Customer Reviews

The Muppets (3-Disc Combo Pack + Soundtrack Download Card) [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

VIDEO:

"The Muppets" arrives on blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 1.85:1 encode. The video transfer is truly outstanding. There are tremendous details: every bump and tuft of Walter's felt, Fozzy's furry exterior to the wispy hairs on Animal's head, all clearly visible. The colours are bright and saturated, and they simply pop off the screen: with perfectly saturated Kermit greens, Piggy pinks, Fozzie browns, Gonzo purples and Animal reds. Blacks are deep and inky. This Disney transfer is simply flawless. (5/5)

AUDIO:

Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track is pure electric mayhem, matching the power, punch and pizazz of the film's visuals beat for beat and song for song. Dialogue is crystal clear. In my 9 speaker home theatre, there is discrete sound from the lateral and rear speakers, making the audio a very immersive experience. The music in the film is brilliant and funny (a hard combination). The sound of all the songs is so outstanding, that I even bought the CD soundtrack for this film. (5/5)

AWARD:

The song "Man or Muppet" won the Best Original Song Oscar in 2011, beating "Real in Rio" from "Rio". It is the first time in the history of Academy Awards that only two songs were nominated.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

This Muppets may not be Henson's Muppets, and I do miss Frank Oz's involvement. Segel and Stoller, with a near perfect comedy effort, were able to take a franchise that hadn't been seen on the big screen in over a decade and create something timeless and successful. With a top-notched video and tremendous soundtrack, "The Muppets" is thoroughly enjoyable, and is highly recommended. I also bought the Original Soundtrack CD with 30 tracks: also a very fulfilling experience. (my review found elsewhere)

Finally, Amazon.ca again has reviews for the standard dvd version or simply the movie itself mixed into the blu ray section of this movie. So be careful: read the title and date of the review, before you waste valuable time reading outdated materials.

I hope the above review and tip are helpful to you.

I loved the movie! So much fun! I can't wait to buy it. Obviously, the price has come down since the last reviews were listed. It is now $28, which I think is pretty good.

Amazing film, suitable for literally anyone. Love the humour and so happy to see the muppets rebooted in a way that will appeal to Sesame Street fans of old as well as their children of now.

Captures the true Muppet spirit. I'd rate it 5 stars except for my confusion over why it was set in the 1950s. In the movie the characters travel down memory lane (NOT a time machine) to the 1980s. One internet explanation was something like the 50s best captured the 'innocent spirit' of the Muppets. It just bothered me throughout since the Muppets didn't even exist then ,,, still lots of silly fun, tho.......

I was very happy with the movie and the receiving process. I received the package a day earlier than expected and the dvd was still in the plastic wrapper with the merchant's stickers on it.

Thank you!

While never as artful as, say the best of the Pixar films, this has a sweet heart, and a goofy sense of self-deprecating humor.

Definitely aimed at kids first. But with enough clever twists on old movie clichés, jabs at 1980's culture, great little celebrity cameos
and kidding of standard Hollywood storytelling that there is plenty to keep a grown up smiling and entertained. Alan Arkin has a priceless
couple of minutes, and Jack Black proves himself a good sport indeed.

A tip of the hat to the lead human performers Jason Segel and Amy Adams who catch just the right note of real emotion, mixed with a friendly
wink at the audience so that we care, but it never feels sappy.

Segel was a co-writer as well, and created a story where we can actually be touched by his over-dependent relationship with his
inexplicably Muppet brother Walter. A really 'nice' fun family movie, where 'nice' is not a backhanded compliment, but as an honest one.

The Muppets - So Happy I Could Explode

Last night, as a surprise I took my wife out to see The Best Movie Of the Year.

We went to see The Muppets.

For our entire lives we had been fans of Jim Henson's creations, and have watched and rewatched the original movies more times than Gonzo has crashed into something. The Muppet Movie thrilled us to no end, with tears always flowing for the final scenes. The Great Muppet Caper was a fun romp with a hotel we would love to visit in real life. And The Muppets Take Manhattan always touches us with the long awaited wedding of Kermit and Piggy.

But then the dark times hit. Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppets Treasure Island were passable, with some imagination to it. Muppets From Space started off well, then they added a plot and the whole thing became a mess. The countless television and direct to dvd specials became a chore to even view. The magic of Jim Henson seemed to evaporate with his passing. Some of these shows were painful to see.

And now we have an early Christmas present, for The Muppets are back. Thank You Santa!

Everything about this gem screams greatness. Kermit, Fozzie, Mrs. Piggy, and Gonzo inhabit the big screen again as a force of nature unto themselves. For once the suits in charge have let the creative people steer the fun and merriment, and every ounce of it shows in front of you. Someone please send this message along to DC Comics with the Green Lantern movie. Thank you.

The essence of this tale is the realization The Muppets are out of flavour with the masses. And they must reform, with the help of new Muppet Walter, in order to save their old theatre from a villain. The bad guy is cartoony and is essentially a plot device to drive the main narrative. The real enemy is time. Kermit has to put the band back together and put on a show. And reconciling with Mrs. Piggy would be nice as well. The side story with Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Walter are cute extras, with a bit of a moral punch, somewhat mirroring the main story.

But what we are really here for is to laugh and cry and thrill and remember with The Muppets. Kermit singing about his old friends hurts. Musical montages cause the laughter to spill out of you. Callbacks to previous films are appreciated. And Gonzo is Gonzo. Need I say more?

This rejuvenated effort also brings back a staple from years gone by, the celebrity cameos. Stars old and new populate the screen, some eliciting cheers from the audience. And a few you are surprised are still alive.

Drama and excitement build, as Muppets and humans sort through their individual issues, all while singing and dancing and telling corny jokes. The final act, with the Muppets putting on another show, is brilliant. At this point tears of laughter were streaming down our faces. New concepts are married to the Muppets mythos, making their universe even bigger. While we missed some old skits not being included, it did not distract from our enjoyment.

In fact, we found very few missteps in the entirety of The Muppets. Minor quibbles really with such a fantastic project. Kudos must be given to the writers for incorporating so much into this journey, melding the past to the present and making it seem effortless.

The explosion of happiness that erupted from us during The Muppets was heartfelt. They are back and providing joy to the world.

And Animal is still the best drummer of them all.

Scoopriches

I think the parents will enjoy this more than their kids. But we are its target market, not them. The film was smugly self-aware (a trait that can either work well, or be annoying. But the Muppets have always broken the 4th wall, haven't they?), and yet somehow it remained centred in Kermit's basic decency. They wisely made the film more about how the Muppets are a relic of the simpler time, and then peppered it with 1970s/80s references and intentionally cheesy song-and-dance numbers (two at least were pretty good/funny). The plot was essentially a rehash of the Muppet Movie, really ('let's get the gang together'), but by setting it in the old Muppet Theatre, they took us back to the show itself, allowing us to see it in a more expansive way (strangely, they never had a shot from the perspective they ALWAYS had in the show ' Kermit by the loudspeaker, calling the next act on stage).

The biggest potential pitfall was Kermit's voice. But it worked well. At times he sounded like Kermit. And others, he didn't really'..but his mannerisms and personality were all bang-on. There were other distractions (like the fact the puppets had clearly been rebuilt. Fozzie, in particular looked too new). And too much of the 'new' characters (a human couple, and a new muppet'.who was a convenient plot device, but should be jettisoned if they ever do a sequel. He's a less interesting version of Scooter). As usual, they took up valuable screen time from the existing characters'..it's really only Fozzie, Piggy and Kermit who get any time. Gonzo is my favourite, and we don't see him much'.but he does have a very cool opening sequence, where they find him as a magnate of a successful plumbing business (isn't that how we first met him?). When they come to get him, he's all prepared, including having wired his entire plumbing factory with explosives (Why? Well, because, he's Gonzo).

I think it was probably all a bit too slick and disposable. Not sure it has any staying power. It's certainly not the classic the first film is. But it was entertaining, and a darn site better than Henson's last Muppet film, 'The Muppets Take Manhatten'.

I cannot think of a film better crafted, or more appropriate as a love note to the childhood of any child from the 80's. For anyone who was ever a fan of the Muppets, you owe it to yourself to suspend all expectations and watch this movie not as a Hollywood production, but as a reference reel to a completely different era of movies. Though it has been updated with modern references The Muppets stands out amongst other movies by falling back on it's historical roots and serenading audiences with original songs, and old-timey tunes. The jokes are clean, and the humor is spot on, and I can't imagine a better team behind the scenes.

If you're a fan of the movie, then you're bound to be a fan of the music, which is all bundled in this tidy little package. The Blu-Ray provides some great special features, and the outtake reel is a fantastic addition. All in all I couldn't have asked for a better package!

Jim Henson can quit rolling over in his grave now. They finally put out another muppet movie that he would have been proud of.