The Happytime Murders | Average Guy Movie Review

In a world where people and puppets co-exist, the puppets are very much second class citizens. But when the cast of 90's TV show "The Happytime Gang" start turning up dead, both the FBI and the police make the case a high priority. Their prime suspect is puppet Private Detective Phil Phillips (Bill Barretta), an ex-cop who's brother was on the show. If Phil is going to catch the killer and clear his name, he'll have to work with his estranged ex-partner, LAPD Detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy). Get ready to see the darker side of show business...and puppets!

From Brian Henson, son of the legendary Jim Henson comes a very different kind of puppet movie. If you have seen the red band trailers, you know exactly what you're in for. Henson has clearly taken inspiration - or at least some style tips - from classic film noir/detective stories and buddy cop movies, and then put his own unique spin on things. The Happytime Murders is like a cross between Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Team America: World Police, but with puppets...and a bit of Seth MacFarlane's "Ted" thrown in for good measure.

Henson's colourful creation is unlikely to win any awards, and will no doubt receive a lot of criticism for being crude and disgusting. But to me that's where the fun is. This isn't one of those movies that's supposed to make you think or challenge your world view. This is meant to be fun, and maybe a little nostalgic. Much like Team America did with marionettes, Henson has taken something from our childhood and torn off the clean-cut, child proof shell. And the result is side-splitting. Yes, the story is a little generic, but I laughed my arse off from start to finish!

If there's one thing Henson and his crew do deserve credit for, it's the world they have created. Clearly a lot of work has gone into bringing it to life! Visual Effects Supervisor Sam Nicholson described the movie as "some of the most complex work that we've ever done". Keep watching when the credits role to see some of their incredible work. The puppets - of which there are 125 - all look perfect and it's easy to believe in this world where they co-exist with humans. Their interactions with said humans are spot on. All of the human cast do well opposite their fuzzy colleagues, but Melissa McCarthy is the standout. Be it opposite Baretta's Phillips or a pair of "rotten cotton" hookers, McCarthy is having a lot of fun with this role, and her larger (and louder) than life performance fits beautifully.

If you're looking for a fun movie, something that doesn't require you to think and will just make you laugh, you can't go far wrong with The Happytime Murders. Yes I know that sounds like an odd thing to say about a movie with "Murders" in the title, but it's true. Prepare to see puppets in a way you never imagined, just make sure the kids aren't around first...Elmo too!

8/10

What did you think of The Happytime Murders? Let us know by leaving a comment below or find us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also email us moustachemovienews@gmail.com

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning | Average Guy Movie Review

Two months after acquiring both halves of the cruciform key, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is ready to put an end to the Entity, once and for all. However, in that time the rogue A.I. has increased its stranglehold on cyber space and the planet. Spreading lies and misinformation, the people of the world are divided more than ever, and governments are on high alert. All of which should make it rather difficult, maybe even impossible for Ethan and his team to find a sunken Russian submarine and, use whatever they find there to kill the artificial intelligence that's slowly taking control of the world's nuclear arsenals. It is entirely possible that Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning could be the most anxiety inducing instalment of the franchise - the second half, anyway. Once again, Tom Cruise puts himself through the absolutely ludicrous in the name of entertainment... and a possible adrenaline addiction. Every scenario in which Ethan and the gang find themselves seems to be d...

Jason Bourne: Spoiler Review

I don't usually write spoiler filled reviews because I don't see the point. But considering my not so positive review of Jason Bourne, one of the most highly anticipated movies of Summer 2016, I thought it might be worth trying to explain why I reached the verdict I did. If you haven't seen this movie stop reading because there are spoilers ahead. Click here to see the spoiler free review. The movie begins with Bourne in Greece. He's laying low, making money by competing in underground fights and still struggling with his past. He lacks purpose which is making him miserable. Nicky Parsons on the other hand is busy hacking the CIA in order to expose their black ops programs. So far so good. But when Nicky finds something out about Jason's (or should I say David's) past, she heads to Greece to find him. Unfortunately her activities have drawn the attention of CIA Agent Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander), a cyber ops specialist who begins to track her. Using a ...

4DX – Is it worth it or just a gimmick?

Having watched the promo video what do you think? This week I saw Ghostbusters in 4DX and it definitely made the movie more of a ride. In fact 4DX feels like it was designed to appeal to the roller coaster crowd but will you miss the experience when watching the same movies at home? When I saw Ghostbusters for the second time I decided to view it in 4DX because I wanted to know what the "environmental effects" did for the movie going experience. If you want to know what I thought of Ghostbusters check out my Average Guy Movie Review . In my honest opinion; right now 4DX is more of a gimmick than an experience. The movement, air bursts, smoke and spraying water were more of a distraction than anything else, all of which felt out of sink with the movie. The effects like the strobe lights went off a split second before whatever they were supposed to augment happened. For example; during a subway scene, the Ghostbusters find a ghost in the tunnel who had been executed u...

Search This Blog