Jim Henson’s Muppets have been around for decades, surviving with their positive messages of friendship and unity despite all obstacles in their way. Unfortunately for a new batch of children, they haven’t been able to take in a Muppet cinematic experience in theaters because the lovable group hasn’t been seen on the big screen since their lackluster movie “Muppets in Space.” So it was definitely an opportune time for a couple of super fans to make Disney “play the music” once more with the latest movie addition to their collection which is simply titled “The Muppets.”

In “The Muppets” we follow Gary (Jason Segel), Mary (Amy Adams) and the Muppets super fan Walter as they take their vacation in Los Angeles. While there, Walter runs into Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) who reveals his nefarious plot to buy up the Muppet Theater and drill for oil unless Kermit, Miss Piggy and company can get enough money to save their beloved theater. Nicholas Stoller (“Undeclared,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) teamed up with friend and Muppet enthusiast Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother”) and co-wrote the script. The two scooped up James Bobin (“The Flight of the Conchords”) and put on one heck of a cinematic show. But the big question in many Muppet fans minds is whether this movie is a solid addition to the Muppet collection or if it’s just a homage film dedicated to the Henson-Muppets era that’s been some what lost over time.

The Story

It’s appropriate that the main story line for “The Muppets” is more or less a re-introduction of not only the overly optimistic group but of “The Muppet Show” itself. Again, the last time we even got a taste of a Muppets show was in the late nineties with the short-lived “Muppets Tonight.” Most of the stories in Muppet movies have always hinged on predictability, so why not this one? It also inhabits the typical points about friendship, unity and knowing exactly who you are which may remind some of Kermit’s similar arc in “Muppets in Manhattan,” but this time with a couple of super fans and no dull business frogs.

The story relies on the kind of formulaic plot you’d expect to see from a kid-friendly movie, but it’s not annoying at all. Not only do you introduce the new audience to each one of the main players, but you also get the fans to squeal in delight whenever a character like Miss Piggy or Rowlf gets their on screen moment. There was never a point where they tried stuffing too many Muppets down our throat, but there is always the slight disadvantage of introducing a new one to the fold. And thank goodness for Stoller keeping in the constantly running gag of the main cast being aware that they’re in a movie.

Now let’s get into the one part of the story that was a bit irritating, and that’s the end. Whoever decided to slam the actual ending within the credits should get a slap on the wrist. You put everybody on the edge of one of the more depressing endings seen in a Muppets film then everything is tied up in a neat little bow during the credits. What about the people who walked out of the theater before they could see it? At the screening I attended people already bolted before “The End” shined on the screen, which means they missed the real conclusion. Nobody likes finding out that there’s two endings to a movie so next time just stick with one.

The Acting

So we don’t have Frank Oz handling our favorite felted amphibian, but Steve Whitmire definitely does the job. Of course one would say that after tearing up over the song “Pictures In My Head” but he’s able to easily pin every part of the cute green frog’s personality. It’s always a great pleasure seeing all of your favorite Muppets in theaters again, especially when Miss Piggy karate chops another porky individual.

There’s not really any complaining in the acting front between the puppeteers and the human actors. Amy Adams is a delight to see on screen like always, though it’s a bit disappointing to see that her only song (“Party Of One”) is the weakest one in the bunch. Next to “Pictures In My Head,” one of the strongest ones has to be Jason Segel and Walter’s duet “Man or Muppet” which has one of the better cameos in the whole movie. It’s nice to see a leading guy have solid singing pipes, especially since for awhile I couldn’t get Pierce Brosnan’s painful singing voice out of my head. His acting is pretty much on-par with what you’d expect anyone to act alongside the Muppets, which is fairly good.

The Direction

Since director James Bobin is fairly used to directing not only regular dialogue scenes but also the ones that are basically music videos, just like he did in “The Flight of the Conchords.” Bobin turned out to be a wonderful fit for taking on a Muppet film, properly leading us as the audience along the familiar but well-loved path through the Muppet universe once again. There’s always a bit of constriction when it comes to shooting the Muppets anyways so it’s not like you should sit in the theater and expect to see the same kind of crazy fun direction that you’ll see in “The Adventures of Tintin,” but the man still gets the shots he needs despite the obstacles in order to deliver the audience an enjoyable piece of cinematic work.

Technical

Whoever decided to put the banner over the corners of the screen for “Party Of One” and the unnecessary text for a particular kidnapping scene succeeded in making both scenes in the movie feel out of place from the rest of it. Another irritating part of the film was the slightly sad use of green screen in a couple of key scenes towards the end. Perhaps the green screen was used intentionally, but if it was then they unfortunately succeeded in making those scenes look cheaply done and just unattractive.

Overall

“The Muppets” fits perfectly in the series of theatrically released Muppet movies that properly re-introduces movie-goers all over to the friendly and optimistic Muppets. Make sure you go and catch it with your family, “The Muppets” is an enjoyable film for audience members of all ages.

The Story: B+

The Acting: A-

The Direction: A

Technical: B-

Overall: A-