The true beauty of this film, beyond the endearing characters, is the
straight down the line, simple and uncluttered plot.
Gonzo misses his place on the Ark as Noah turns him away with nothing but an
umbrella, then, a few thousand years later, now part of the great Muppet
family, he starts to receive messages from outer space.
The government agencies have also intercepted the messages, eventually take
Gonzo into their care, he gets rescued, his family from space turn up and
everyone lives happily ever after.
Simple and sweet it may be, and it's a complete contrast to those films which
believe a complicated plot is needed to capture a child's attention, but it
works well.
Indeed, the plot seemed a lot simpler than many other Muppet capers but,
in truth, that is probably the weaving of the magic, as there was a reasonable
amount of momentum throughout.
This was really Gonzo's movie, who along with his room mate, Rizzo, the rat,
were the stars of the show supported by a cute shrimp. Kermit, Miss Piggy and
all the old favourites had their parts, but they weren't at the fore this time.
Animal stole a scene of his own, and stole it well. Miss Piggy got to
show off her martial arts skills once again whilst Kermit played the sidelines
alongside many human, cameo appearances.
Everything was carried off in the usual Muppet style of manic frenzy coupled
with anarchic vaudeville, slapstick and inane humour.
Whilst the kids were captivated in the magic of it all, the grown-ups could
watch along reliving the nostalgia of their own childhood, Muppet memories and
the adult oriented jokes along the way; from Gonzo's dream ( not the one about
the dwarf and the jar of peanut butter ) of Cosmic Fish, through Mice Girls
posters to Rizzo's first encounter with Bubba in the experimental rat cage and
Animal's, out of shot, romantic interlude.
There's nothing challenging about this film; you can just sit there, relax,
let it roll over you. You'll have a wonderful time and so will the children.
Not many songs this time, but it survived well without them. The 1970's
funky-disco-soul soundtrack is as much a blast from the past as the Muppets
are themselves, but the Muppets really do seem to be timeless.
And some say they don't make films like they used to.
