"Muppets from Space"

1999
-directed by Tim Hill
The end may be more than near. The film which may have put this quest to rest is MUPPETS FROM SPACE, the final theatrical release. If the subsequent straight-to-video offerings turn out as lifeless (we MIGHT watch them), then i'm done. It's tempting to not even write about SPACE, really, as it feels like picking on an idiot stepchild.
It starts out promisingly. The first sequence, Gonzo's ark nightmare, with a delightful F. Murray Abraham as Noah, is pretty great. And wakeup time in the Muppet house was okay too. But the film quickly settles into mediocrity. It's not even the kind of mediocrity previous sequels had delved into. MFS feels like the original producers have all been replaced by those hypothetical doofuses they had pulled off the street to voice Statler and Waldorf in TREASURE ISLAND. Brian Henson did indeed abdicate the director's chair to Hill, a man with no Muppet experience and almost no resume (huh?). In Tim's defense (not that he earned any), the writing is worthy of an after-school special. Hill returns to the tradition of a multitude of name actors in supporting roles, and with the exception of Abraham and the sublime Ray Liotta, this is a bad choice, the performances ranging from flat (Rob Schneider) to painful (Kathy Griffin). A couple of kids from DAWSON'S CREEK get in there too. This is the first film to abandon original music. Instead we're given recycled pop songs (huh?). Even though none of the music in the other sequels came close to the original, they'd at least been trying. I hate to invoke something that will just seem like name-calling, but this film felt like nothing else so much as an SNL film. A fun ten-minute idea that never should have been treated as more.
Nobody likes to end a monumental journey on a down note, so i'll patter for a moment. It should be understood that we've only been dealing with films that had the characters from the TV show. Other products like DARK CRYSTAL (pretty lame, and if you disagree you may not have tried to watch it as an adult) or LABYRINTH (the 49th best film of all time) don't fall within these parameters. I've never seen FOLLOW THAT BIRD or EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS, but as Kermit makes appearances, i may have to rectify that. Particularly EMMET, which Jim directed. It's also well-past time for the dvd release of lost treasures like The Jim Henson Hour, "The Muppets: A Celebration of Thirty Years", the episode of The Tonight Show that Kermit guest hosted, and the staggering multitude of Muppet TV specials that aired. Call your congresspeople.
So out whimpers a quest. The curse of creating something amazing is that everything that follows will always be measured against it. This is at once natural, and unfair. Particularly when new efforts explore different directions, as Jim and crew did. These films, however, brought us the further adventures of our heroes from the first movie, so any abuse the creators receive, well, they stepped right up and invited it, there's no way around that. It is of course obvious to say that none of the sequels came anywhere near the original. That's the given. The deeper truth is that you can't really include any of the sequels in a serious discussion of Muppets onscreen. A recap...
THE MUPPET MOVIE *****
THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER **
THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN *
A MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL ***
MUPPET TREASURE ISLAND **
MUPPETS FROM SPACE *
Take away the pity star i gave Manhattan (or leave it in, either way), and crunch some numbers. "Ouch" is the only word that comes to mind. But golly, i almost forgot that i promised myself a reward at the end of the journey, a viewing of the original. So really, all is well in the world. Cue the balcony...
STATLER: So, how'd you like the quest?
WALDORF: Quest? I thought this was Thanksgiving Eve.
STATLER: Thanksgiving Eve?
WALDORF: I've never seen so many turkeys run by! (laughter; a horn splats)