My Review of "The Muppets Take Manhattan"

The Muppets Take Manhattan is a Muppets movie that came out back in 1984. I only became a fan of the Muppets way later on in my life because I never understood the fun with this franchise. Only later on in my life did I understand the nuances and double entendres sprinkled throughout their shows. As a kid I thought it was just a bunch of puppets for kids. It's much more than that.

This movie is very much a product of its time but in a way ahead of its time as well. It's very ambitious but you don't have to have knowledge of the original TV show to understand what's going on. I do think it's very beneficial for you to have some knowledge of the characters though.

It all starts out with Kermit and the gang just finishing up their last year in college. They've created a somewhat successful musical that they want to show on Broadway. As all young artists, they are naive and passion. They move over to New York city to make it big. Unfortunately, they quickly find out that making it in the big city isn't quite as easy as they thought it would be.

Down to their last dollar, they all decide to separate in order to make regular lives for themselves. While this is going on Kermit continues to sell the play to producers around the city. There's a lot of fun social commentary behind a lot of the things that happen in this movie. It's also somewhat of a fun satire of yet another story about country bumpkins trying to make it in the big city.

If you blink you might miss a lot of the fun jokes in this movie. They're carefully hidden in there so that it's not obvious to all viewers. Where else can you see a conman being arrested for choking the chicken in a "kids movie?" They're quite progressive with their jokes about homosexuality and all sorts of different social conversations.

One of the most impressive things to see in this movie was the puppetry involved in this movie. Usually with the TV show you'd just see the faces of the puppets while they conversate but this one allows the Muppets to really live in the set of Manhattan. Some of the effects are a little obvious but there were some that boggled my mind.

Those that know the Muppets will feel right at home and will love this movie because of the pure charm and fun that comes with all of the characters. There's this colorful exuberance that emits from the screen when you first watch this movie. It also helps that it's a product of the 80s. It very much feels fun and alive, which is far from the drab dreary movies we have nowadays.

Some things I didn't expect to see was the introduction of the Muppet babies in this movie. I remember the cartoon but I didn't know it came from this movie. Also, there are a lot of tie ins to other Jim Henson franchises that I didn't expect. This is like the Marvel movies before the Marvel movies were popular. Again, you're going to have be know a little bit in order to get it.

I think there's also a lot of cameos in here but you'll have to be in the know of 80s culture to understand. It's pretty obvious that these were big cameos but I only understood a few of them. I'm sure that at the time these were a way bigger deal.

Overall, I had a fantastic time watching this. There were a lot of stupid, fun and ridiculous things that happen in this movie but the charm and liveliness was infectious. If you're a fan of the Muppets you'll know exactly what I mean. For a first time viewing, I'm surprised I was able to enjoy it this much. I will have to give this movie a 7.5 out of 10. I would recommend this movie and would watch it again.