As Muppets Most Wanted announces at its outset, sequels are never as good as what they follow. The newest Muppets movie is no different. Enjoyable and funny, the all-ages adventure is crowded with huggable puppets and famous faces. But the nostalgic warmth and renewed zest of its inventive, endearing predecessor—2011’s Muppets Movie—has diminished.

You will want to like Muppets Most Wanted more. What the Muppets want more of is getting more of what they want. This desire is milked by Constantine, the world’s most dangerous frog. Swapping identities with Kermit, Constantine becomes the Muppets’ boss.

Why does no-one notice? “I can give you what you want,” Constantine promises the Muppets. Rather than question this un-Kermit-like management strategy, the Muppets embrace it.

As the fiendish frog plots a royal heist, those he pretends to lead get what they want: to perform whatever act they wish. As a result, The Muppet Show becomes anarchic, insufferable, and potentially lethal.

Remember the scene in Bruce Almighty where Bruce (Jim Carrey) uses divine powers to answer “yes” to thousands of prayers? He gave people what they wanted, and chaos ensued.

Like Bruce’s flock, Constantine’s crew combusts because conflicting “wants” can’t co-exist. We can’t know what everyone else wants, so we can’t know if our wants compete with, or annihilate, someone else’s.

The comedic examples of Muppets Most Wanted and Bruce Almighty show we need to consider why we want something, rather than simply craving it.