The Happytime Murders (2018)

In a world where humans and puppets co-exist (but a heavy prejudice still lingers), a hard-nosed P.I. is on the hunt for a puppet killer. He's reluctantly teamed up with a human who also harbors ill feelings towards his ilk. Featuring puppet prostitutes, junkies and other foul-mouthed felt bastards, it seems destined to offend anyone with delicate sensibilities. Brian Henson summons his Puppet Up! days to bring us this dark, perverse murder mystery comedy that feels closer to Meet the Feebles and Avenue Q than anything Jim Henson has put out. The sheer audacity of bringing this film into existence is to be commended. This one isn't for the kiddies or the pearl-clutchers.

3 silly string cumshots out of 5

Muppets from Space (1999)

Gonzo, the lonely, misunderstood, self-described "weirdo," contemplates his place in the world and where he belongs. Continuing off of a seed planted in The Muppet Movie ("I'm Going to Go Back There Someday"), we finally get our Gonzo-centric movie. While logic would dictate that this movie takes place in space, the majority of it is actually set at a top secret government facility, which captures Gonzo, prompting the rest of the Muppets to break him out.

While technically a well-made Muppet movie, the poor reception of this film led to the brand scaling back and being relegated to TV and direct-to-video productions for awhile, and it wasn't until 2011 that the Muppets were given another chance at their next big theatrical outing.

2½ whatevers out of 5

Note: If you get ahold of the DVD, it contains the most fun audio commentary I've ever heard with the Muppets themselves in a special MST3K silhouette style. It actually ends up being more entertaining than the movie itself.

Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Riding high on the sails of Muppet Christmas Carol, Brian Henson sets out to adapt the next great literary classic. Full of swashbuckling adventure at sea, old treasure maps, chests full of pirate's gold and a legendary over-the-top performance by Tim Curry as Long John Silver, it's fun for all ages. Sadly, the material does not totally mesh well with the Muppets' sense of humor, and while it's full of colorful characters, skillful puppeteering and a memorable seafaring backdrop, it lacks both the humor and heart which made past Henson productions successful. My biggest issue is that it kid-ifies the source material too much. The Muppets shouldn't have their edges sanded off and it shows. 

3 black spots out of 5