4.5 Stars (out of 5) - Rated

Synopsis

When Kermit the Frog and the Muppets learn that their beloved theater is slated for demolition, a sympathetic human, Gary, and his puppet roommate, Walter, swoop in to help the gang put on a show and raise the $10 million they need to save the day.

Starring:

Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Emily Blunt

Director:

James Bobin

Blu-ray Release Date:

March 20, 2012

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:

Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.8 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

Subwoofer - 4.0 Stars

Dialog - 5.0 Stars

Surround Effects - 5.0 Stars

Dynamic Range - 5.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX

This DTS-HD presentation puts on a pretty good show and gave me more than I expected for a Muppet movie. The dialog and songs sound great and the musical numbers utilize all speakers. The subwoofer has a decent amount of activity and packs a punch during thunder storms, explosions, and a low irritating rumble is heard every time the bad guy is seen. The rear speakers offer something in every scene, and surround you with sounds of rain, clucking chickens, applause, and Fozzie's fart shoes.

Video 4.8 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

Color Accuracy - 5.0 Stars

Shadow detail - 4.5 Stars

Clarity - 4.5 Stars

Skin tones - 5.0 Stars

Compression - 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

I never thought I would be impressed by looking at the texture of felt, but somehow the clarity of this Blu-ray brings out the finer details of the beloved puppets. Colors are warm and showcase Animal's wild bright red hair, Kermit's green hue, and the lush red stage curtain. Skin tones on the human actors are natural and shadows rarely lose any details.

Bonus Features 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Filmmakers Audio Commentary: With executive producer/co-writer/actor Jason Segel, executive producer/co-writer Nicholas Stoller and director James Bobin.

Scratching the Surface (HD, 16 minutes): A behind the scenes short called "Hasty Examination of the Making of The Muppets".

Deleted Scenes (HD, 10 minutes): Eight deleted scenes are available; "Walter's Nightmare," "Life's A Happy Song Missing Verse," "A Hero in Hollywood," "Credit Card Club," "Muppets in Jail," "Bowling for Beaker," "The Strip Mall Awards" and "The Complete Muppet Telethon Opening & More" most of these deleted scene include even more celebrity cameos.

Explaining Evil: The Full Tex Richman Song (HD, 3 minutes): Explains the back-story behind Richman's hatred of the Muppets.

The Longest Blooper Reel Ever. At Least In Muppet History... We Think (HD, 9 minutes)

A Little Screen Test on the Way to the Read-Through (HD, 3 minutes): A few of the Muppets are performing screen tests on their way to a script reading.

Theatrical Spoof Trailers (HD, 9 minutes): "Rise of the Muppets," "Never" "Green with Envy," "The Fuzzy Pack," "Being Green," "The Piggy with the Froggy Tattoo" and "Green with Envy, the Spoof Spoof Trailer."

Full-Length Original Soundtrack: Available via a digital download code. (Only available in the Wocka Wocka Value Pack version of the Blu-ray)

Movie - 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Review

I loved the Muppets when I was a kid. I tried to watch the original movies with my kids, and let me just say, time has not been kind to the old movies. Because of that experience, my kids weren't interested in watching this one. As soon as we started to watch this reboot, we had a blast. The Muppets is a clever, relevant, and funny family film that rekindled the magic Jim Henson created over 30 years ago. I laughed out loud several times, and loved how the jokes and gags were aware of the Muppets unpopularity. The amount of celebrity cameos are amazing and surprising. I didn't even know Mickey Rooney was still alive, and my kids went nuts when Selena Gomez showed up.

Even though this movie is funny, it's not perfect. Most of the musical numbers were entertaining, but some were awkward and strange. Lots of time is spent trying to make you remember how popular the Muppets used to be, instead of breaking new ground and becoming relevant today. This film does have its shortcomings, but its sense of humor and charm go a long way and makes the movie work as a successful reintroduction to the Muppets.