Muppets Most Wanted is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Hey folks, I apologize for the tardiness of this Blu-ray review; I actually received a screener copy after the disc’s release, so I had to play a bit of catch-up.
I covered the film’s theatrical release in March in a pretty detailed and highly personal review, which can be read here. I don’t want to repeat everything I’ve already said there, but having watched the movie again, and observed its somewhat tepid box office response, I have a few additional thoughts.
I want to reiterate that this is a very funny and entertaining ride. For some reason Muppets Most Wanted simply didn’t take off in theaters the way 2011’s The Muppets did, and that’s a shame. It definitely ranks among the upper tier of the Muppet films. Speaking personally, I’d rank it third after The Muppet Movie and The Muppets.
I recently revisited first couple entries of the franchise, The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Great Muppet Caper (1981). The revival wave of Muppet films have been described as parallel to these first two films, starting with a story about getting the band together and following up with a heist-oriented, European-set sequel involving a mistaken-identity. This direct comparison really made me appreciate the latest Muppet foray even more. The Great Muppet Caper was a pretty bad misstep, coming off as dull and uninspired. As a parallel sequel, Most Wanted handily trumps Caper in every meaningful way.
The home video release touts an “Unnecessarily Extended” edition which clocks in at nearly a full 2 hours, or 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release. Having seen the theatrical cut only once, five months prior, I wasn’t really familiar enough with it to notice many significant differences between the two versions. In a way that’s a good thing because it confirms that the pacing isn’t negatively impacted — the extended cut still feels right. Perhaps this is because the differences seem to consist of extra jokes and longer songs as opposed to new sequences or the reintroduction of any full deleted scenes or subplots.
The film holds up on rewatching and maintains the same sense of fun. While not all of the songs are direct hits, several of them including “We’re Doing A Sequel”, “I’ll Get You What You Want”, and “Interrogation Song” are endlessly entertaining and worthy of singing along. The Gulag-set songs aren’t nearly as good, but the sight of Ray Liotta and Danny Trejo harmonizing with Jermaine Clement brings a smile to my face all the same.
Muppets Most Wanted is a very funny film, if not as endearing as its immediate predecessor. The pacing is zippy and the jokes and songs mostly work, even in the expanded 2-hour cut. I stand my earlier recommendation of the film.
THE PACKAGE
Muppets Most Wanted hits Blu-ray from Disney in a package dubbed “The Unnecessarily Extended Edition” containing both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film. The Blu-ray release is a combo package which includes a slipcover, DVD, and HD Digital Copy. The disc includes a moderate set of features which isn’t bad, but feels noticeably skimpier than most high-profile Disney releases.
The film in its theatrical version is rated PG, though with its gentle material I can’t see any reason it’s not rated G. The additional material of the extended cut, while not rated, is not materially different in this respect.
Special Features
The Statler and Waldorf Cut (1:42)
If you heard of this feature and envisioned a glorious MST3K-style roast of the film, prepare for disappointment. The movie’s packaging touts “3 versions of the movie” but this is misleading at best if not an outright lie, as this third “cut” of the film is little more than a quickie 2-minute gag in which 99% of the film has been removed, leaving only what the heckling duo consider the “good parts”. It’s a nice enough joke, but they way they’re selling it is simply not cool.
Blooper Reel (9:45)
I feared this would be a dumb manufactured blooper reel like some of Disney’s animated films, but the gags and ad-libs here feel surprisingly genuine. It’s fun to see Ricky Gervais barely holding it together at times, laughing and having a great time on set opposite his fuzzy co-stars.
Rizzo’s Biggest Fan (2:47)
This funny short shows us the writing of a fan letter from Rizzo’s #1 admirer, who asks that he receive bigger parts.
Music Video (3:18)
An alternate version of “I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo In Malibu)” featuring songwriter Bret McKenzie filling in for Constantine.
Wocka wocka.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
[Blu-Ray] | [DVD] | [Extended VOD] | [Theatrical VOD]