Muppets Most Wanted English movie review

This time the movie really is — as the old theme song promises — sensational, celebrational and Muppetational.

That last part matters the most in “Muppets Most Wanted.” In 2011, the Muppets were successfully rebooted (insert wocca-wocca joke here about lacking feet), but that hit movie was a bit heavy on the humans.

Tina Fey and Kermit in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’

No worries about that with “Most Wanted.” This one continues the Muppet tradition of making the real co-stars up their funny to keep up with Jim Henson’s creations. The film’s slightly overplotted feel is offset by the zippiest musical numbers since the Muppets’ deservedly beloved 1979 film.

This is Kermit & Co.’s seventh sequel since then, as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew points out. The movie starts, naturally, at a Siberian gulag, from which Kermit’s evil look-alike, a frog named Constantine, escapes. Ricky Gervais plays Constantine’s henchman Dominic Badguy (pronounced “bad- gee ”), masquerading as a two-bit showbiz manager helping the Muppets launch a round-the-world stage tour of their ’70s TV show.

The evil frog in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’

Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the other Muppets don’t notice that Constantine’s taken Kermit’s place, despite that eeevil accent and Animal’s usually spot-on animal instinct. Then a CIA agent (Sam the Eagle) and a French Interpol officer (Ty Burrell) get involved as Constantine plans to marry an unsuspecting Piggy at “the most romantic spot in the world,” the Tower of London.

This all moves fast and owes a minor debt to “The Great Muppet Caper,” the troupe’s underappreciated 1981 sequel. Director James Bobin, who did the 2011 relaunch, seems more comfortable now juggling the classic Muppet mix of smart kid humor and wry adult jokes. The well-written, wacky music is a boost as well.

Gervais, Burrell and Fey dive in with gusto to the goofy goings-on. As for the Muppets, Constantine’s squished-face villain version of Kermit is a hoot and his presence balances out the typically screechy Miss Piggy and supermellow Walter, the previous movie’s new addition.

Everyone else furry, freaky and made of felt is a delight. While we can always use more of Rowlf the dog, Dr. Teeth and crusty hecklers Statler and Waldorf, they’re all part of a time-tested tapestry. Pull any one string, and parents and kids all laugh together.