Smurf-tastic!

At the local movie theater here, they offer free movies for children once a week during the summer. A couple of weeks ago I saw The Smurfs, the classic comic story brought to the silver screen. I will say I wasn’t expecting all that much, but the film still let me down in some areas.

The movie begins in Smurf Village, a wonderful, happy little place. We first meet Clumsy, the Smurf who gets his namesake from obvious origins. The poor little thing can’t keep his feet under him for over five seconds, and is always knocking things over, tripping other Smurfs, and generally creating havoc.

We also meet Gargamel, the evil resident wizard who also happens to have a pretty intelligent cat as an assistant. Of course, they are much larger than the Smurfs, but need the “blue essence” they give off in order for Gargamel to become a much more powerful wizard. When he does get the essence, we see how powerful it is. He goes into a cosmetics store and accidentally transforms Sofia Vergara’s eighty-something mother into a sexy thirty-year-old bombshell.

The movie isn’t what you’d expect: Katy Perry as the voice of Smurfette was almost unrecognizable; you learn to get past the fact that she’s a singing star and pay more attention to the character herself. The characterization in the film isn’t that bad; of course, it’s made a lot easier because the names of the Smurfs work like the Seven Dwarves: Grouchy is…Grouchy. Papa Smurf is the classic father figure. Brainy is smart. Narrator Smurf has the voice of a nature film’s voiceover man. It’s pretty self-evident. But you do learn to care about Clumsy and his dreams of one day becoming a hero (which he does!).

The effects in the movie are what are so disappointing. When the Smurfs get hugs from humans (Glee’s guidance counselor among them), you can tell their arms are grasping thin air, possibly in front of a green screen. While children don’t really care, adults notice. Of course, the movie is marketing to children, so you do have to pick your audience.

Overall, The Smurfs is a nice little kids’ movie. I’ll tell you this: when Gargamel was defeated, all of the children burst into applause. That’s got to mean something, right? As an adult, it wasn’t the most appealing thing I’d ever seen, but I was happy to see it and spend time with my little brother. If you’ve got little kids, or you’re babysitting, pop this film in and it’ll keep them entertained. Otherwise, I don’t recommend it for a date night. I know that cute flicks can work sometimes, but just not this one!

To read IMDB’s article on The Smurfs, click here.

Have a wonderful week everyone.