Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
When Gonzo's breakfast cereal tells him that he's the descendant of aliens from another planet, his attempts at extraterrestrial communication get him kidnapped by a secret government agency, prompting the Muppets to spring into action to rescue their friend.
Muppets from Space is a mid-tier entry in the franchise that substitutes the musical numbers that define classic Muppet films for a sci-fi spoof premise. The plot is thin and formulaic, leaning heavily on government-conspiracy parody tropes without much invention. The human cast (Jeffrey Tambor, Ray Liotta, Andie MacDowell) is game but underused, and the Muppet performers maintain their usual charm. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable for a late-90s family film. The sci-fi angle was somewhat fresh for the Muppets brand at the time, but the execution is derivative of Men in Black-era alien comedy, and the absence of original songs removes one of the franchise's most distinctive elements, making it feel less singular than prior entries. The ending is competent but emotionally flat compared to the send-offs of earlier Muppet films.