Having watched the Muppets faithfully during the Hensen era, and a few of the movies later, this movie posed two problems for me. First, humans played too big a role relative to the Muppets. Second, the major space-related Muppet from the original series, Captain Link Hogthrob, did not even have a role in this movie. This movie simply didn't measure up to what I expected from the Muppets.

"Muppets from Space" is a middling effort as these movies go; the customary wit has dulled and the crop of guest stars screams late '90s (Hollywood Hogan?). But there isn't really a "bad" Muppet movie out there; they all have their benefits. This one puts the "Muppets Tonight" players to good use (and more importantly, there's plenty of Bobo) and the clichéd funk song choices are still toe-tappers.6/10 Not to sound like I'm slamming the movie, but did we really need to know that Gonzo is a (SPOILER)? I mean, if humans are okay with Muppets walking around, couldn't he just be a . . . thing?

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.

If we can understand anything about The Muppets, it's that they are kind, true to their characters, enjoy fun, are self-deprecating, mean well even if they do wrong, and ultimately are about the positives that live in the souls of everyone.All of that is one hundred and eighty degrees from "Muppets From Space," a film that bears absolutely no resemblance to any of the elements that defined the Muppets while Jim Henson was alive. This film is filled with insult humor, gratuitous violent behavior and scary images, most of which are inappropriate for children to see, and all of which are completely out of character for The Muppets.As an example, in the very first moments of the film, Gonzo is trapped in the storm that will flood the earth. Noah doesn't permit him to enter the ark because he doesn't know what he is! It's a horrible message to send at the very start, and the film only goes downhill from that point. It's not funny, it's not entertaining, it's not meaningful and it's not Muppet.If nothing else, "Muppets From Space" proves what a visionary Jim Henson was, and that, unfortunately, no one in his organization grasped his philosophy, even slightly. Now you know why the Muppets have languished since Jim left.