Who would have thought that in today’s age of sleek razor edge 3D blockbusters and dystopian mega-action franchises, a gaggle of old Jim Henson Muppets could still command an audience? They do that and much, much more in Muppets Most Wanted, the 8^th (8^th!) installment of the kooky franchise, or the first sequel after 2011’s well liked reboot.

Tina Fey and Ricky Gervais both give in to the Muppet mayhem with reckless abandon here, to gleeful effect. After a pretty ‘meta’ opening number (in which Kermit and company sing about how the sequel is never as good as the original), the Muppets run into a Mr. Dominic Badguy (Gervais), an ‘undercover’ baddie with a sinister plan: pose as the Muppets’ new tour manager and use them as decoys while robbing various points of interest around the world.

Enter Constantine, an evil Kermit doppelganger freshly broken out of a Siberian gulag, who causes Kermie to be apprehended and sent to prison. Then, he stealthily takes the #1 Frog’s place amongst the crew as they prep for their world tour—dastardly and hilarious indeed. Tina Fey is Nadya, the gulag warden of sorts who forces Kermit to direct an in-prison theatrical revue show. It is particularly marvelous to watch as Ms. Fey belts in a Russian accent—and for the most part pulls it off to perfection.

Add to this mix the Muppets at the top of their ironic and delightful game, plus a whole array of happily ridiculous cameos (Lady Gaga—eh, Josh Groban—amazing), and what do you get? A sequel as good as (if not better than) the original.

—DH