This is not up to previous big-screen adventures of the Muppets (in fact, it was the last) but still quite good apart from the modernized score (which is barely there to begin with) and dubious star cast (David Arquette, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Kathie Holmes, Ray Liotta, Andie MacDowell, etc). The idea to explore the origins of Gonzo was nice (indeed inevitable, ditto the excursion into sci-fi) even if the limelight is ultimately stolen by Rizzo The Rat (as ever, Gonzo's closest pal) and Pepe The Prawn (whose tendency to end his dialogue with "Okay?" recalls the teacher from SOUTH PARK, then at its peak). The emphasis on 'new' characters pretty much undermines the contribution of established Muppets like Kermit The Frog and Fozzie Bear
and, while Miss Piggy herself gets a fairly sizeable role, she basically retreads her paces from THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER (1981). The script (and look of the film) clearly draws on recent genre blockbusters like INDEPENDENCE DAY and MARS ATTACKS! (both 1996); that said, its funnier moments typically involve throwaway bits of business, such as the resident pop group (which has Animal for a drummer) dressing up for the occasion when they replace Gonzo at a Bar Mitzvah and Pepe subconsciously convincing Gonzo to build a Jacuzzi in the spirit of FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)! Also notable, though, are the interrogation scenes with Gonzo at the secret military/scientific base and Rizzo's simultaneous tenure there as a guinea pig. Unsurprisingly, the climax sees the arrival of a mother ship on Earth with a human eventually filling in for Gonzo, since the latter cannot bring himself to be separated from the other Muppets after all.
Review of Muppets from Space
