The Smurfs (2011)
When wicked sorcerer Gargamel tries to capture them to use as talismans for his own evil magic, the peaceful blue Smurfs flee their woodland home, pass through a magic portal and find themselves stranded in New York City. Now, Papa Smurf, Smurfette and their clan turn to a young couple (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays) for help getting back home. Raja Gosnell directs an all-star cast that includes the voices of Jonathan Winters and Katy Perry.
I’m going to say it, The Smurfs was just as bad as it looked, just as stupid as it sounded and just as pointless as it was presented. Yet when the credits rolled, I knew I smurfing enjoyed it. The tiny little adorable blue guys and gal won me over. They were consistently funny, goofing around with each other and saying some of the cutest lines of dialogue and not one time did I ever roll my eyes getting annoyed with them, unlike some of the other CGI talking creatures placed into the real world. They incorporated them well in the world, and while it was still stupid, it was done in a manner that felt comfortable enough.
When the evil Gargamel finally finds the Smurfs village, they are forced to run and accidently get sucked through a vortex and are sent to New York City. Once there they must turn the moon blue so they can return to their home, but Gargamel follows them and disrupts their plans. It’s pretty straight forward from there. You’ll have an easy time knowing exactly how the story plays out, but the thing you won’t factor in is the amount of laughs it pulls out of you from both creative and completely stupid gags. It caught me by surprise. An example is when the Smurfs are mistaken for toys at the mall and a mad dash of customers scramble to buy them. It reminded me a lot of that rare toy every year around Christmas time that is always out of stock. The weakness of the film comes straight from the non-Smurf related characters and scenarios. NPH and is pregnant wife are there to give the film a life lesson of family and believing in yourself, but it feels like the laziest part of the film.
The villain of the film Gargamel is played over the top by the very ugly Hank Azaria. He is purposely funny when he’s hanging with his cat (who is the films breakout CGI star btw) and unintentionally funny in everything else. He does and says some of the dumbest material that you can’t help but laugh and have a good time with him. Who knew the worst looking part of the film would wind up being one of its biggest strengths. The Smurf characters are voiced by a slew of celebrities who all seem to be having a good time. That dialogue you see featured in the trailer where they replace other words with Smurf doesn’t stick out so bad in the overall pace of the film. It flows with it and feels natural rather than forced, coming off far less annoying then you might have thought.
The Smurfs won me over, its as simple as that. I walked not expecting very much, but I surprisingly had a fun time with them. At a short run time of 80 minutes, it actually feels like it ends too soon because the time passes by fairly quickly. The Smurfs isn’t a great animated film by any means, but it’s not even as close as bad as it was predicted to be. For me it’s the surprise family-fun film of the summer that does just enough things right to make it fun. Give it a watch if you had any urge to watch it, you may be surprised at what you get.
*In regards to the 3D and animation, the color scheme of this movie is really bright, so it ended up actually having a pretty good 3D effect. It is the only movie so far this year where the 3D seemed to make my experience with the film more enjoyable. The Smurfs animation was also top notch work here. If you don't mind spending the extra cash, I;d recommend going 3D for this, but as always it is never truly necessary to enjoy the film.
*
Overall Score: 6/10
