Lucas Ervin - Hey everyone, Happy Holidays! I'm sure you all are ready for the Muppet sequel to get under way next month. With filming starting in January, and Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell signed on as the human leads, I'm sure a lot of you have your own thoughts on how this movie should go, and how they can improve from the first. What I'd like to do is to share some of my thoughts on how they can make the second movie even better. Without further ado, here's my list on how the upcoming sequel can be an even stronger film than its predecessor!
1. Human actors shouldn't sing! In the first three films, hardly any of the human leads ever sang a song. And the one person who did--Charles Grodin--didn't even use his real singing voice: it was an opera singer, and it was done in a silly fashion. We really don't need another movie with songs like "Me Party" or "Let's Talk About Me." Part of the magic of the Muppets is that they can take something that wouldn't be as funny if a person had done it, and not only make it acceptable, they make it enjoyable. If you don't believe me, how about the scene in The Muppets where they took what is one of the worst songs of the 1980s, "We Built This City," and made it one of the most memorable scenes in the film.
2. Animal is NOT a main character! We all love Animal. Who doesn't? But as Frank Oz once stated, he's monosyllabic, and his only thoughts are food, women, pain, sleep, and drums. He's a one-dimensional character who is strictly there for laughs. We now live in a world where new, outstanding Muppeteers can take up old favorites like Scooter and Rowlf who used to be the leads, and when Animal has more lines than they do, it's unfitting to the Muppet world. He's the mascot of the Muppets, and when does a coach ever ask the mascot to suit up for the big varsity game? I would love to see him eating furniture, yelling "WOMAN!" or with the band doing a number.
3. The Electric Mayhem should sing! Now is the perfect time to bring them back to do another number together. The Electric Mayhem is an integral part of any Muppet film, and they are definitely due a new song. I'm not talking about just Dr. Teeth or Floyd doing a song; I mean all six members--yes, including Lips--do a number together. Bret McKenzie did a phenomenal job with "Man Or Muppet" as evidence of his Oscar, so let's see what else he's got! 
4. Put some danger into it! There was once a time where the Muppets were puppet versions of Monty Pythons, but endearing, honest, and loveable. Nowadays, loveable-ness outweighs the anarchy the Muppets were once so famous for. At this point, we've seen the Muppets broke, homeless, hit by cars, blown up, thrown from a plane, kidnapped, held at gunpoint, and even put in the electric chair. And all of these scenarios were done in an entertaining fashion. When it comes to the potential of this upcoming Muppet film, it could be every bit as epic as any great Pixar movie if they just trust their gut and know that these characters are unlike any other.
5. We don't need new characters! Walter was a good addition to the Muppet family, but the Moopets will most likely be lost in the annals of Characters Forgotten. Do we really need more one-note Muppets? Characters like these aren't always terrible, but they are one-dimensional, and never seem to last past the movie they were in, which is a shame. I think that Uncle Deadly stating that he's a Muppet and not a Moopet was a subtle way of stating that the Muppets are best when they're all on the same team.6. Don't call this sequel The Muppets 2! While the first movie was simply called The Muppets it worked, because some would find it odd calling it The Muppet Show Movie. The new one should definitely have the word Muppet in it, but to just have the number 2 beside it seems lazy. And calling it The Great Muppet Caper 2 is just as bad. Don't think too hard about it, just give it a nice title so that it stands out on its own.
Wasn't another speculated working title for this movie "The Neo Muppet Caper"? Not that that makes any kind of sense or any thing...
ReplyDeleteI agree with the OP on many different levels, I can do without any new Muppet characters thrown in, or the live actors singing ("Me Party" RULLY made me cringe, it was that bad).
One improvement I'd like to see is with the songs and music in general; show-stopping production numbers are a staple within the Muppet world, however, it seems like in the previous movie, most of the songs were really cheesy, hokey, and at times, downright sappy. I'd like to see more of the kind of numbers I've become accustomed to and loved growning up: really catchy songs, with clever lyrics, toe-tapping melodies, and of course, that classic Muppet edge to them.
Other than that, I'm really anxious to see what the new movie has in store for us... but, I agree... please don't call this "The Muppets 2"... I know some courses (mostly critics) like to label The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan as sequels to The Muppet Movie, but they're all stand-alone features, Muppet movies really don't need "sequels" or a continuing storyline, they work well as stand-alone features.
I hope they get that muppet edge, jim henson magic back. The muppeteers can do it, we know that, but some of the writing makes it kiddy, sappy, and down right weird (in a bad way). I agree they don't need humans to sing and that animal is not a main, just a laugh or two. We need the main muppets back as stated. Besides my little rant (agreeing with the name) I am very excited and happy for the new movie. Okay I'm off the soap box now.
ReplyDeleteHugs and giggles~Maria Gayle
I would liike to see less bigots fans for the next film.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I wouldn't have hired Gervais in the first place. Never really found the guy funny with an ego the size-dimensions of Thog...human characters, even big shot movie stars, always played secondary roles anyway. I'd personally like to see this Muppet movie handle the right balance again.
ReplyDeleteOh, and to avoid further movie clichés if possible. Evil Oil Tycoons are so 90's now :P
While I still thought the last Muppet movie was great, I'd like to see if the new movie can jump all of these hoops; foremost that it not just be called "The Muppets 2".
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I don't see why some folks are against the idea of Ricky Gervais starring in the new movie. Considering he's already worked with Elmo, you'd think more people wouldn't mind him continue to banter with Muppets =/ -- JB
I doubt this will be called "Muppets 2". That's likely just the working title.
ReplyDeleteI'm okay with Animal's increasing popularity, but he really shouldn't get three times the screen presence as Gonzo, Rowlf or Scooter like in the last movie. They have to give him more to do and that means other Muppets paired with him. Give him more time with Floyd or develop his relationship with his recent Bunny roommate/companion.
Muppets do need new characters from time to time. Pepe, Bobo, Sal and Johnny have been great editions to the cast over the years. Phil Gil and Jill served a purpose in MTM. Clueless and Polly were so good in MTI that they used them in some MT sketches. I also like the addition of Walter. He speaks to new fans in a way that's respectful to us old-timers.
Ricky Gervais has proven to work well with Muppets. He's neither dismissive nor overbearing toward them. Any fan should be lucky he's lending his considerable talent to the Muppets.
I agree we DONT NEED NEW CHARACTERS. It's hard enough to get enough screen time for muppet gang already without leaving some out.
ReplyDeleteDanger and adventure sounds good!
I hated 'We built this city'. It was crying out to be 'Can you picture that'
ReplyDeleteI know! I was so sad when they didn't! I mean, it's such a great song! Even if they wrote in in the 70's, it's still an up-to-date song!
DeleteI just hope that we don't have to save the Muppet Theater YET AGAIN!
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to tie in a moral theme that 21st century kids could relate to and still exude the muppet excitement and sense of adventure.
Regardless I will continue to be a devoted fan!!
S/N: Muppets Reunion with a Madea cameo!
You know? The 2011 movie was cute and all, but... I didn't really get the end. (If you haven't seen the movie yet, this is a spoiler! Fair warning!) Ok so the muppets didn't make enough money by midnight, so they get kicked out. Then they leave. Then a bunch of fans are outside cheering. They sing a song and the movie's over. What happened? After the song? What did they do after the song? I mean, they lost the theater to that guy! The next movie should tell us!
ReplyDelete