Film Review - Muppets Most Wanted

 

Still Jolly Good Fun

Film: Muppets Most Wanted
Cast: Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell
Directed by: James Bobin
Duration: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: *  *  * 1 / 2

Director James Bobin revived the Muppets on the big screen with the 2011 film becoming a grand success. Rarely does a sequel of a film stand up to its predecessor and Muppets Most Wanted is jolly good fun for everyone.

Even though the story is simple there is something enchanting about it and the funny lines galore making you chuckle from time to time.

Constantine (voice of Matt Vogel) is the world’s most dreaded frog and a number one criminal who manages to escape from the Gulag prison in Siberia . The Muppets meanwhile have recruited a new manager (Ricky Gervais) who is planning a deadly heist with the criminal. Since Constantine and Kermit the leader of the Muppets look alike, there is a switch and the two villains use the Muppet shows to execute their nefarious plans.

Tina Fey plays a Siberian prison guard and there are cameos by Salma Hayek, Christoph Waltz and Celine Dion. The tone of the film is on the lighter side and while there is the message about friendship et al, for most parts it doesn’t take itself seriously.  There is a fair bit of singing and dancing and the musical pieces add to the charm.
 

The repartee between a couple of detectives, an American CIA agent and a Frenchman is hilarious and when a film has characters of different nationalities, their accents can also add some humor.

The film will charm the old timers familiar with the Muppets and will certainly win some new hearts as well. It is always fun to watch Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey although the former is a bit low key in the film. They may be age old but the Muppets are still good fun. 

Published in The Navhind Times on 23rd Mar 2014

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Film Review - Mr.Peabody and Sherman

Back To The Future

Film: Mr.Peabody and Sherman

Voices of: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter

Directed by: Rob Minkoff

Duration: 1 hr 32 mins

Rating: * * * 1 / 2

Inspired by the animated television series of the 1960’s Mr.Peabody and Sherman is a refreshing fun film for all age groups. Produced by Dreamworks, it is a departure from the usual standard format of animation films about the victory of the underdog. Instead, this one takes you on a joyride.

Sherman (voice of Max Charles) is a little boy adopted by Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) who is a dog. But he is no ordinary dog, he has the wisdom of Yoda, the brain of Einstein (who also features in the film) and great physical skills as well. At school, Sherman gets into a tiff with Penny (Ariel Winter) and gets reprimanded for the same. To resolve the issue Mr. Peabody invites her family to his house and to impress Penny, Sherman shows her the WABAC which is basically a time machine. From there the journey begins as they land up in Egypt during the time of King Tutankhamun, they manage to escape that ordeal only to land in Italy during the time of Leonardo Da vinci (Stanley Tucci).

There are other historical events, people in the film including the Trojan War and Marie Antoinette, Sigmund Freud and George Washington also make an appearance in this adventure.

There are a lot of jokes and fun lines and some of them come from the most unexpected quarter at an unexpected time. In one scene, Penny is forced to marry King Tut and when Sherman comes to save her the astrologer says “We can’t cancel the wedding now, we have already booked the catering!”

The quality animation, the colors and little bit of slapstick humor will keep the kids entertained and they might even learn a thing or two about history. Mr.Peabody and Sherman is as good an outing for the family, as it gets.

 
Published in The Navhind Times on 2nd Mar 2014  
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