RE:VIEW — “Muppet Treasure Island” (1996)
Somehow I had never seen this film until now. I watched it due to the recent death of Tim Curry whose passing was rightly mourned by so many who enjoy acting which is more lively than what passed for the craft in the mid-to-late 1990s.
All of the gang from the Muppets family are here, as well as a couple of cameos: Billy Connolly (Billy Bones, pirate, ret'd) and Jennifer Saunders (Mrs. Sarah Bluveridge, an innkeeper). In addition to Mr Curry (Long John Silver, a ship’s cook), there’s also Kevin Bishop (Jim Hawkins, an orphan), but other than a few random crew members and citizens in the introductory scenes, that is it for characters portrayed by human beings. The rest are our loveable fuzzy friends of various sizes.
It’s acknowledged in this film that even Gonzo doesn’t know what sort of creature he is.
It’s a delightful romp of an adaptation of the original novel. There’s the usual breaking of the 'fourth wall,’ the mild slapstick of characters being thrown through the air and smacking against things, and the occasional embarrassing moment of a meal being offered to an animal whose relative may be on the plate before them.
The star, clearly, is Mr Curry, who bounds about the set and swashes a buckler1 with the best of them. He long said that this film was one of the most creatively rewarding roles he had. Apparently the Muppet Creative Shop rewarded him at the end of the shoot with his own image as a Muppet.
While not the best work by the team, it’s solid entertainment of an evening, and worth it just to watch the boundless energy of Mr Curry matching the rest of the cast every step of the way.
Recommended.
★★★☆☆
Check out my last 5 posts
a small shield the size of a dinner plate which is strapped to the forearm↩