Muppets from Space (1999)

It wouldn't be insulting the legacy of Jim Henson to assume that a Muppet movie made in 1999 would have little new to offer. Children's movies had gone in a different direction, with puppets seeming like a holdover from a simpler era. But Muppets From Space finds it easier being green than one would expect, effectively trotting out the old formula of mid-level stars making game cameos amidst a bunch of giggly Muppet mayhem. Ray Liotta, Andie McDowell, Jeffrey Tambor, and David Arquette take their place among the franchise's proud fraternity of guest stars, and the creatures -- now under the auspices of Henson's son, Brian -- are equipped with as many endearing facial expressions and one-liners as ever. The movie kicks off with a rousing around-the-house montage to the Commodores' "Brick House," and never lets up steam. Miss Piggy's diva shtick may be a tad played out, but it's the new characters that breathe humorous life into the project, notably the foreign-accented Pepe the Prawn and Bobo the Bear, the befuddled yes-man to Tambor's plotting villain. And Kermit the Frog could never wear out his welcome; the plot may revolve around Gonzo, but Kermit is the heart and soul of this clan. Only a human hand could so perfectly scrunch up Kermit's face into that priceless look of "Why me?" embarrassment. Such details will always give the Muppets a human touch, increasingly absent in the animated fare marching toward further technological sterility. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide