Muppets Most Wanted-A Film With All the Elements for a Successful Muppet Movie

Muppets Most Wanted has the two main elements that make for a successful Muppet movie: hilarious gags and an incredible soundtrack. Even more so than 2011's The Muppets, there's a heightened energy to Muppet's Most Wanted, with over-the-top gags accentuated by the fantastic puppetry you expect from a Muppet movie. Constantine makes for such an entertaining villain, as there's something inherently funny about seeing a puppet frog with a goofy Russian accent saying one-liners. The Muppet characters are all so likable here, and their dynamics are delightful. But the best element of the film is by far the soundtrack, with certified banger after banger, making for legitimately one of the best Muppet soundtracks, in many ways outdoing its predecessor in terms of music. 

The story does feel rather basic. It's all about the Muppets learning to appreciate Kermit, which in a way, has been an element of many Muppet films, and so the story and character arcs play out as you expect them to. The twists can also be seen from a mile away.

Muppets Most Wanted shows that enough funny jokes and an incredible enough soundtrack can more than makeup for a relatively basic and predictable story. It's a bit disappointing that this film's box office failure prevented Disney from making any more theatrical Muppet movies, as this film showed that any movie, even a basic crime movie spoof, is improved tenfold when it features The Muppets. Considering the direction Disney's taken the Muppets, it's unlikely we'll see another theatrical Muppet movie. So in a way, Muppets Most Wanted feels extra special in retrospect, as it now feels like a last hoorah for big, bombastic, theatrical Muppet productions.

Now Streaming on Disney+ in the U.S