. They’re all fantastic but the solos he gives Chris Cooper and Amy Adams stand out more amongst a crop of stand outs.
And did I mention that it’s funny? I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in a movie in a long, long time. But it wasn’t just me laughing, my kids were dying, too. It mastered the all-ages comedy bit in a way that I thought only Pixar was capable of.
My only complaint about the film? Mickey Rooney had more lines than Rizzo the Rat. That’s it. That’s the only thing I found odd about this film.
After repeated viewings of the film in the theatre, and a purchase of the soundtrack, I counted the days before my copy of the Blu-ray would arrive. It wouldn’t have mattered if there were no special features of any kind, I really just loved this film and couldn’t wait to watch it more.
But, for this Blu-ray edition of the movie, they really pulled out all the stops. From behind the scenes documentaries and deleted scenes to hilarious intermissions and sight gags galore, they made this one of the most must have Blu-ray discs in the history of the format.
The behind the scenes documentary is partly the real thing, but it’s mainly performance comedy. It’s more Muppets doing their thing: being hilarious and entertaining.
The deleted scenes were shocking. I can’t believe how much hilarious material was actually cut from the film. More than that, I had a hard time believing how many celebrity cameos they cut. Billy Crystal, Rob Cordry, extended cameos with other celebrities… I can see the delicate balance they were walking, though. The film was perfectly paced the way it was, would the extra cameos bog it down or slow down the pacing? Certainly. But that’s why I’m glad we have this Blu-ray edition. Now I can have my cake and eat it, too. The cameos are available to watch and the film doesn’t suck because of them.
Perhaps my favorite feature of this Blu-ray is the pause button.
Go ahead, dig your Blu-ray out and pause the film.
Yes, that’s right. You’re treated to another show. There must be as much new Muppet material on this disc as there is of the movie proper, and it couldn’t be more welcome.
When you add in a free download of the soundtrack (granted, I already bought it, but it’s a nice bonus) and a digital version of the film, this Blu-ray is a must.
The price comes in at around $26 on Amazon and it’s more than worth it.