Film Review: Muppet Treasure Island

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this film, please go and do so before proceeding.


      Just like my favorite A Christmas Carol adaptation is the version done by Kermit & Co., so my favorite Treasure Island film adaptation is this Brian Hensen film starring Tim Curry. Who DOESN'T need a little Curry in their diet?

     Right from the start, this movie gets you into the swashbuckling moves with one of the most awesome and epic theme songs ever to exist in a movie...let ALONE one involving The Muppets: "And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum. The Devil himself would have to call them scum!"

     After being kicked off by this utterly awesome piece of exposition/atmosphere in song, the story is off and running. And, for the most part, it is very much the Robert Louis Stevenson tale that we all know and love. Jim Hawkins is a poor boy who works in a tavern where an ex-pirate named Billy Bones (played to hilarious perfection by Billy Connolly) lives and imbibes a ridiculous amount of rum until the day his old shipmates catch up with him and give him The Black Spot. Bones entrusts his treasure map

    Of course there are some Muppification tropes that change the original story up a bit. For instance, Mr. Arrow does not die and Benjamin Gunn is turned into Benjamina Gunn...temptress, island goddess, and Miss Piggy. There's even a Scooby Doo style chase scene involving Gonzo, Rizzo, a bunch of angry pirates, and a gunpowder trail. Some of the slapstick moments fall a bit flat, I suppose (and I could have done without the rats) but for every bad joke there is an equally great, witty pun or reference that pokes fun at the original story...or at pirate lore in general. Tim Curry is in his element, playing the clever and enigmatic Long John Silver, bringing the level of paternal affection and unbalanced motivations that is so vital to any portrayal of the part.

       And, unlike with Muppet's Christmas Carol, all of the songs in this movie are actually quite a lot of fun and incredibly catchy. From 'Shiver My Timbers' to 'Love Led Us Here', you are guaranteed to be humming (and belting out) these tunes for weeks after you watch the movie. Which, considering it is a musical, is a good sign. The lyrics are clever and funny and the melodies WILL be stuck in your head for a long time.


         The movie builds to a very fun and energetic climax as well. We even get to see Kermit fencing! Of course there is the typical Muppet moments of fourth-wall breaking and utter ridiculousness, but it's still a lot of fun. Muppet Treasure Island is a great introduction to a classic piece of literature and is just a great experience for fans, new and old alike. Every time I watch it, I catch a new reference and it manages to mesh together the serious dramatic moments with the zany humor that makes The Muppets so wonderful. I give it a 5/5.

     "Beware the one-legged man! Aye! But also beware of running with scissors, or any other pointy objects, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eyAUGH!" ~ Billy Bones



What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?