Not as consistently entertaining or inspired as the best Muppet movies -- which include "Muppet Treasure Island", released more than three years ago -- "Muppets From Space" is still a goofy diversion for adults and a mini-sci-fi fantasy for kids. Up against tough competition, the Sony Pictures release should do business comparable to past installments: cheery but unspectacular boxoffice performers except for 20-year-old "The Muppet Movie".
It would have been very disappointing if there weren't irreverent homages to such popular science fiction films as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Independence Day" -- rest assured, there are -- but the filmmakers don't get carried away with material that would go by younger viewers who haven't seen those and other films referenced.
With his prickly, faucet-shaped beak and a big chip on his little shoulder, Gonzo (voiced by Dave Goelz) is the featured character this time around when he comes to believe aliens like himself are coming to Earth. The hilarious opener is a biblical dream of Gonzo's in which he doesn't know what kind of animal he is and is thus refused a place on the ark by an unsympathetic Noah (F. Murray Abraham).
Indeed, one-of-a-kind Gonzo is an outsider who suddenly starts to act eccentrically -- even for a Muppet -- when aliens send a message to him at the breakfast table. With the help of Rizzo the Rat and Kermit (Steve Witmire), Miss Piggy (Frank Oz) and delightful new character Pepe the Prawn (Bill Barretta), Gonzo manages to stay away from a paranoid, unfriendly-to-aliens government agent (Jeffrey Tambor) and the UFO kooks who flock to him when he's featured on a bogus TV show.
While Andie MacDowell as a newscaster in a feud with Miss Piggy, Ray Liotta as an easily out-maneuvered security guard and David Arquette as a rodent-terrorizing associate of Singer's all make the most of brief scenes, the human elements of "Muppets" are generally less engaging than usual. But the Muppets' adventures are inventive, and the fine production values are consistent with this satisfying film series that joyfully carries on the spirit and showmanship of creator Jim Henson.
MUPPETS FROM SPACE
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures, Jim Henson Pictures presents
Credits: Director: Tim Hill; Screenwriters: Jerry Juhl, Joseph Mazzarino, Ken Kaufman; Producers: Brian Henson, Martin G. Baker; Executive producers: Kristine Belson, Stephanie Allain; Director of photography: Alan Caso; Production designer: Stephen Marsh; Editors: Michael A. Stevenson, Richard Pearson; Costume designer:Polly Smith; Music: Jamshied Sharifi; Visual effects: Thomas G. Smith
Casting: Michael Fenton, Allison Cowitt. Cast: Gonzo:Dave Goelz; Kemit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat: Steve Witmire; Pepe the Prawn: Bill Barretta; Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal: Frank Oz; K. Edgar Singer: Jeffrey Tambor; Shelley Snipes: Andie MacDowell; Noah: F. Murray Abraham; Gate Guard: Ray Liotta; Dr. Tucker: David Arquette; Agent Barker: Josh Charles; TV Producer: Rob Schneider.
MPAA rating: G. Color/stereo . Running time -- 88 minutes...
It would have been very disappointing if there weren't irreverent homages to such popular science fiction films as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Independence Day" -- rest assured, there are -- but the filmmakers don't get carried away with material that would go by younger viewers who haven't seen those and other films referenced.
With his prickly, faucet-shaped beak and a big chip on his little shoulder, Gonzo (voiced by Dave Goelz) is the featured character this time around when he comes to believe aliens like himself are coming to Earth. The hilarious opener is a biblical dream of Gonzo's in which he doesn't know what kind of animal he is and is thus refused a place on the ark by an unsympathetic Noah (F. Murray Abraham).
Indeed, one-of-a-kind Gonzo is an outsider who suddenly starts to act eccentrically -- even for a Muppet -- when aliens send a message to him at the breakfast table. With the help of Rizzo the Rat and Kermit (Steve Witmire), Miss Piggy (Frank Oz) and delightful new character Pepe the Prawn (Bill Barretta), Gonzo manages to stay away from a paranoid, unfriendly-to-aliens government agent (Jeffrey Tambor) and the UFO kooks who flock to him when he's featured on a bogus TV show.
While Andie MacDowell as a newscaster in a feud with Miss Piggy, Ray Liotta as an easily out-maneuvered security guard and David Arquette as a rodent-terrorizing associate of Singer's all make the most of brief scenes, the human elements of "Muppets" are generally less engaging than usual. But the Muppets' adventures are inventive, and the fine production values are consistent with this satisfying film series that joyfully carries on the spirit and showmanship of creator Jim Henson.
MUPPETS FROM SPACE
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures, Jim Henson Pictures presents
Credits: Director: Tim Hill; Screenwriters: Jerry Juhl, Joseph Mazzarino, Ken Kaufman; Producers: Brian Henson, Martin G. Baker; Executive producers: Kristine Belson, Stephanie Allain; Director of photography: Alan Caso; Production designer: Stephen Marsh; Editors: Michael A. Stevenson, Richard Pearson; Costume designer:Polly Smith; Music: Jamshied Sharifi; Visual effects: Thomas G. Smith
Casting: Michael Fenton, Allison Cowitt. Cast: Gonzo:Dave Goelz; Kemit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat: Steve Witmire; Pepe the Prawn: Bill Barretta; Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal: Frank Oz; K. Edgar Singer: Jeffrey Tambor; Shelley Snipes: Andie MacDowell; Noah: F. Murray Abraham; Gate Guard: Ray Liotta; Dr. Tucker: David Arquette; Agent Barker: Josh Charles; TV Producer: Rob Schneider.
MPAA rating: G. Color/stereo . Running time -- 88 minutes...
- 7/13/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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