The Muppets Review (5/5)

Two months into 2012, we've already got two fantastic movies, the latter being The Muppets, a hilarious showcase of nostalgia at its absolute best.
Well, it's safe to say that I did not see that one coming. Despite The Muppets being my Most Anticipated Release of this month, for the most part I led myself to believe that the movie would disappoint by being too childish, too predictable or too downright stupid. Colour me downright wrong, then- it's none of those things, instead a wonderfully comedic masterpiece which will have fans of Jim Henson's puppets close to tears of sheer happiness from the variety of nostalgia on offer, and newcomers such as myself who are willing to give it a chance in stitches of laughter at the oh-so-many fourth wall breaking moments ("Sorry the flowers are a bit dirty, I was just doing a dance number" says Jason Segel to Amy Adams after bursting into song with his Muppet brother Walter and the majority of Smalltown), ploys on modern movie cliches and just plain funny gags that flow constantly into the framework of a lighthearted, oft heartwarming narrative. We even get a handful of fantastic song-and-dance numbers, including Man Or Muppet, a wonderfully-directed piece of cinematography starring Big Bang Theory's own Sheldon that has even been nominated for an Oscar for 'Best Original Soundtrack' it's so damn memorable. Yes, if you've seen The Muppet Show before and it really wasn't up your street, there isn't going to be much to get excited about here, but that applies to just about every revamp film, yet there's no such flick that I've ever seen pack such astounding attention to detail, nostalgia-induction and fan-pleasing references and moments in the space of just under two hours. There are many, many cameos, but in the end it all comes down to the wonderful performances from Segel, Adams, Chris Cooper as the brilliantly overexaggerated villain Tex and of course the Muppets themselves that for me will ensure that The Muppets has gone down/will go down as one of the best movies I've seen this year. If you want to laugh more than you have in a long time in the world of comedy flicks, look no further. Now, how about that sequel?