What’s It About
When Papa Smurf is taken by evil wizards, Razamel and Gargamel, Smurfette leads the Smurfs on a mission to the real world to save him. With the help of new friends, the Smurfs must discover what defines their destiny to save the universe.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
The latest Smurfs movie hits theaters with big promises but delivers a confusing mess that tries way too hard to be everything at once. Director Chris Miller, who worked on successful animated films before, seems lost trying to figure out what this movie wants to be. The story centers around a nameless Smurf who feels left out because everyone else has a clear job and personality. While Papa Smurf leads the village and keeps everyone happy with music, this poor guy can’t find his place anywhere. Things get crazy when he accidentally gains magical powers and opens a portal that lets the evil wizard Razamel find their hidden village. Razamel kidnaps Papa Smurf, and suddenly our heroes must travel through different worlds to save him. What starts as a simple tale about finding yourself quickly becomes an overcomplicated adventure. The movie jumps from being a musical to a multiverse story to something that feels like a superhero film. Characters hop between cartoon worlds, real-life locations, clay animation scenes, and even video game levels. It’s exhausting to follow, and kids might get confused by all the rapid changes. The voice talent included big names like John Goodman, Nick Offerman, James Corden, and Rihanna, but, for the most part, they feel wasted. Rihanna plays Smurfette, and while this background is singing, it doesn’t really feel like a fit for Smurfette. Her performance is so disconnected from what Smurfette should sound like. The movie is very adamant about getting her talents out there, but it just felt forced instead. Other talented actors like Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer, and Kurt Russell show up in tiny roles that barely matter. Music plays a huge part in the film, with several songs scattered throughout. Papa Smurf acts like a DJ for the village, and characters break into song regularly. While some tunes are okay, none stick with you after leaving the theater. The musical moments feel more like excuses to feature Rihanna’s voice than natural parts of the story. The animation looks pretty good and stays true to the original Smurf designs. The artists did a nice job making the characters look both classic and modern. When the movie visits different animation styles, it shows real creativity. Unfortunately, good visuals can’t fix a weak story. The biggest problem is that the movie can’t decide what it wants to be. It starts like those colorful Trolls movies with happy singing and dancing, then becomes a complicated adventure story. The script tries to pack in too many ideas without developing any of them properly. We get Smurf village life, family drama between wizard brothers, portal-jumping adventures, and deep mythology about magical books. Each element could work in its own movie, but together they create a jumbled mess. Comedy falls flat throughout most scenes. The writers rely heavily on replacing curse words with “Smurf,” which gets old fast and seems weird for a kids’ movie. Other jokes depend on basic puns or references that don’t land well. The humor feels lazy compared to better animated films that manage to entertain both kids and adults. Character development suffers because the movie stays too busy with plot mechanics. The nameless Smurf’s journey to find his identity gets pushed aside by action sequences and villain schemes. Even though this should be the heart of the story, it gets lost among all the other elements fighting for attention. The film takes the Smurfs to various real-world locations like Paris, Australia, and Germany. These trips through human areas could have been fun, but they feel rushed and pointless. The movie doesn’t do anything interesting with the contrast between tiny blue creatures and our normal world. Razamel is a boring villain who wants magical books to destroy all goodness everywhere. His motivation feels generic, and his personality doesn’t stand out from countless other animated bad guys. Even with J.P. Karliak voicing both him and his brother Gargamel, neither character feels memorable or threatening. The movie clearly targets young children first, which deserves some credit. Many family films try too hard to appeal to parents, but this one focuses on its intended audience. Kids might enjoy the bright colors, silly moments, and simple messages about friendship and believing in yourself. However, even kid-focused movies can have more heart and creativity than what we see here. Despite all its problems, the film isn’t completely terrible. It maintains a harmless, upbeat tone that won’t upset anyone. The positive themes about finding your place and working together come through clearly. Some younger viewers might get caught up in the colorful chaos and enjoy the experience while it lasts. The Smurfs have entertained people for almost seventy years through comics, TV shows, and previous movies. This rendition seems like a waste, with nothing special about these friends. The film could have embraced and used the elements that make the Smurfs great and wonderful, but instead, the movie borrows from what has successfully worked in other animated hits. Overall, this Smurfs offering feels less like a labor of love and more like a corporate venture. It certainly won’t harm anyone who watches it, but this film felt void of the magic of the time invested in creating this film. Kids may have fun during the screening, but they probably won’t ask to see it again or remember it fondly years later. As a franchise with such history and legacy, that is a sad commentary.
OUR RATING – A MIXED BAG 4