JJSeaver Reviews

Muppets from Space (1999)

The Muppets come through! For everyone.

[7/10 · 18 July 1999]

When it comes to doing an entertaining show for everyone to enjoy, no-one's more dependable than the Muppets. While Gonzo is given the spotlight, there's room enough for everyone's favorite Muppets, including new favorites like Pepe The Prawn and Bobo Bear. It's kind of strange to see Kermit and Piggy in supporting roles, rather than leads, but it's still amazing how easily the audience starts seeing the Muppets as characters as opposed to props.

This movie is G-rated, but that should be taken literally - it's for everyone, not just the ankle-biters. There are jokes that flew right over the heads of the four-year-olds in the audience, but they flew completely over: No coyly circumvented swearwords, and the double entendres are so well-disguised as to be a marvel. Good clean fun for both children and adults who can handle an imaginative tale.

Wild Wild West (1999)

This should be better

[5/10 · 18 July 1999]

It's tough to see what went wrong here. I've liked Sonnenfeld's movies; Smith, Kline and Branagh are all well-cast, the guys who wrote Tremors worked on it and, dog-gone it, I'm even partial to gadget westerns and giant spider robots.

So what went wrong? Somehow, the pieces just don't click together, and the end result is a movie that's pleasant, but never quite engaging. "Wild Wild West" wants to be "Men In Black" or "Brisco County Junior", but while it's got all the right ingredients, the recipe isn't quite right.