Review of Muppets From Space

Introduction

I don’t really know what they were trying do with this movie. Basically its trying to spoof all those sci-fi films we’ve grown up with as Gonzo tries to find out where he’s from. However, I’m afraid it just didn’t work for me. Sure we have all the film references such as Starwars, Men in Black and Independence Day among others but the basic story and script comes across as weak and uninspiring. Maybe they should of based it on the Starwars films. Kermit as Luke, piggy as Leia, Fozzie as Chewie. You can imagine what fun they could have had with those characters and plots along with the various films from the Sci-fi genre in general.

The Muppet films generally work best if they are based on familiar themes such as the excellent Muppets Christmas Carol and Treasure Island where they can play on the expected. This is probably why this story seems so weak. Also as the music seems to be all funk classics, I feel there’s little here for the kids. No real memorable sing-along songs featured throughout the film, which for the Muppets seems very strange.

All is not bad though. There are a few moments that made me laugh. A nice homage to the Close encounters mash potato scene featuring Gonzo, Mice Girls and a great opening sequence that shows what could be done with the Muppets when someone puts that thinking cap on. Maybe The 10 Commandments should be the next Muppets feature film. Imagine Gonzo as Moses in the Charlton Heston role with the full on beard and flowing cloak leading his people across the desert. Fantastic.

Video

Right, Columbia have given us not only a 4:3 picture but also a rather nice 1:1.85 anamorphic print. The disc is of course, yes you guessed it, a flipper and has the differing prints, although with the same extras on either side. The anamorphic picture is really quite nice featuring a colourful, clean picture that does the subject justice. After all what would a Muppets film be without the garish assault on the eyes that we’ve all come to know and love. There is a fair amount of detail in the picture although shadow detail can be a little lacking, but the colours remain vibrant with no evidence of bleed.
Altogether a decent picture.

Audio

The audio on this disc is fairly dynamic featuring some nice imaging from the front soundstage and some good though mainly ambient rear effects. The highlight probably being when Gonzo gets zapped up on the roof. Here the effects zoom around the room in a 360-degree spin passing through each speaker. Very nice. Dialog as you would expect is clear and precise and the songs, although forgettable in everyway are always presented full and with good presence. Suprisingly for this type of film, there was a couple of times where the effects, (I am ashamed to say it) even made me jump. The scene where Rizzo gets fried in the rat maze scared the hell out of me. Jeez must be getting old.

Features

Well we have a live commentary here using the same method of using the subtitle channel for animated graphics just like the Ghostbusters DVD. The effect is similar to watching the film in a cinema with the director and Gonzo, Rizzo and Kermit shown in silhouette. This is more of a “comedy” commentary as Tim Hill and characters chat and make jokes rather than talking about any behind the scenes facts.
Its nice to see Columbia has gone to the effort of providing this especially when considering this is essentially a “kids” film.

Other extras include 19 deleted scenes/outtakes, 4 trailers –theatrical and teaser. Also a trailer for Stuart little and Muppets take Manhattan. A music video “Shining Star” and a talent file is also included. For the non-English speakers we have a German and Polish soundtrack and subtitles for various countries.

Conclusion

Well maybe not the best Muppets film out there but a fine effort by Columbia to produce an attractive package. If you did like the film then this DVD has every thing you need. Good audio and Video quality, a good selection of extras and the chance to hear animal in German.